The Sounds of Wisdom

Zephyrs murmur through jebels,
like Orphic whispers,
a Sybylline hum echoes,
through rose red canyons.

~

I can hear it in the air,
the strum of time’s bow,
the quick whir of its arrow,
thundering through life.

~

Streams trickle over pebbles,
dew drips in dawn’s light,
the screech of the red-tailed hawk,
sweeps my heart away.

---

I wrote these as three standalone yet related poems in the style of Japanese quatrains called koutas. Koutas often employ onomatopoeic words, so I’ve encorporated a dozen across these poems. Koutas are also often accompanied by other koutas of similar themes, which I’ve attempted to do here. I imagined my time in Wadi Rum when writing these, hence the references to jebels & rose red canyons.. though, I am swept by any outing in nature alone.