Journeying
Of course I wasn’t there.
But I know that there was a shift in the universe
that shafted into this world and its understandings.
You can give me a hundred reasons for believing otherwise.
Sensible reasons.
Rational reasons.
I enjoy the turning of the earth at the winter solstice,
when the dark begins to be defeated
and the planet edges back to the light again.
I can see how you would feel there is nothing
more mysterious going on.
I stand at the top of the cold hill on
the edge of the Pennines.
Stare at the same stars as you do
knowing that their shining is because they
have been burnt up to a crisp
and the news of planetary passing is still
coming through to us.
Quite straightforward.
But as I let the hugeness of that understanding
sink into my being,
I try to settle myself into listening …
leaning in towards the asking of the question.
It is uncomfortable to me
to live in a desert darkness of believing in nothing
whilst ignoring the hunched figures on camels
driving hard towards Bethlehem
guided by the brightness of a single lode star
that I can see too.
Viv Longley has been writing for her own pleasure since she was a child. Later in life she undertook an MA in Creative Writing at The Open University, specialising in poetry. As well as having one collection (Tally Sheet, Currock Press, 2021) she is undertaking a number of collaborative publications, notably, Daughters of Thyme. She is also preparing a second collection of her own and a number of essays – the latter to be called I am in a Hurry. 'Now nearing my 80’s, you just never know how much time you have left!'
Amethyst Review 