Spirits of the Anasazi

Drawing a line between death and immortality....

 

 

Spirits of the Anasazi, I hear you in these winds,

I feel you in these stones, I wish to transcend-

To walk with you along the snow covered rim,

And to hear your chants in the fire light dim.

As I sit here amongst all of these Pinyon Pines,

In this silence I engage your spirit in my mind.

But if only for a moment, I pretend I’m by your side,

Sitting and gazing at this canyon where you abide.

 

Spirits of the Anasazi, carry my soul to its rest-

In painted canyon grandeur I wish to end my quest.

Ravens are calling me to join you in their flight;

Ten thousand shades of red beg for my respite.

Now, I take my first steps to the other side.

Beauty and peace unite in the hand of my spirit guide.

Searching spirits now commune one unto another.

I have gone to meet with my Anasazi brother.

 

TBailey June 2, 2002

Author's Note

The Anasazi were a people who made their home in the desert southwest of the United States. They were a peaceful people...farmers. They also lived around the rim of the Grand Canyon. I love the canyon...it is an intensely spiritual place. I once sat at the foot of a Pinyon Pine which was at the edge of the canyon...as my mind raced through the beauty, the culture, the history, I suddenly found myself longing for that simple existence. I wanted "touch" these people and live as they did. Strange I know...but the feelings were intense. There was simply no way to "transcend" the living and commune with the dead.

Reviews

[Gandré]

How wonderful written! I adore your telling us this historical background. I am thankful. Those people I am sure lived by their feelings, they relied upon their fate, never did the level rivers burst in sudden spates... I also like this sonnet form. what a tribut to them. I loved following lines:
And to hear your chants in the fire light dim.As I sit here amongst all of these Pinyon Pines,In this silence I engage your spirit in my mind. -------------------------- for they were paths to my heart.

[Jason Henry]

a beautiful piece and the commentary was very appreciated too! i love places like The Canyon...i always wanted to go one day but now its mandatory thanks to your writing.
"Ten thousand shades of red beg for my respite."--->epic!

[David Lewis Paget]

Although I have no prior knowledge of the Anasazi, you have stirred my interest with this piece, Todd. I think it's true that there are places on this planet where ancient peoples lived, that have an aura about them, almost as if the spirit that moved them has been left behind to guard these sacred grounds. I know the Aboriginals of Australia have many 'sacred sites', and we generally respect these.
I also think that deep inside most 'civilised' people there is an urge to return to a simpler way of life, because we have become so materialistic in recent generations that our spiritual side has become withered, and clogged up with 'things'.
With regard to the poetic form, I see you've used rhyming couplets, and that's fine. Just one query though, when I read 'Now, shall I take my first step to the other side?' I read it as; 'I shall = I will'. Then I saw the question mark. I think the meaning might be clearer if you'd used 'should' instead of 'shall.' 'Should I' being unmistakably a question. A fine point, but enough to trip the unwary.

[Fabian G. Franklin]

I read somewhere that the indians have a name for the Grand Canyon that roughly translates as " house of stone and light" and likewise considered it a very spiritual and mystic place. I would love to visit there someday. The Rocky mountains in Denver and around is as far west as I have been. This was a powerfully moving piece that made one think about ones place in history and the brotherhood of mankind, a pleasure to read.

[Becca]

Oh My...another poem picked at random...
You have bestowed a great honor on these ancient people by remembering them.
You have stirred a feeling in my bones.
I have not thought of the Anasazi for a long time.

[Angelic Darkness]

First thank you for explaining who the Anasazi people were. This is a beautiful piece.
It's so rich in spirituality and your beliefs. You "feel nature" not just see, and see
beyond what many don't. AD

[[untitled]]

Oh my! This is lyrically beautiful. But the oh my is because this is something else that we share in common. The shamanic techniques of the Anasazi are the same as those practiced round the globe and over 50,000 years old. The same techniques are practiced by the Lap shamans as in Siberia, as in Peru and the world over. Very NICE!

[postscriptheart]

ahhhh.....I see now...thank you for that.

how lovely a thought.

[postscriptheart]

I like this...the first two lines of the second part in particular....very restful use of words...I'm not sure of what anasazi is but from your poem I envisioned it to be an aboriginal guide to the afterlife.