Robert Frost once wrote, “Through nature one can hear
the voice of God.”
As I observe nature, I witness its beauty and mystery
Yet, I also acknowledge it is a colossal eating machine,
as Woody Allen joked, “nature is indeed a giant restaurant.”
When an animal is injured and cannot keep up with the herd
It is left behind to eaten by scavengers
As an eagle scours the sky and ground
for prey to feed its young
It claws are not personal
As a whale devours entire schools of fish
And a shark tears into the flesh of an unfortunate wanderer,
they both adhere to the voice of God
I wonder how much blood and pain
have endured through the eons,
Devastation I cannot even imagine
All for the sake of survival
To prolong life
and sanction it to brew
I wonder how many creatures
have become extinct
Due to icy cold winters
or the extreme heat of summer
I have learned about the violent behavior
as galaxies are born
And how they die by colliding into one another
And the beautiful destruction of it all
I am taught how a sun will become a supernova
and consume the planets, moons and comets
hugging its warmth,
Swelling then shrinking to almost nothing
into the cold darkness of space
Inevitably, I have to consider mankind’s inherent character
In the scheme of things
In the natural order of life
How he rapes, murders, goes to war
How he destroys, pilferages, enslaves and controls
So, since man is indeed a part of nature
and breathes via God’s voice,
Isn’t creation the process of destruction?
And isn’t mankind’s hostility
Actually a learning process?
And since God allows us to evolve
beyond this aggression
to fulfill our purpose and being
We can listen to nature’s Voice
Invite us beyond this mode of existence
to a position of becoming
And realize God’s voice is actually singing
In natural melodies of light and darkness
Whose presence
Is both beautiful and unsightly
Is both awe-inspiring and blinding
And this is how the universe grows
How it dies and is reborn
by listening to the Voice within us
Jude - This is an amazing piece of writing. But you said, "God," and proceeded to write about his work and creation. That's when the flood gates opened, and I'm leaving it to you to put that water somewhere, and close those gates. I dare not comment on this subject, but admire deeply your 'going there.' My best. - Bill
Not your usual style, but then, you have been experimenting lately. This essay gets at the conundrum that is existence and will do until galaxies collide.
and this is so true will be no need for peace if not war
life without death
their is no good without evil
it all have it's balance here cept mankind/humankind
much more devasation than calm
very thought-provoking
Woohoo, this is one heck of a write here Jude, certainly does stir the thought process up. I see a great deal of merit in many things you have written, but at the same time, not unlike Eileen, many of your thoughts and ideals regarding the Godhead.. Come across my own beliefs, but as you have said and I am considerate of this..you are not trying to convert anyone. We each percieve as we do,that is a fact, and no one can say to another, you got it all wrong, coz if you point the finger at anyone in this world, know that there are THREE pointing straight back at yah :):):)
I will share something with you that just came to mind though. You see I percieve your perceptions as Pantheistic ok. Now you can tackle me on that one if I am wrong as you see fit, no worries.
"Whose presence
Is both beautiful and unsightly
Is both awe-inspiring and blinding"
Those lines struck a chord with me. Here's why..
In the bible right, the book of Exodus...Dang wish I could recall the right place, anyhow Moses wished to see GOD, but God could not allow this, for he knew what his presence would do to Moses.. So he passed by Moses, placing a shield over him, ( I'm not quoting scripture here ok) then as he passed by Moses was not burnt up by his brilliance, but in his infinate love for him, God allowed Moses to actually see the back of HIS head!
I know from the bible that this was enough to make Moses face glow.
Now I will go and look that scripture up myself and refresh my mind :)
I like those lines you have written particulary, because in those I see you are trying to express, who incredible God is, even in the word unsightly, to us he is, because simply, as I believe, we cannot look upon his face,in our mortal state, and live. Did I make any sense here Jude, sure hope so, it's a hard subject to acutally express, without tripping oneself over. Ty for your effort and thoughts here penned. Take care, xx Ch'erie
I have to agree with E. T., even after reading your rebuttal. I have witnessed first hand the initiation of the angel of darkness portraying himself as god! I actually saw a thread of light come down out of heaven, and felt the change occur. However it only served to strengthen me! Because my True Spiritual journey had already begun. What it served to do was this. It placed an evil spirit upon me which the "others" I'll borrow a quote from you. Here it is "personally, I’m more concerned with the guise of half-dark creatures, for they profess goodness manifest through darkness, which makes it more difficult to see through.... they are also totally aware of their deceit..." …”so it allowed the "others" to "read" me or things transpiring in my life. It was to say the least...Hell on earth for me to totally grasp this experience you would have to live it yourself! “However I'll suffice to say that "He that is and was in me was a much greater force" and through great trials and tribulations I became the Spirit Warrior that I am today! Far from perfect...yet "saved" by grace.
