“True courage is like a kite; a contrary wind raises it higher.” John Petit-Senn
For this poem I took a line from Mary Frye’s ‘Do Not Stand At My Grave And Weep.’ to riff with, mainly because it is a poem that I wrestle with, I experience Frye’s poem as wistful and I wanted to write a poem that expresses the reality of death but also honours the sense of spirit, of afterlife.
The line I have taken is “I am a thousand winds that blow.”
I Am A Thousand Winds That Blow
I am here and I am there,
in life, in death,
I am everywhere,
I'm in the ground,
I'm in the urn,
in my bed I twist and turn.
I cannot deny that I am alive,
always buzzing I love to thrive
I cannot deny that I did die,
so mourn away and light the fire.
As the ash floats on the air,
don't embellish with too much flair,
let me go where I must go,
I am a thousand winds that blow.
Copyright 2022 ©Paul Vincent Cannon
All Rights Reserved ®️
The original poem is below
Do Not Stand At My Grave And Weep by Mary Frye
Do not stand at my grave and weep;
I am not there. I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow.
I am the diamond glints on snow.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain.
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you awaken in the morning's hush
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circled flight.
I am the soft stars that shine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry;
I am not there.
I did not die.
Like this:
Like Loading...