A Poem Before Breakfast

Jim Chapman

Waking to Nat re’s Beaut , Inspiration & Wisdom

a poem before a poem before

breakfast breakfast

A Poem Before BreakfastA Poem Before Breakfast 2012 Special Online Edition Copyright © 2012 by Jim Chapman All rights reserved Published in Canada by Jim Chapman Out of love for our Mother Earth, this book is not being published on paper or any other medium that requires raw materials to be processed into a finished product that must then be packaged and shipped in order to be enjoyed. Please join me in conserving our natural resources by not printing any part or all of this book. With respect and appreciation,

Jim

A Poem Before BreakfastA Poem Before Breakfast Early one morning, on May 13, 2010, I realized I had read all the poetry in the house several times over and felt it was time to start giving back. So I wrote a poem of my own and promised myself I would write a new one each day before breakfast for a full year. In keeping that promise, I turned to Nature and found words coming from the same source of beauty that inspired me to become a photographer. Soon I was mixing verse with vision in a labour of love I titled A Poem Before Breakfast. As the year of writing unfolded, I shared some of the poems, usually in combination with my photos and occasionally with music. The heartfelt responses I received to those initial offerings nourished the creative process and strengthened my resolve to reveal Nature’s beauty, inspiration and wisdom through this book. On the morning of May 13, 2011, one year after I started, I celebrated my promise by writing the final poem in the series. The joy of sifting, editing and publishing those 365 poems is an ongoing one that carries me ever deeper into that mystery we call “Nature.”

In the heart of alIn the heart of all :l : BeingBeing There is an immense calmThere is an immense calm

When air and ocean speak thatWhen air and ocean speak that I can barely move my penI can barely move my pen

Still , I tryStill , I try Poetry allows such thingsPoetry allows such things

Just as the earthJust as the earth allows silent seed allows silent seed

To blossomTo blossom

A Poem Before BreakfastA Poem Before Breakfast

Nature is one continuous presence

Wild and passionately alive :

The high flight of inspiration

The deep rootedness of wisdom

The blossoming of beauty

Every step we take

Moves us from a place

Where perfect satisfaction

Can be found

One word Said straight from the heart

Can bring unimaginable beauty into this world

Say it with your whole life And the blossoming will amaze you



The same ecstatic desire

that brought the universe into existence

brings a flower out of the earth


Rise to the light Then bow your head to the earth Give all you believe is yours To that which spoke the word, “Breathe”

Welcome the lift

And the falling away Turn towards the opening Some will gasp and grieve As you disappear from view Others will see you coming And celebrate your arrival But don’t land there And don’t turn back Your flying is much more Than a form of travel


A hard life reflected Welcomes any small breeze Bent body and lifted sail Both feel the steady pull Neither knows from where

No sea shanties are sung Only a small whistled ditty

On this bonny morn


Today, the morning has become my lover We find and feel each other with delight And in this warm embrace I whisper,

“I love you.” The morning presses closer;

“I know, I love you too, even in the night.”


This is not a time for arguing with what is

This day is for exploring together What we thought was missing And for celebrating kissing!


Dawn greets the storm’s darkness

Pouring down light Into that all-accepting ocean Such giving never stops Such receiving never ends Amen


When we open to Nature’s Beauty Each leaf extends a unique gift. In a single drop of water We find the entire tree! We draw near to see ourselves And discover so much more .


Along the ocean’s edge I discover your upturned face Hard stone sculpted to tender brilliance By a nameless carver ’s hands And forces without fame Perhaps I should sit here myself !


I looked into your eyes And wondered who

Is seeing me Is seeing you


Nature doesn’t feel the needNature doesn’t feel the need

To compare, solve or believeTo compare, solve or believe

It simply flows withIt simply flows with ease ease


If you’re a tributary Run towards the river

Spill yourself completely Into that rushing brilliance


OneOne WetWet WildWild WonderfulWonderful WW

aa

tt

ee

rr

ff

aa

ll

ll

When you find such a flowWhen you find such a flow

Don’t just stand nearby Don’t just stand nearby

Get drenched!Get drenched!


Something beautiful announces itself Like wild geese in flight Suddenly head and heart Follow without understanding Without knowing where or why Until out of all sight and sound Only beauty remains


One

Transparent

Form

Calls us to the edge of seeing

We look to the appearance

But it ’s the mystery beyond

That moves our feet


Don’t seek the answerable Surrender to the mystery That vast opening beyond horizon Wander in wonder As One Unspeakable Yes



Learn from the spider Learn from the spider Who speaks the body’s wisdomWho speaks the body’s wisdom

With such strong intentWith such strong intent That sentences weave intoThat sentences weave into

A universe of living web water storiesA universe of living web water stories Drawing unto themselvesDrawing unto themselves

All that is requiredAll that is required

I can’t say Why in a crowded room or spreading orchard I notice you above all others One step in your direction And everything I ever wanted Appears in your outstretched hand


Welcome the dawnWelcome the dawn With the same majesty it offers youWith the same majesty it offers you Full face to full warmthFull face to full warmth No words and no holding backNo words and no holding back


The many weathers have taught me The futility of prediction And the satisfaction of surrender The poetry of a storm Writes itself on surface and shore Then disappears to compose another verse Don’t tell me the latest weather report Show me the source of inspiration


Melospiza melodia

So aptly named

Singing from your brambled perch

To mark the home you’ve claimed

Melospiza melodia is the scientific name for the Song Sparrow. The male uses its melodious song to declare ownership of its territory and to attract females.


You that fed and healed so many Now rarely seen at all Friend of Nootka Rose and Garry Oak Both can still recall

Sunbursting beauty Pure April delight

May we be wise stewards To help you through your plight

These coastal chocolate‐tips are both beautiful and rare. The First Nations on Vancouver Island used them as medicine. For me, just seeing this plant in bloom is a healing experience!



When form is no longer primary And desire set full aflame

Illuminates presence and absence alike One path will rise in silence

On our journey into love


Before creation There were no creators

Yet all the ingredients were there Just waiting to be mixed

That same potential Waits in us now

As song in memory Waits for our breath

When beauty descends into form

Don’t become a critic Praise every small movement

And sound Marvel at the mystery

That reaches out With such soaring kindness



To learn more about Jim Chapman and his work, visit

conversations-with -nature . com

A Poem Before Breakfast

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