... these "hidden" lines are the crux of your premise, perhaps. Nature's delicate balance and the necessary countertensions of opposing forces. I am not about to continue the theological or philosophical debate, but one thing that strikes me as a "difference" between Man and Nature is the added quotient of ethics and morality. I'm not sure that Nature is conscious of any "extra" considerations along those kinds of lines whereas the whole essence of Man seems to ultimately have these kinds of awareness. Indeed, if it were not so, perhaps mankind would have devolved a long time ago. It IS perhaps the awareness of a Presence, named by some as God, that gives us that extra dimension that makes all the difference to the ways in which we behave and make our choices. Other points are that it is clear that violence as well as compassion co-exist inside the heart and mind of God. The God of the Old Testament is also the same God as He of the New. Christians believe that that violence is answered back by God Himself, undertaking a violent death on a cross to cancel out the violence that He names as sin. And, in that, is the greatest single act of love that the world will ever witness. Life out of death; love out of hate. Birth is undeniably the single most brutal and dangerous physical experience both mother and baby can experience, but love and bonding almost inevitably unite them through it. So much here, so little time to take it all in. A wonderful extended premise and proposition which you lay out coherently before us and invite us to share in consideration of with you. Your questions beg answers and we are all evolving by reaching and straining towards those answers together. TY Kate xx
Reviewed by Joseph* OneLight*® (Reader)
Reviewed on May 24, 2007
Hey Ace,
The voice within us is the one we all should be listening to instead of the propoganda that would lead all the sheeple astray.
Jude it's so wonderful how your mind is open to observations many would miss. This was a powerful methorphoric statement!
Reviewed by LadyJtalks LadyJzTalkZone (Reader)
Reviewed on May 23, 2007
the Voice speaks well, this is how it is, and how it's always been, and will be to the end. it is what we decide to do to be our best is all that matters. everyone has their place, the task is to find it. Well, spoken. Lady J
A powerful write my friend, one that causes the reader to read, and read again to get a complete understanding...so many ways to view this write...for many in our world today do mimick the ways of animals survival in the wild, ravaging and destroying what many of them come in contact with! Only animals do what is necessary for them to survive, while man doesn't have to do this for survival...much of theirs is from greed! Enjoyed!
Blessings,
Joyce B.
ET, i think you misunderstand some of the concepts i pushed forward ... besides all the worship stuff which i won't explore here, God does allow for free choice, i don't ague that point ... the point i'm making here, is that since God is everything and all is part of the natural oder of things, what we do via free choice is also part of the essence of God ... in fact, since God is everything, we are also God ... Man is in fact, God in the making ... murder, hate, etc. is part of God's creation ... sure it's different in intent from that of animals but the act of shedding blood is still the same ... God has allowed for it for mankind to learn how to evolve beyond the acts of destruction and the shedding of blood ... my main premise in this poem, is that the universal scheme encompasses both life and death, creation and destruction ... all created by and allowed for by God ... and lets not forget, Man on this planet is still in the primitive state of evolution ... Man on other planets is highly civilized and partakes in the creative process ... so much depends on where your coming from and where your going to ...
*
"His spirit speaks to ours, to guide us" that's what "the Voice" is referring to ... we are that spirit, that voice ... we are after all its image ...
as far as life on other planets being conjecture, i believe some of you past poems have referred to that reality unless i read them wrong ...
we could continue this dialog forever so lets just accept our differences and the actual intention of my poem and leave it at that ... i am not attempting to convert anyone and i appreciate the same courtesy ...
You can't get much more powerful than this. Your words are representing the reality of our world of today. This is an exceptional write that brings light to so many questions we ask ourselves each day. I agree that this is one of your best writes.
