Writing and Music by John Kirnan

Two Souls – a sample poem

Posted by John Kirnan on June 16th, 2011

This is a sample poem from "The Hard Won Hush." It's written in a traditional style. There's a strict rhyme and rhythm pattern. Basically, my theory is that writing a poem in this way can add an extra, let's say, Bardic power to the piece. But you have to be exacting with this kind of spell and, in a sense, make the magic invisible. If you slip up and don't follow the pattern, the reader will stumble on your words and you've made the poem worse instead of better.

"Two Souls" is an old poem about reincarnation and true love, but I still believe in both of them.

 

Two Souls

Imprisoned by the curve of flesh
The graceful line of bone
The cowl of life’s concealing cloak
That blinds what sight has known
The sacred candle flickers still
In shadowed temple eyes
And speaks to me of who you were
Before you chose disguise

Held spellbound by the hallowed tales
The holy gift of chance
You chose to run this lonely race
To dream this earthly dance
To find, in loss of memory
The way of truth and grace
To cross, in lieu of landscape’s lie
Creation’s inner space

You cradled reborn innocence
A silent formless thing
You sensed the quiet parable
Then heard the deaf child sing
And knowing freedom’s price is just
The wisdom of a slave
You set your heart on paradise
Your sail for wind and wave

So to this port, we both have come
In parallel, a pair
And though we’ve weathered separate storms
This haven, we will share
We’ll pardon this duality
Let live this lie today
Till omens overpower love
And ancient hearts give way

Perhaps, in other times, we’ll meet
Have met, are meeting now
And though the teachings talk of one
Two souls will learn somehow
If you were lost in darker dreams
I would not curse the night
For I would know you anywhere
In love, there lies the light


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