Poetry

Sometimes the words really flow through me when I'm too tired to think. I didn't sleep well the last two nights, so I was really a space cadet today. Lying on the bench in the dog play yard at the shelter with a white pit bull cavorting around me this afternoon, I thought of the Song of Amergin. The Song of Amergin is an ancient poem spoken by a Celtic bard upon arriving in Ireland a very, very long time ago. It was first written down -- as far as we know -- in Irish Gaelic during medieval times. There is much debate about its exact translation and its meaning. I find that the best way to understand a work is to write it yourself, to create your own version and in so doing understand the spirit of the original work. This is one of my favorites to re-write. Give it a try. What do you think it means?


I am your journey; I am the way
I am your destination; I am the place you leave behind
I am fire on the hill
I am wind in the manes of horses
I am the dance of spring; I am the death of winter
I am the laughter of friendship; I am the groan of loss
I am the goodness of dogs
Who but I knows the song of the earth from beginning to end?