Jude
Life on other planets would only be conjecture, but I don't rule it out. However, no matter where you are coming from or are going to, there are absolutes where Creator is concerned and it is my opinion that many people water down His standards bringing him to an earthly level they can be more comfortable with ! Leaving religious teaching out of the equation is almost impossible, for it was by means of the Fathers of the church and the bible that most all other arguments and thoughts come from. So even though I do not like religion, I do recognize some of its important information as a means of getting closer to the kind of relationship Creator asks of us. There are many ways to learn of God,none of them should be discounted.But I think the most successful way is by building a relationship, whereby His spirit speaks to ours, to guide us. This can only come when God knows our hearts are serious about wanting to follow His word!
Certainly God is within us as He is in everything He created, but that is His spirit, God's nature is above that of man and cannot sin as we do, or He would be unjust and therefore no longer God!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It is widely known and accepted that God is Creator of EVERYTHING, that Satan has to ask him permission before He acts (as in the book of Job).Therefore, your premise is not so far fetched. Yet the arguement against it is a lengthy one and too varied to fit in this forum. So whatever I say will not get the explanation it deserves. Suffice it to say, that He allows us free choice, and therin lies the answer. We take it from there and commit the acts that are wrong, not Him. Think of this. How would we know love if we couldn't measure it against hate? How would God know we loved Him if we didn't CHOOSE to worship Him? God is ALL good,so no evil acts can be imputed to Him! We and Satan are the evil doers, by choice. The instinct of animals cannot be compared to humans. They kill to live,and so do we, but humans commit murder and other crimes far different than how animals behave. Lastly, would you like a heaven peopled the same as we have here on earth with all of its flaws? I wouldn't and believe God is making sure it won't be, by giving us Earthly time to make our mistakes,and learn of His plan, before we go to the perfect home, he has waiting for us...Excellent thought provoking poem Jude!
Indeed! Mother Nature has an intricate food chain and like us mortals, the chemical makeup is, too, threstened with each day. Your heart in written into this poem.
Love,
Susan
So, since man is indeed a part of nature
and breathes via God’s voice,
Isn’t creation the process of destruction?
A most interesting premise, Jude. But I think mankind reaches far beyond the limits of Creation's destruction. When an animal needs food, it only kills what it needs. Mankind often kills everything in sight, and as Sherry points out, often leaves it in the killing fields to rot. I find it difficult to believe that man's utter callousness and gross gluttony is truly part of the 'natural order.'
I believe that the difference between the murder that man commits and the death that occurs as part of nature, is that we don't have to kill one another to survive. Our killing comes from fear and we walk away from what we have destroyed, leaving it to rot, considering it our enemy and thereby justifying our aggressive behavior. You are correct when you say that it is the law of nature to destroy in order to generate rebirth. Just as we see with devastating forest fires that take so much, yet afford the opportunity for flora and fauna to reappear that was stifled for years by the dense forestation sucking up all of the sunlight. Everything in nature has a dieing off period and most occurs by being a part of the food chain. Man kills for his own satisfaction and to feel his strength and superiority, even though we know it is truly not necessary for us to do so. Death and destruction is now and has always been the nature of man but the soul of man understands that it is not right that this has been or should continue to be, the case. This is a very strong offering, Jude, leaving the reader pleanty of room to come to grips with their place in the grand design of it all.
Take care,
Sherry
Jude,
Very thought provoking and consuming write my friend. We are all part of the plan but in the overall picture how do we fit into that plan? Does a murderer hear a voice telling him to kill? I doubt that there is anything or anyone good behind that voice. I still wonder. Blessings Always, Paul.
An interesting argument Jude and one I have considered myself a time or to, the very existance of good and evil is a concept that is hard to equate with an all powerful God who will allow untold suffering unless there is a purpose. For example without the wars, famines, droughts and dissease how long before this planet would over populate itself into starvation death. Very thought provoking write.
...and when I am swimming on God's sea waters I hope He doesn't whisper nothing to that tearing flesh shark.
We all seems to forget that Nature has many sides, one of which are that mysterious sense of humor of the Creator.
A very philosophical poem.
