{"id":6016,"date":"2018-02-23T09:37:13","date_gmt":"2018-02-23T16:37:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.poetry-chaikhana.com\/blog\/?p=6016"},"modified":"2018-02-23T09:39:28","modified_gmt":"2018-02-23T16:39:28","slug":"philip-booth-how-to-see-a-deer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.poetry-chaikhana.com\/blog\/2018\/02\/23\/philip-booth-how-to-see-a-deer\/","title":{"rendered":"Philip Booth – How to See a Deer"},"content":{"rendered":"

How to See a Deer
\nby Philip Booth<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Forget roadside crossings.
\nGo nowhere with guns.
\nGo elsewhere your own way,<\/p>\n

lonely and wanting. Or
\nstay and be early:
\nnext to deep woods<\/p>\n

inhabit old orchards.
\nAll clearings promise.
\nSunrise is good,<\/p>\n

and fog before sun.
\nExpect nothing always;
\nfind your luck slowly.<\/p>\n

Wait out the windfall.
\nTake your good time
\nto learn to read ferns;<\/p>\n

make like a turtle:
\ndownhill toward slow water.
\nInstructed by heron,<\/p>\n

drink the pure silence.
\nBe compassed by wind.
\nIf you quiver like aspen<\/p>\n

trust your quick nature:
\nlet your ear teach you
\nwhich way to listen.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ve come to assume
\nprotective color; now
\ncolors reform to<\/p>\n

new shapes in your eye.
\nYou\u2019ve learned by now
\nto wait without waiting;<\/p>\n

as if it were dusk
\nlook into light falling:
\nin deep relief<\/p>\n

things even out. Be
\ncareless of nothing. See
\nwhat you see.<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/a> \u2014 from Lifelines: Selected Poems 1950-1999<\/a>, by Philip Booth<\/font><\/p>\n


\/ Image by Iamidaho<\/a> \/<\/em><\/font><\/p>\n

With its elusiveness and profound stillness even in movement, the way it appears in the mist or vanishes into the forest (perhaps beckoning us to follow), deer represent to us that intangible reality we all seek on some level. The doe\u2019s gentle face, suggests to us peace, beauty, trust. The stag\u2019s majestic stance displaying his antlers, naturally evokes a primal sense of kingship and otherworldly might.<\/p>\n

Naturally, the deer becomes a symbol for God, the Divine Beloved, the Messiah. But even when we set aside our religious lenses, we can\u2019t help but feel that the solitary deer, encountered in a quiet moment, is an ambassador between worlds, hinting to us of another reality.<\/p>\n

How do we meet this quiet spirit? How do we have the sacred encounter? The poet says it so beautifully: We go elsewhere, our own way. Next to wild places, and spots that invite rest and contemplation. Without expectations. With patience and trust. Pay attention to the rhythms of life all around. Trust your own nature. Listen to the inner voice. Learn to see anew. See what you see.<\/p>\n

(Special thanks to Lalita Vajra for introducing me to this poem.)<\/p>\n


\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/a>Recommended Books: Philip Booth<\/font><\/b><\/p>\n\n

<\/p>\n

\n\n\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n

<\/center>
\n<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/td>\n<\/a><\/td>\n<\/a><\/td>\n<\/a><\/td>\n<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Lifelines: Selected Poems 1950-1999<\/a><\/small><\/td>\n<\/a><\/small><\/td>\n<\/a><\/small><\/td>\n<\/a><\/small><\/td>\n<\/a><\/small><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n\n
\n\"Philip<\/a>\n<\/td>\n\nPhilip Booth<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

US (1925 \u2013 2007) Timeline<\/a>
\nSecular or Eclectic<\/a><\/a>
\n<\/a><\/a><\/em>\n<\/td>\n

<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n

More poetry by Philip Booth<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

How to See a Deer by Philip Booth Forget roadside crossings. Go nowhere with guns. Go elsewhere your own way, lonely and wanting. Or stay and be early: next to deep woods inhabit old orchards. All clearings promise. Sunrise is good, and fog before sun. Expect nothing always; find your luck slowly. Wait out the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[2097,2145],"class_list":["post-6016","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-poetry","tag-deer","tag-philip-booth"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.poetry-chaikhana.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6016","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.poetry-chaikhana.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.poetry-chaikhana.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.poetry-chaikhana.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.poetry-chaikhana.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6016"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.poetry-chaikhana.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6016\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6019,"href":"https:\/\/www.poetry-chaikhana.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6016\/revisions\/6019"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.poetry-chaikhana.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6016"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.poetry-chaikhana.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6016"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.poetry-chaikhana.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6016"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}