In the Grasp of Heaven’s Flower

By Joseph Kravis on July 24, 2023 • ( 0 )

I wrote the following poem in 2000. It’s been in my file of things to post for years! 🙂

May the flower of heaven pluck you from the skies just like a bird does with a piece of straw? And while both being of the same where the heart belongs leaves kindled spirits small, smaller and gone. “Joseph Kravis 11/2000”

Now, many years later have added some prose reflecting back on why I originally created the poem in the first place. Life for me as I think I’m gaining knowledge and wisdom is a remarkable journey has. been an experience.

As I sit and gaze into the cosmos, I ponder: could the heavenly bloom indeed descend and take hold of you, just as a bird nimbly grasps a straw with its beak? It is a whimsical thought, one that dances in the surreal realm between reality and fancy. Yet, isn’t it also a probe into the deepest recesses of our being?

A Flower Of Heaven

This flower of heaven – an ethereal entity, a divine spirit – engages in a mundane act that resonates with familiarity. It plucks. It’s a simple, earthly gesture, but it’s performed by an otherworldly participant. This interplay of the ordinary and extraordinary stirs a curiosity within me. Could this be the essence of our existence – a ceaseless dance between the terrestrial and celestial?

The image of a bird and a straw causes me to reflect further. Aren’t we, as humans, akin to the straw, at times trivial and overlooked, at the mercy of the great cosmic winds, yet vital to a grand, unseen purpose? We are creatures that straddle two realms – the spiritual plane symbolized by the sky, and the earthly realm represented by the land. A duality, a dichotomy – that’s what we embody.

Kindled Spirits

“And while both being of the same where the heart belongs leaves kindled spirits small, smaller and gone.” A line of my own creation, and yet, it echoes within me with a haunting resonance. It speaks of a shared origin, a sense of unity within the duality of sky and land, bird and straw. Where does the heart truly belong in this vast cosmos? Is it tethered to the heavens or grounded on the land?

These “kindled spirits” – aflame with passion, glowing with life – seem to flicker and fade. They shrink, they wane, they are “small, smaller and gone.” This fleeting existence, like the straw snatched by the bird, underscores our transience. Yet, the glow of our spirits lingers, a testament to our lives, our passions, our struggles.

This poem, these words I penned on the brink of a new millennium, are a testament to the human condition. They serve as a gentle reminder of our dual nature – the divine and earthly aspects that coexist within us. They acknowledge our transient existence, even as they celebrate the sparks we ignite, the fires we kindle.

As the flower of heaven plucks, as the bird grasps, I hope we continue to search, question, and discover. I hope we remember that we are, in essence, both the bird and the straw, the heavenly bloom and its chosen fragment of earth.

Joseph Kravis

Thank you! For visiting this post! Your time and interest are truly appreciated. If you found the content engaging or thought-provoking, please feel free to share your thoughts or insights in the comments.

Thoughts & Ideas, Joseph Kravis 🙂