dVerse Poetry – Prosery – The Rock Cries Out
Frank at dVerse has invited us to take the line “The rock cries out to us today, You may stand upon me, but do not hide your face.” and use in for a prose piece of 144 words.
Photo: granite outcrop at Billyacatting with a Sheoak making good with a crevice.
“The rock cries out to us today, You may stand upon me, but do not hide your face.” Maya Angelou
Redemption Rock
We behaved as tourists, observing, consuming, enjoying, but never once holding a sense of belonging or offering something resembling connection even though that space so clearly cried out for it. Now that the tide is turning and ancient forms are slowly taking their leave, we face a new, daunting prospect. Too late to redress the past of our blithe and callow turning away. Indeed, we are no longer at our leisure, no longer possessed of our sure identity, positing who we are and what we might do as if there were no words of opposition or external accountabilities. Gone are our hermetically sealed worlds. We stand at the threshold forced to face ourselves, and even the rock cries out to us today, You may stand upon me, but do not hide your face. Even in the face of death, nature still reconciles us.
©Paul Vincent Cannon
Paul, pvcann.com
Eloquent and moving! I love how you used the sentence both in your prose and as an epigram! Great write!
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Thank you Frank, very kind indeed, and encouraging. I love Angelou’s work, and I found this really engaging.
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Well done Paul!
Even in the face of death, nature still reconciles us.
How true this is…
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Many thanks for that Dwight 🙂
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You ae welcome!
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So ture, and so important to say. Thank you Paul!
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Thank you so much Michael
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Always with a great pleasure, Paul! Thank you for bringing interesting and wonderful thoughts to us. Michael
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🙂
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Yes. Nature is iften what soithes us in the face of death. I live this
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Ah, that is a very personal connect, thank you for sharing that.
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This is so moving, give what is happening. If we could just take that kindness of nature and convert it into action.
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Yes, that would be amazing, I’m with that, thank you Bjorn.
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exquisite, well said!
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Many thanks for that Kate. 🙂
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I really like what you’ve done with the tourist metaphor, that our relationship to the land is as a tourist. The land is there for our amusement, and we bear no connection to it or responsibility for it–until the rock cries out to us. I hadn’t thought of it in quite that way before.
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It has bothered me for so long now, and I have wondered how it is we can treat nature so badly, that it came to that we are just so disconnected. Thank you for your transparent and reflective response Liz.
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What I find ironic about where I live in northern New England is that there are some areas of this region where the forests have completely reclaimed all the damage that was done by farming and logging. But–and this is a big but–the damage that is being done now in the southern parts of of the region is irreparable. The forest can’t reclaim strip malls, convenience stores, and storage warehouses.
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Yes, though last year I saw some astounding photos of industrial and commercial buildings overrun by forrest and jungle, blew my mind. But yes, I too lament the damage being done.
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Really nice writing – excellent opening sentence and great command of the language. I loved the picture you chose. It’s so important to look at what we’ve done, even if its too late to stave off the inevitable catastrophe. However, I think it’s important that future generations know that recognizing,seeing and speaking out are not enough. Doing is everything, from the moment we first notice…
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Absolutely so, and thank you for your thoughtful response, very much appreciated. We must be active at all times.
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“Gone are our hermetically sealed worlds.”
A statement of absolute truth.
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Resonance, thank you for highlighting that.
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Powerful and beautiful (photo and reflections), Paul.
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Thank you for those thoughtful words Charlotte
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