P.C. Scheponik

The Meaning

I thought I found You in goldfinch’s song,

bright hymn of joy from harp-like throat

the color of the sun.

I thought I felt You in the cool morning breeze

that combed the field’s wild hair

and ran soft fingers through all the leaves.

I thought I saw You in the fawn’s deep eyes

dark pools of wonder that made me sigh

for the truth that they embraced.

I thought I touched You in the orbs of dew

that glistened like tears and felt like grace,

which cooled and cleansed my fingertips.

I thought I tasted you in the huckleberries’ blood.

The sweet surrender of their dark flood upon my tongue

filled me with something that felt like joy.

Those mouthfuls of You that taught me how strong

love can be.

But none of it was You as much as it was me

trying to fit eternity into one morning’s majesty,

trying to hold glory in hands that could never cradle fire,

could never understand that truth is so much more than desire,

that holding on is letting go, that knowing You is not to know,

that emptiness is the only bed where perfect wholeness will

lay its head.

P.C. Scheponik, is lifelong poet who lives with his wife, Shirley, and their shizon, Bella. His writing celebrates nature, the human condition, and the metaphysical mysteries of life. He has  published five collections of poems: His work has appeared in numerous literary journals He was a finalist in Adelaide Anthology Contest 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020. A 2019 Pushcart Prize nominee, his sixth collection, Seeing, Believing, and Other Things, is scheduled for publication in spring 2021.