a poem before breakfast
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A Poem Before Breakfast: Waking to Nature’s Beauty, Inspiration & WisdomTRANSCRIPT
Jim Chapman
Waking to Nat re’s Beaut , Inspiration & Wisdom
a poem before a poem before
breakfast breakfast
A Poem Before BreakfastA Poem Before Breakfast 2012 Special Online Edition Copyright © 2012 by Jim Chapman All rights reserved Published in Canada by Jim Chapman Out of love for our Mother Earth, this book is not being published on paper or any other medium that requires raw materials to be processed into a finished product that must then be packaged and shipped in order to be enjoyed. Please join me in conserving our natural resources by not printing any part or all of this book. With respect and appreciation,
Jim
A Poem Before BreakfastA Poem Before Breakfast Early one morning, on May 13, 2010, I realized I had read all the poetry in the house several times over and felt it was time to start giving back. So I wrote a poem of my own and promised myself I would write a new one each day before breakfast for a full year. In keeping that promise, I turned to Nature and found words coming from the same source of beauty that inspired me to become a photographer. Soon I was mixing verse with vision in a labour of love I titled A Poem Before Breakfast. As the year of writing unfolded, I shared some of the poems, usually in combination with my photos and occasionally with music. The heartfelt responses I received to those initial offerings nourished the creative process and strengthened my resolve to reveal Nature’s beauty, inspiration and wisdom through this book. On the morning of May 13, 2011, one year after I started, I celebrated my promise by writing the final poem in the series. The joy of sifting, editing and publishing those 365 poems is an ongoing one that carries me ever deeper into that mystery we call “Nature.”
In the heart of alIn the heart of all :l : BeingBeing There is an immense calmThere is an immense calm
When air and ocean speak thatWhen air and ocean speak that I can barely move my penI can barely move my pen
Still , I tryStill , I try Poetry allows such thingsPoetry allows such things
Just as the earthJust as the earth allows silent seed allows silent seed
To blossomTo blossom
A Poem Before BreakfastA Poem Before Breakfast
Nature is one continuous presence
Wild and passionately alive :
The high flight of inspiration
The deep rootedness of wisdom
The blossoming of beauty
Every step we take
Moves us from a place
Where perfect satisfaction
Can be found
One word Said straight from the heart
Can bring unimaginable beauty into this world
Say it with your whole life And the blossoming will amaze you
A Poem Before BreakfastA Poem Before Breakfast
A Poem Before BreakfastA Poem Before Breakfast
The same ecstatic desire
that brought the universe into existence
brings a flower out of the earth
A Poem Before BreakfastA Poem Before Breakfast
Rise to the light Then bow your head to the earth Give all you believe is yours To that which spoke the word, “Breathe”
Welcome the lift
And the falling away Turn towards the opening Some will gasp and grieve As you disappear from view Others will see you coming And celebrate your arrival But don’t land there And don’t turn back Your flying is much more Than a form of travel
A Poem Before BreakfastA Poem Before Breakfast
A hard life reflected Welcomes any small breeze Bent body and lifted sail Both feel the steady pull Neither knows from where
No sea shanties are sung Only a small whistled ditty
On this bonny morn
A Poem Before BreakfastA Poem Before Breakfast
Today, the morning has become my lover We find and feel each other with delight And in this warm embrace I whisper,
“I love you.” The morning presses closer;
“I know, I love you too, even in the night.”
A Poem Before BreakfastA Poem Before Breakfast
This is not a time for arguing with what is
This day is for exploring together What we thought was missing And for celebrating kissing!
A Poem Before BreakfastA Poem Before Breakfast
Dawn greets the storm’s darkness
Pouring down light Into that all-accepting ocean Such giving never stops Such receiving never ends Amen
A Poem Before BreakfastA Poem Before Breakfast
When we open to Nature’s Beauty Each leaf extends a unique gift. In a single drop of water We find the entire tree! We draw near to see ourselves And discover so much more .
