Muse for Monday

Mantra is quite a unique Muse. She is one of the only ones I have ever encountered who has a tendency to go walkabout.

Green fairy MantraWhen it was time to schedule this post, I got the feeling what I had picked out was not what the incessant fairy wanted on this page at all. She has a tendency to sneer at my calendar. She is also fed up with the hours I have been keeping.

The song I was hearing was evidently not for me. So, I accommodated the pixie by sending her to someone else. I shot off an email to Gail with some simple instructions:

Get it quiet where you are and listen for Mantra. See if you can hear her. She will sing you a poem if you listen. Write it down. It is not what you usually write, so do not try and direct it. I am interested in what it is. The song is not for me today.”

She laughed, but complied. I asked her what it was like to be invaded by someone else’s Muse. She said,

A profoundly moving experience, and an exercise in letting go of myself in order to allow her in. First, I was unsure of myself because I have been having difficulty writing poetry.

I sat quietly and waited for her voice singing to me, and she came. I had to let go of myself in order to listen to her, to allow her to direct me, and she gave me a title immediately. She informed the images and metaphors along every stanza of the poem. Even the capitalization was hers, and the stanza set up.

She sang to me in a strong voice, making the poem almost effortless. It’s her poem, she just sang it to me. I thought I was going to have trouble at the end with the fate of the doubter. I let her lead me, and she had an answer and compassion for that. She pulled the poem out of two dimensions into three.”

Here is what happens when Mantra goes walkabout.

Community of Passionates

The tower begins with two hands around a granite stone;
Pink feldspar and glittering quartz, hand hewn blocks.
A cornerstone is placed, time capsule beneath,
Absent objects, yet brimming with ideas.
Passion, what could be, what will.

The doubter walks by with but a glance.

A mission is born, others arrive;
Believers, doers, artists, writers, helpers.
The laying on of hands to the timeless stone together
Elevates ideas to a glowing potential.
The stone blocks bond as the community grows closer.

The doubter walks by with but a glance.

The tower rises to become a beacon of light.
A new meteor, throngs of the populace gather to see.
Hand built, the only one of its kind in the world;
Not just a new tower, but the birth of a new creativity.
Discovery in a new world of community.

The doubter approaches and steps over the threshold
Into the warmth of a million hands.

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Have you ever heard someone else’s Muse? What do you think of what Mantra and Gail came up with for today? When was the last time you were just quiet and listened?

Take a moment to check out Gail and her new books, The Regret of a Flower and The Girl in the Iron Lung.

© Red Dwyer 2013
Poem © Gail Thornton
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20 Comments

  1. I really do like this poem but I will be back later to add my thoughts to it, as for the now I am somewhat out of the zone.

    And I will also definitely call in on Gail.

    Have a lovely
    rest of evening Red 🙂

    Andro xxx

    Reply
  2. I barely hear mine. I loved the poem and it actually inspired me a bit. My quiet listening time is in bed when I should be sleeping, but I don’t think that’s really what you’re looking for. I try to let creative things come to my free mind, but I usually end up with busy thoughts from the day.

    Reply
  3. I like this one – my first thought as I read it was that it was a lighthouse! 🙂

    I don’t write much poetry these days, but I really liked this! 🙂

    Love and hugs!

    Prenin.
    prenin recently posted..Monday – My first two reviews.My Profile

    Reply
    • Thank you Prenin!

      Mantra speaks in images, and a lighthouse is a perfect beacon for what she is talking about here 🙂 Thank you for being here!

      Reply
    • I like the idea of a lighthouse. They are such cool buildings.

      Reply
  4. Lovely and inspirational. Mantra pushes limits and demands attention, though I suspect it is difficult for others to hear.

    I will say, as I have many times before I enjoy the what Mantra demands. I enjoy it because it touches my mind first rather than attempting to twang heartstrings.

    Gail, I am glad you listened.
    Valentine Logar recently posted..Flash in the PanMy Profile

    Reply
    • Thank you Val,

      Mantra is indeed an inspirational voice, one I could not ignore once I heard her sing to me. I was delighted to put the pen to the page for her! Thank you for your kind words. 🙂
      Gail Thornton recently posted..Find My Books at Redmund Productions Bookstore!My Profile

      Reply
    • I think that is where Mantra sets herself apart from other muses (besides having a proper name). It is not always about making you feel enough to overcome the language or the format, but more about starting the brain in motion.

      Reply
  5. Beautifully heard and transcribed, Gail!! Usually I don’t even hear my own muse, much less than that of another! What a wonderful job you did, Gail, of letting the Muse move through you. And you both spoke to and of a community that has taken up a place of special residence in my own heart. And I commend you, Red for having the wisdom to recognize your muse was seeking a voice other than you to dance with. You are some awesome muse, there, Mantra!!
    Cheers to Mantra, Gail and Red!!!
    I absolutely love the image you have created with your words!!!

    🙂
    BuddhaKat recently posted..First Friday Fractal Feature of 2013My Profile

    Reply
  6. I have goosebumps.. amazing ..
    Mantra comes to me but only to pester me about what she thinks she looks like.. huh.. she must be happy of late, or I haven;t been listening but when I dont listen she kicks me in the shin and causes my colors to go crazy all over the page or kicks the pen right out from under me.. she is very opinionated about her looks… we have a new one and I guess she will tell me when its time to show it off… cheeky little fairy. oh that I love…
    Lizzie Cracked recently posted..Edward Hotspur and the SQUEE!!!!My Profile

    Reply
    • She is cheeky. None of her opinions are guarded, even when she is being delicate. Who would have believed fairies drove bulldozers? xxx

      Reply
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