Are You Listening?
January 28, 2008 · by Christine
What the Dog Perhaps Hears
If an inaudible whistle
blown between our lips
can send him home to us,
then silence is perhaps
the sound of spiders breathing
and roots mining the earth;
it may be asparagus heaving,
headfirst, into the light
and the long brown sound
of cracked cups, when it happens.
We would like to ask the dog
if there is a continuous whir
because the child in the house
keeps growing, if the snake
really stretches full length
without a click and the sun
breaks through clouds without
a decibel of effort,
whether in autumn, when the trees
dry up their wells, there isn’t a shudder
too high for us to hear.
What is it like up there
above the shut-off level
of our simple ears?
For us there was no birth cry,
the newborn bird is suddenly here,
the egg broken, the nest alive,
and we heard nothing when the world changed.
-Lisel Mueller, from Alive Together: New and Selected Poems
I have never read any of Lisel Mueller’s poetry before, but I am taken with this one. Any poet who can write about the wisdom of dogs is guaranteed a place on my bookshelf. Of course, dogs are known for their heightened sense of hearing and smell. I often wonder how Tune experiences the world, what she notices that I remain oblivious to in a wash of the urban hum. I wonder at what subtleties I miss.
What does a flower sound like as its shoot first breaks through the soil of newly warmed earth?
What is the noise a sea turtle makes as it slides its fins through the salty water of ocean depths?
Can you hear the music of your ancestors dancing, surrounding you, calling you to a greater vision?
Do you listen for the song your own body sings as it grows older, its skin stretching to make room for all the wisdom contained within?
Could it be as beautiful as the whisper of the stars exploding galaxies away in a profusion of color?
Or as lovely as the grace of a dog who comes and puts her paw on your lap, her own not very subtle way of asking to be taken into your arms and reassured of love through word and touch?
Are you listening?
-Christine Valters Paintner @ Abbey of the Arts
(photos are of my sweet Abbess Petunia — this was supposed to be posted tomorrow, but I couldn’t resist sharing her a bit earlier)
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Posted in Contemplative Living |
January 28th, 2008 at 7:09 pm
Great photos and poetry!
January 28th, 2008 at 8:10 pm
Love these pictures!
January 28th, 2008 at 8:44 pm
Tune - you are too beautiful - I can feel the softness of those ears of yours:)
Christine your words of “Are you Listening” are lovely!
Riley (http://rileyfactorfiction.blogspot.com invites you to send one of your beautiful self-photos to him at his person’s email address: dwoolley@charter.net
If you’ll let us know your age, your breed, your gender, your personal favorite toys or stories, we would love to show you to our other “Riley friends” xoxoxo Sunrise Sister
January 28th, 2008 at 10:31 pm
Lovely post — the poem, the photos, your questions. Tune has the sweetest face — the bottom photo is a treasure. We are so blessed to have our animal companions.
I completely understand why you couldn’t wait to post this.
January 29th, 2008 at 2:05 am
No, I’m not listening. I’m too busy looking at Tune
Mwah to you doggy. Mwah mwah mwah
January 29th, 2008 at 3:50 am
First of all, laughing out loud at Sue’s comment above!
Secondly, yes so beautiful, an I love the title of Lisel Mueller volume of poetry: Alive Together. Yes, we are. That’s all that needs saying really.
January 29th, 2008 at 8:27 am
Moved to tears here…just beautiful…the poem…Tune…your photographs.
Thanks so much, Christine!
January 29th, 2008 at 1:45 pm
Tune is glowing as she reads all of the praise. Sunrise Sister, tell Riley to look for an email soon. Sue, you are adorable. I do that all the time to Tune, never thought about how it was spelled.
January 30th, 2008 at 6:01 am
This explains in part how my Hershey can hear, while lying down and not looking out the window, a dog walking by… thanks for your wonderful words and photos!
January 30th, 2008 at 8:34 am
You’re welcome Cathleen!
February 13th, 2008 at 12:14 am
[…] each day, more as needed,” to be posted on the refrigerator. Of course, I am lucky to have Abbess Petunia around to be my living and embodied reminder of the need for play each day. Other ideas about […]
February 20th, 2008 at 12:48 am
If you love poets who love dogs, you will love the book, Dog Years, by poet, Mark Doty. It’s a wonderful meditation on the powerful bond between humans and their dog. It was my favorite of all the books I read last year, partly because of its beauty and partly because of its intelligence.