A Poem Before BreakfastA Poem Before Breakfast
Along the ocean’s edge I discover your upturned face Hard stone sculpted to tender brilliance By a nameless carver ’s hands And forces without fame Perhaps I should sit here myself !
A Poem Before BreakfastA Poem Before Breakfast
I looked into your eyes And wondered who
Is seeing me Is seeing you
A Poem Before BreakfastA Poem Before Breakfast
Nature doesn’t feel the needNature doesn’t feel the need
To compare, solve or believeTo compare, solve or believe
It simply flows withIt simply flows with ease ease
A Poem Before BreakfastA Poem Before Breakfast
If you’re a tributary Run towards the river
Spill yourself completely Into that rushing brilliance
A Poem Before BreakfastA Poem Before Breakfast
OneOne WetWet WildWild WonderfulWonderful WW
aa
tt
ee
rr
ff
aa
ll
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When you find such a flowWhen you find such a flow
Don’t just stand nearby Don’t just stand nearby
Get drenched!Get drenched!
A Poem Before BreakfastA Poem Before Breakfast
Something beautiful announces itself Like wild geese in flight Suddenly head and heart Follow without understanding Without knowing where or why Until out of all sight and sound Only beauty remains
A Poem Before BreakfastA Poem Before Breakfast
One
Transparent
Form
Calls us to the edge of seeing
We look to the appearance
But it ’s the mystery beyond
That moves our feet
A Poem Before BreakfastA Poem Before Breakfast
Don’t seek the answerable Surrender to the mystery That vast opening beyond horizon Wander in wonder As One Unspeakable Yes
A Poem Before BreakfastA Poem Before Breakfast
A Poem Before BreakfastA Poem Before Breakfast
Learn from the spider Learn from the spider Who speaks the body’s wisdomWho speaks the body’s wisdom
With such strong intentWith such strong intent That sentences weave intoThat sentences weave into
A universe of living web water storiesA universe of living web water stories Drawing unto themselvesDrawing unto themselves
All that is requiredAll that is required
I can’t say Why in a crowded room or spreading orchard I notice you above all others One step in your direction And everything I ever wanted Appears in your outstretched hand
A Poem Before BreakfastA Poem Before Breakfast
Welcome the dawnWelcome the dawn With the same majesty it offers youWith the same majesty it offers you Full face to full warmthFull face to full warmth No words and no holding backNo words and no holding back
A Poem Before BreakfastA Poem Before Breakfast
The many weathers have taught me The futility of prediction And the satisfaction of surrender The poetry of a storm Writes itself on surface and shore Then disappears to compose another verse Don’t tell me the latest weather report Show me the source of inspiration
A Poem Before BreakfastA Poem Before Breakfast
Melospiza melodia
So aptly named
Singing from your brambled perch
To mark the home you’ve claimed
Melospiza melodia is the scientific name for the Song Sparrow. The male uses its melodious song to declare ownership of its territory and to attract females.
A Poem Before BreakfastA Poem Before Breakfast
You that fed and healed so many Now rarely seen at all Friend of Nootka Rose and Garry Oak Both can still recall
Sunbursting beauty Pure April delight
May we be wise stewards To help you through your plight
These coastal chocolate‐tips are both beautiful and rare. The First Nations on Vancouver Island used them as medicine. For me, just seeing this plant in bloom is a healing experience!
A Poem Before BreakfastA Poem Before Breakfast
A Poem Before BreakfastA Poem Before Breakfast
When form is no longer primary And desire set full aflame
Illuminates presence and absence alike One path will rise in silence
On our journey into love
A Poem Before BreakfastA Poem Before Breakfast
Before creation There were no creators
Yet all the ingredients were there Just waiting to be mixed
That same potential Waits in us now
As song in memory Waits for our breath
When beauty descends into form
Don’t become a critic Praise every small movement
And sound Marvel at the mystery
That reaches out With such soaring kindness
A Poem Before BreakfastA Poem Before Breakfast
A Poem Before BreakfastA Poem Before Breakfast
To learn more about Jim Chapman and his work, visit
conversations-with -nature . com