Crown of All Dreams

We shook off the winter
down by a creek that was so still
you'd swear nature's temper
died without a successor or a will.

The birds all gathered around
to sing a chorus of praise
that proved God is happiest
when all of His children are at play.

And play we did, child,
inspite of the adults we are,
as twilight turned into night,
and darkness hid our every scar.

We found something there
we had thought a mere scheme.
Something, as we laid bare,
had risen to the crown of all dreams.

Reviews

[Bhuyanshi Talukdar]

Your poem is a beautiful and evocative tribute to the power of nature to heal and restore us, and the way that you use vivid imagery and poetic language to describe the experience of being in nature is both powerful and moving. I think your poem captures the essence of what it means to be a thoughtful and compassionate person in a way that is both insightful and inspiring. Your use of metaphor and symbolism is particularly effective, and I think it speaks to the way that nature can help us to find peace and joy even in the midst of difficult circumstances. Overall, I think your poem is a beautiful reminder of the power of nature to transform our lives and bring us joy and happiness beyond measure.

[Wesley Dingler]

Thank you and I am glad you loved it. I have always fancied myself a topigraphical poet. I find a calming sense of ease and pleasure feom marrying nature and enviroment to the things that are going on in the world that we grow in. At the end of the day most of us are just another fragment of this nature scheme and I love writing that sort of thing into my work. Sometimes maybe even a little too much. But I find so much symbolism to behold in the ways of mother nature. As well as in the nature of good people.

[Crowley]

The backbone of happiness, I would have to agree. what a wonderful way to put it and the picture you paint is so identifiable to me. Those were good times. That's what we are made of. Great Piece!

[Wesley Dingler]

Thank you Crowley. I dont know if I would really consider myself a "landscape" poet but I have always found myself happiest and most inspired when i reflect on and include topographical and environment settings in my verses. I find myself caught between the love of the esoteric language poetry employs and my love of horticulture and agriculture. Somewhere in that distance between i find poems like this one.

[Betty Hermelee]

Very romantic and sensual.... sounds very dreamy down by the stream.. I like your imagery and choice of words....nature seems to inspire them....and I love how you use the words "child play" which is so flirty...
In all, a great piece of happiness!
Best, B

[Wesley Dingler]

Thank you so much Betty. Being in love and living a life with the one you love is dreamy isnt it? So should there dedications be. I feel like we all revert to that dreamy child state when we are having fun and living just in the moment. The real world may call again the following week or maybe even sooner. But for that moment life in love is just living a dream to me.
Thanks again for reading and thanks so much for loving it.

[Betty Hermelee]

You’re very welcome Wesley, my pleasure
Best, B

[H L Rose]

I loved reading this! I have included my thoughts below and I can kind of get into the weeds some times but I am no expert so take or leave any of my comments.

Stanza 1
Loving the first line. The imagery is an intriguing start. "Shook" is the only movement in the first stanza and then the reader is pulled into stillness.
The second line establishes the stanza's cadence right away with "down" and "was so still", words that slow the reader down before the poem could be read too quickly which would have allowed the reader to jump over the significance of your word choice in the next two lines. It works perfectly because by slowing down the reader, the reader is forced to engage with the "[stillness]".
The third and fourth lines make me feel like I should read them in a whisper. They finish the work of the first two lines bringing the reader into the stillness. I do question the necessity of "that" in line three.

Stanza 2
The second stanza has much more movement. The cadence moves quicker and I love how the birds bring a joy with them and your religious tone with the word choice of "praise", "God", and "His children" marries with the joyful and innocent tones with "singing" and "happiness". Not only does this stanza bring movement it evokes sound as well with the singing of birds and playing of children. I do wonder though if the movement and sound are too sharp a contrast with the first stanza.

Stanza 3
The innocence that continues to be evoked in this stanza is joined once again by the stillness of the first stanza in your wordchoice of "twilight", "night", and "darkness". The reader is also slowed down once again like in the first stanza, initially with the commas in the first line of this stanza, and then with the word choice throughout for example with "twilight" and "darkness". Line three of this stanza is my favorite. The alliteration is beautiful.

Stanza 4
The sound of the poem comes together in this last stanza. The reader is met with a contemplative tone in the first line that continues through the stanza and ends with a crescendo (literally as I read it alloud I felt the need to read the last line with a crescendo). that leaves the reader contemplating themselves.

Overall I thoroughly enjoyed the read. The first stanza is my favorite and I think the only critique I have is that the cadence and sound of the poem shifts perhaps too suddenly and too often. Especially between the first and second stanza. However, your word choice throughout the poem hit home so many times and the last line is very thought provoking.

Thank you for posting!

[Wesley Dingler]

First off Hannah let me say it is good to hear from you. I dont know how far you went into your practice of rhythmic word art but your understanding and participence in poesy is still as astute as it was when you first rang my bell a few years ago.
As for this poem itself I thank you for reviewing honestly as always. My scheme here is to find that poesy in life itself as a man who is now getting older and watching children play with the absence of any idea that they will ever stop playing. They will never stop playing. My lady and i still play. Sensually and comically and drawn in and compelled by the new life that comes with each passing spring. Each new spring showing us more about ouselves than we knew before.
As for the speeding up and slowing down of the reader in form i feel more now that it is the main way I need to get my feeling across. I am getting older and I find myself speeding up when something sparks my fancy then slowing down to take it all in. Kids dont take it all in as they play and enjoy life. They just live. When my stanzas slow it is indicative of my own brain slowing to reflect and come to understand life love and God more and more as my life goes on.
I hope I have given you more to go on here. I hope you will take something great from it as well as every wonderful day you live and I hope you will come to understand this poem more and more as you get older yourself.
Have a great weekend and may the Lord encapsulate you in love and light.

[Simbles]

love where this is lead. Cant wait to see how this echoes through your future pieces
:)

[Wesley Dingler]

Thank you Simbles. I think I might be interested to see how this echoes in future work as well. I myself was very satisfied with the way it turned out.

[Sara Mercury]

I keep thinking this is a song, in some of its rhythm. The more I read it, the more I like it.

[Wesley Dingler]

Thank you Sara. Maybe this should be a song. It is a good one i hope. If my guitars were not hundreds of miles away from me right now it might be just that.

Thank you for reading and bless you for enjoying.

[Pete]

ah, precious innocence come and gone. the seasons are a time of reflection. the verse really grabs and the rest never lets go. this made me think of what jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." great, thought-provoking, strong words and imagery. bravo ... :)

[Wesley Dingler]

I love that. I am a Bible fan myself. I am always happy if my work reminds people of scripture of course.
Thank you for reading my friend.

[Chris Shaw]

Beautifully penned poem Wesley that makes me think spring is coming closer all the time. Lovely visuals for me on a very dark, cold morning.


Chris

[Wesley Dingler]

Thank you Chris. I love lines that fade from light to dark like looking at a horizon embracing twilight. The mind is a canvas and words are the paint here.

I hope you have a wonderful new year.

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you and I wish the same for you Wesley. All the best.

[Coyote Poetry]

A wonderful poem shared Wesley. Winter had just started in Michigan. I need my birds in my yards to sing, happy morning. They went south. Thank you for sharing the amazing poetry.
Coyote

[Wesley Dingler]

Thank you Coyote. I am always pleased to hear feom you.

[Coyote Poetry]

Is my pleasure and you are welcome.