Georg
Reviewed by Sage Sweetwater
Reviewed on May 22, 2007
The poem is rooted in the law of karma, every action has a cause, so actions have reactions that are impossible to escape. The moon dies every month only to be reborn, plants and animals of the forest are continually born into a brief and danger-filled life, feeding from the death of others before they too must die. The Awakened Ones know that the Buddhist Monks spend considerable time to mark guidelines for a sand mandala which is created in spirit, and then once made, they are ritually destroyed. The mandalas serve as an object of meditation, serving as a miniature universe. It represents respect for the deity, of which god is the centre of the universe...so within the mandalas, we get both creation and destruction, the aim of creation, to pass on knowledge...mantras are the Voice within us...songs and chants to heal, change the weather, bring the animals and humans close together. The whole universe is composed of sound. This poem is written quite like the Dogen's Voice, Jude, with intellectual honesty and a thinker of the medieval period, conceived by this reviewer, with Zen power and decorum, mindfulness, and a passion for communication, a Voice of astonishing modern timbre and visionary prose...
A wonderful account and insight into how the universe grows Jude!
So accurate and painfully true: yet helping us detach to the personal!
Creation and destruction are embedded!
Yes, it really does seem that light and darkness must live together to balance the other. Like yin and yang... when there's an abundance of light, a little dark spot also exists. And, when there's darkness - an absence of light, there is still a flicker of Light!
All beings have a purpose and the Voice within guides. I love the clear unity of this poem!
Love, Suzie
A Collection of Voices from Around the World is more than just a poetry compilation. It is a partnership of poets from around the globe brought together by an internet poetry forum. That forum, poetrypages.com, has been the home of many a fine poet s
The songs and art in this book are about our collective emergence after the pandemic and trauma of the last few years - comprised of 5 collections: World as Refuge, Where We Live, In Our Hands, Rhythms of Change and What We See & Sow.
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Ron
life without death
their is no good without evil
it all have it's balance here cept mankind/humankind
much more devasation than calm
very thought-provoking
I will share something with you that just came to mind though. You see I percieve your perceptions as Pantheistic ok. Now you can tackle me on that one if I am wrong as you see fit, no worries.
"Whose presence
Is both beautiful and unsightly
Is both awe-inspiring and blinding"
Those lines struck a chord with me. Here's why..
In the bible right, the book of Exodus...Dang wish I could recall the right place, anyhow Moses wished to see GOD, but God could not allow this, for he knew what his presence would do to Moses.. So he passed by Moses, placing a shield over him, ( I'm not quoting scripture here ok) then as he passed by Moses was not burnt up by his brilliance, but in his infinate love for him, God allowed Moses to actually see the back of HIS head!
I know from the bible that this was enough to make Moses face glow.
Now I will go and look that scripture up myself and refresh my mind :)
I like those lines you have written particulary, because in those I see you are trying to express, who incredible God is, even in the word unsightly, to us he is, because simply, as I believe, we cannot look upon his face,in our mortal state, and live. Did I make any sense here Jude, sure hope so, it's a hard subject to acutally express, without tripping oneself over. Ty for your effort and thoughts here penned. Take care, xx Ch'erie
May God Bless "you" on your journey my friend.
-Spirit Warrior
To prolong life
and sanction it to brew
... these "hidden" lines are the crux of your premise, perhaps. Nature's delicate balance and the necessary countertensions of opposing forces. I am not about to continue the theological or philosophical debate, but one thing that strikes me as a "difference" between Man and Nature is the added quotient of ethics and morality. I'm not sure that Nature is conscious of any "extra" considerations along those kinds of lines whereas the whole essence of Man seems to ultimately have these kinds of awareness. Indeed, if it were not so, perhaps mankind would have devolved a long time ago. It IS perhaps the awareness of a Presence, named by some as God, that gives us that extra dimension that makes all the difference to the ways in which we behave and make our choices. Other points are that it is clear that violence as well as compassion co-exist inside the heart and mind of God. The God of the Old Testament is also the same God as He of the New. Christians believe that that violence is answered back by God Himself, undertaking a violent death on a cross to cancel out the violence that He names as sin. And, in that, is the greatest single act of love that the world will ever witness. Life out of death; love out of hate. Birth is undeniably the single most brutal and dangerous physical experience both mother and baby can experience, but love and bonding almost inevitably unite them through it. So much here, so little time to take it all in. A wonderful extended premise and proposition which you lay out coherently before us and invite us to share in consideration of with you. Your questions beg answers and we are all evolving by reaching and straining towards those answers together. TY Kate xx
The voice within us is the one we all should be listening to instead of the propoganda that would lead all the sheeple astray.
