Firstly, it’s not that wild,
unless wild means still and quiet –
perhaps it does. Perhaps
it means becoming water
held with care. Something like water.
Or silence, and sleep, turning away
from everything, shutting out the world.
Perhaps it means dark shapes
that form and fall away – almost visible,
or soft sounds almost heard.
Lying, suspended, somewhere
between light and dark,
between air and water
between sound and silence –
thoughtless, because thoughts
are far too formed for this
contorted space.
Brendan at earthweal asks us to think about the wild dark, the place where inspiration lies.
Sarah writes poems 
Wow, Sarah. I love this.
❤
David
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Hi Sarah, how great to see you at earthweal … I love the tentative nature of the thought here, reaching just beyond thought, out of the circle of light and naming what is half-lit, -known, -writ. “Becoming water / held with care” is the wild thought; ” “Something like water. / Or silence, and sleep, turning away / from everything, shutting out the world” goes darker. We still have to hold the candle, if in the lightest of ways; shaping with words what swims almost to view. ‘Tis deep work and it is in the far ends of whatever gets us to write poems in the first place. Thanks again –
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Thank you fo rreading and responding, Brendan. I am dealing with my own dark at the moment, trying to work out what it’s all about.
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Wow! This is fabulous! And your last stanza:
“thoughtless, because thoughts
are far too formed for this
contorted space.”
That absolutely nails it for me.
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Thank you.
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I love the “let’s suppose” feel of this, which makes it feel conversationally inclusive.
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I really like the question around wild, it reframes for me, a deep contemplative out of dark and wild uncontrolled places or feelings.
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Wonderful, with absolutely perfect closing lines. Always lovely to read you, Sarah.
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Thank you, Sherry.
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I think you’re right. We think too much already or we rely on others to think for us. We’ve lost instinctive empathy.
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Until “contorted,” I thought you were coming to a positive description of what “wild” could possibly mean to us who are so tame. But I agree, “lying between” as you describe, is too much limbo for words. Too bad. That’s a space that we have to find words for–as you do in this poem!!! We are so tame that wildness could feel dark indeed.
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This is an insightful vision of the place where creativity dwells. You have defined the undefinable well.
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Thoughtless and measureless, yet what poetry emerges from such dark depths! Hope you are doing well, Sarah.
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