To Begin With, the Fading Night and Blossoming Day

โ€œEach night, when I go to sleep, I die. And the next morning, when I wake up, I am reborn.โ€ โ€• Mahatma Gandhi

Every night when I lie down beneath the stars I die,
my only companion
being a blanket of sky and words ringing loudly
in my ears,
and every morning as I wake
my mind conjures new images for the soul
to dip inโ€”
and even though the eyes may only discern one step
at a time
I am convinced the universe is leading me nearer
to my purpose,
my reason for existence for which I sought to embrace
the world.

The self is often unseeing, unaware of the path it’s supposed to be
of opinion,
I gasp as the cold air caresses my cheek
as though beckoning to observe the landscape,
the underlying possibilities for my poetic heart to indulge in.
The clouds diffuse morning light to a subtle sweetness,
as I ask myself the following questions: Who am I now?
who was I before?
I suppose awakening is when we finally learn to be true to ourselves
disregarding what others have taught us to be,
and while I choose to remain close to origin,
I can’t help but wonder why branches deeply rooted long to stretch
towards the horizon–

I am conscious of half empty tea cup and few rainier cherries
poised on the table,
their thick and creamy yellow flesh eager for a second bite;
eat, love and offer your palms in prayer, there is only so much
the heart can endure,
early thirties led me to understand who and what I truly am–
poetry my vivication, my pulse, my strength
as city remembers a forgotten tale and shadows shift like pearly rays
across a cruel moraine,
ignorance’s silhouette shows no remorse as verses scatter into the open–
I am a flickering flame familiar with its various hues
and shades,
as I ready myself for challenges my pen has yet to face.

 

 

Photo credits: Pinterest

Posted for “Midweek Motif” @ Poets United

 

24 thoughts on “To Begin With, the Fading Night and Blossoming Day

  1. Sanna,

    You have captured the real essence and the circumstances of awakening.., as you write, it’s when we finally learn to be true to ourselves!

    1. Sanaa says:

      Thank you so much, Eileen ๐Ÿ˜€ so glad the poem resonated with you โค๏ธ

  2. Rall says:

    A beautiful illustration enhances a beautiful poem. To know yourself in your early thirties is an impressive feat. Pleased to hear you are so passionate about poetry. Like the Gandhi quote tool

    1. Sanaa says:

      Thank you so much, Rall ๐Ÿ˜€ so glad you enjoyed it โค๏ธ

  3. I sense a great peace with herself in the speaker’s declarations. Her awakening is going to lead to great things.

    1. Sanaa says:

      Thank you so much, MMT ๐Ÿ˜€ so glad you liked it โค๏ธ

  4. Sumana Roy says:

    Love the title and the striking first line. The whole poem is a beauty. As always, Sanaa.

    1. Sanaa says:

      Thank you so much, Sumana ๐Ÿ˜€ so good to see you โค๏ธ

  5. gillena says:

    “poetry my vivication, my pulse, my strength”
    This is so ‘romantic’, a poetess truly enarmored with her calling in life, bravo

    Thanks for dropping by my blog tiday

    Much๐Ÿ’žlove

    1. Sanaa says:

      Thank you so much, Gillena ๐Ÿ˜€ so glad you enjoyed it โค๏ธ

      Much๐ŸŒน๐ŸŒท๐ŸŒปlove

  6. “branches deeply rooted long to stretch towards the horizon-” this must be the constant source of awakening. We are just as the universe, ever expanding. I loved reading this, Sanaa. A very thoughtful piece.

    1. Sanaa says:

      Thank you so much, H. Hennenburg ๐Ÿ˜€ so glad the poem resonated with you โค๏ธ

  7. Susan says:

    What a goal for all of us–to be aware of all the colors of our flame! My new favorite of yours.

    1. Sanaa says:

      Thank you so much, Susan ๐Ÿ˜€ so glad you enjoyed it โค๏ธ

      (and thank you for the inspirational prompt) ๐ŸŒน

  8. Awakening is truly when we learn to be true to ourselves and cast off the roles others have imposed. I love those branches reaching out, ready to grow bigger.

    1. Sanaa says:

      Thank you so much, Sherry ๐Ÿ˜€ so glad you liked it โค๏ธ

  9. Old Egg says:

    Every day can be the new beginning. How good it is that you have embraced yourself and are saying “I am me”. Now the world is yours.

    1. Sanaa says:

      Thank you so much, Robin ๐Ÿ˜€ so glad the poem resonated with you โค๏ธ

  10. I can 100% relate to the part about “even though the eyes may only discern one step
    at a time,” believing that there is a reason. I believe that someone has the map, even if I don’t!

    1. Sanaa says:

      Thank you so much, Jenna ๐Ÿ˜€ so glad you enjoyed it โค๏ธ

  11. vandana says:

    What a true depiction of various hues of a soul………

    1. Sanaa says:

      Thank you so much, Vandana ๐Ÿ˜€ so glad you liked it โค๏ธ

  12. Sara McNulty says:

    Perfect! When you know who you are, life is richer.

    1. Sanaa says:

      Thank you so much, Sara ๐Ÿ˜€ so glad the poem resonated with you โค๏ธ

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