Love & Light always and in all ways,
Joseph*
Blessings,
Joyce B.
*
"His spirit speaks to ours, to guide us" that's what "the Voice" is referring to ... we are that spirit, that voice ... we are after all its image ...
as far as life on other planets being conjecture, i believe some of you past poems have referred to that reality unless i read them wrong ...
we could continue this dialog forever so lets just accept our differences and the actual intention of my poem and leave it at that ... i am not attempting to convert anyone and i appreciate the same courtesy ...
In natural melodies of light and darkness"
This is my favorite from you so far Jude.....Excellent work my friend.
Peace,
Bill
In natural melodies of light and darkness
YES! have to think about some of the other stuff here, but this part really resonates. Dawn
~hugs~
Karen
Light and Wisdom ...
Love Tinka
Most interesting composition
Peace William
The last stanza says so much.
Life on other planets would only be conjecture, but I don't rule it out. However, no matter where you are coming from or are going to, there are absolutes where Creator is concerned and it is my opinion that many people water down His standards bringing him to an earthly level they can be more comfortable with ! Leaving religious teaching out of the equation is almost impossible, for it was by means of the Fathers of the church and the bible that most all other arguments and thoughts come from. So even though I do not like religion, I do recognize some of its important information as a means of getting closer to the kind of relationship Creator asks of us. There are many ways to learn of God,none of them should be discounted.But I think the most successful way is by building a relationship, whereby His spirit speaks to ours, to guide us. This can only come when God knows our hearts are serious about wanting to follow His word!
Certainly God is within us as He is in everything He created, but that is His spirit, God's nature is above that of man and cannot sin as we do, or He would be unjust and therefore no longer God!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It is widely known and accepted that God is Creator of EVERYTHING, that Satan has to ask him permission before He acts (as in the book of Job).Therefore, your premise is not so far fetched. Yet the arguement against it is a lengthy one and too varied to fit in this forum. So whatever I say will not get the explanation it deserves. Suffice it to say, that He allows us free choice, and therin lies the answer. We take it from there and commit the acts that are wrong, not Him. Think of this. How would we know love if we couldn't measure it against hate? How would God know we loved Him if we didn't CHOOSE to worship Him? God is ALL good,so no evil acts can be imputed to Him! We and Satan are the evil doers, by choice. The instinct of animals cannot be compared to humans. They kill to live,and so do we, but humans commit murder and other crimes far different than how animals behave. Lastly, would you like a heaven peopled the same as we have here on earth with all of its flaws? I wouldn't and believe God is making sure it won't be, by giving us Earthly time to make our mistakes,and learn of His plan, before we go to the perfect home, he has waiting for us...Excellent thought provoking poem Jude!
Eileen
Love,
Susan
Thanks,
Dan
OUTSTANDING write! I've always known you have talent...this proves it!
Many blessings,
~Linda
This blew me away with its power. The message is so clear and you are truly enlightened.
Thanks,
George
and breathes via God’s voice,
Isn’t creation the process of destruction?
A most interesting premise, Jude. But I think mankind reaches far beyond the limits of Creation's destruction. When an animal needs food, it only kills what it needs. Mankind often kills everything in sight, and as Sherry points out, often leaves it in the killing fields to rot. I find it difficult to believe that man's utter callousness and gross gluttony is truly part of the 'natural order.'
Take care,
Sherry
Very thought provoking and consuming write my friend. We are all part of the plan but in the overall picture how do we fit into that plan? Does a murderer hear a voice telling him to kill? I doubt that there is anything or anyone good behind that voice. I still wonder. Blessings Always, Paul.
Fee
We all seems to forget that Nature has many sides, one of which are that mysterious sense of humor of the Creator.
A very philosophical poem.
Georg
Sage
So accurate and painfully true: yet helping us detach to the personal!
Creation and destruction are embedded!
Yes, it really does seem that light and darkness must live together to balance the other. Like yin and yang... when there's an abundance of light, a little dark spot also exists. And, when there's darkness - an absence of light, there is still a flicker of Light!
All beings have a purpose and the Voice within guides. I love the clear unity of this poem!
Love, Suzie
Blessings,
Marcia
Be safe,
Karen
Always impressed by your reasoning and insight.
Elizabeth