Witness
by Denise Levertov
Sometimes the mountain
is hidden from me in veils
of cloud, sometimes
I am hidden from the mountain
in veils of inattention, apathy, fatigue,
when I forget or refuse to go
down to the shore or a few yards
up the road, on a clear day,
to reconfirm
that witnessing presence.
Sometimes the mountain
is hidden from me in veils
of cloud, sometimes
I am hidden from the mountain
in veils of inattention, apathy, fatigue,
when I forget or refuse to go
down to the shore or a few yards
up the road, on a clear day,
to reconfirm
that witnessing presence.
posted by Sharon Gerald | 6:35 PM
4 Comments:
I liked the poem. (And I'm glad you're back at your word processor for Strong Refuge)
The mountain imagery reminds me of the lst verse in that little book, Habakkuh: "The Lord God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds' feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places." (3:19)
Jeanne
Not very long ago I was teaching a Sunday School lesson and found a commentary that suggested the mountains are our times of challenge. Of course challenge can be good, but the commentary changed the way I think about mountain-top experiences. Certainly it's safer to view mountains from our valley than to actually need the hinds' feet required for negotiating mountaintops.
That's an interesting way of thinking about the mountains in our lives. I've been pondering lately how without some of the more difficult climbs we make in our own journeys, we'd lack the strength to help others. I believe helping others is one of the main ways we have of knowing God, so finding our hinds' feet is almost critically important.
I think that I agree with you about helping others; it is a way to achieve a closeness to God. I have a litle flip calendar on my desk; each day provides a quotation from Mother Teresa. Here's one: "Faith in actin is love, and love in action is service. By transforming that faith into living acts of love, we put ourselves in contact with God himself, with Jesus our Lord."
Jeanne
Amen!
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