The Warrior Awakes: The Poetry of Gunnar Våken

Poem: Grazing

They say the gaze
Is the window to the soul
Are they right?

Constant survey of the great outdoors
Leads me to believe that
The soul
The precious soul
Is a tiny pebble
In a vast universe

Stars, black holes
Planets, comets
Galaxies, solar systems
Who am I?
I'm less than a sliver
In a vast forest

Do I look down on myself
Because I am so seemingly
Tiny and
Insignificant

Oh no, to the contrary
I am big
So big

I am connected
To generations
Before and after
One baby
In one gigantic
Tree

I am linked
To species untold
Some crawling
Others flying
Some swimming
Others galloping

My flesh is future dirt
Soil to fertilise
The food of critters
My consciousness
Will blaze on-screen
Like the end of
A Hollywood movie

This is not a sad finale
This is not a subject of tears
A source of worry
A reason to stop
Smiling from dawn to dusk

Let's rejoice
Do a little jig
That we didn't die in the crib
Or wander into a
Toddler-storm
Of wheels on traffic lines
Meeting an early cessation

Let's thank Madame Réalité
That our little feet
Did not march us
Into
A river or lake
Or off a bridge
When our parents
Weren't looking

We're here
Though, unfortunately,
Others aren't
Pause and weep for the dead
Then wipe your wet cheek
And again prepare to
Smile as fools do
Fools who applaud
Life in the face of
Untold odds

Tomorrow is another day
Today is short, but
Sufficient

Get 'er done while the sun shines
And retire under your blanket
When your day's work is done
With a song of joy
Ping-ponging
Throughout
Your heart's
Wild caverns

The sun will rise again

~ Gunnar Våken