Poetry about the Commonwealth
This is a poem written by our good friend Hugh Eckert that he was kind
enough to send us. He said he thought we might be interested. Well, duh!
Commonwealth
by Hugh Eckert
Its beginning was not *the* Word-
One cogent sound did not suffice;
It took two and three and more than that
To mix and pattern and call the Delian spark
That set a cool head ablaze with Maker’s fire-
The forge of tales in the first Teller’s head.
He or she, it matters not, embraced this heat
In trembling awe, matched idea to sound,
Wrought in words an unknown Wonder,
Rivaling the glory of flowers and rainbows-
The first Story to inform the infant world.
Loose in knowers’ minds, it grew and changed,
Spun children off like showering sparks,
Made cunning tools to stretch its reach:
Song resounded in the wilds, feet learned dance,
And cunning men drew sagas on deep stone walls.
Then, as this glowing net spanned humanity-
Strands of fable, myth, and poesy through all lands-
The Sun first rose on a newborn skerry, still damp
>From the ocean of our collective Dream.
Ever since that dawn, the land has swelled;
First slow with the sonorous chant of words,
Then surging with the scratch of pens on paper,
And now at the thundering gallop of metal type.
This place has never been without its people-
Their stories merge and clash and pirouette,
Each new player claiming a place or blazing
A path within the common wealth that shines
Immanent from every hill and tree and stone.
It is not hidden from the daily world; it lies
Just around the nearest turn, our passage paid
At our birth. Stretch out your hand, open your eyes,
And board the simple ancient chariot,
Or take the wheel of full-rigged frigate,
Or ride the winged courser that restive waits.
You will reach that shore, though rough your landing,
To stand on the brink of your own adventure.
Riches beyond wonder are there for the taking,
And there will always be more, just beyond your grasp:
A sudden tree or stone, a hidden road that sings its call
To lure you deeper into this ancient land, ever-new.
Why wonder that those who live there love it well,
And give their greatest force to keep it safe?
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