It Takes a Long Time to Arrive From Not Very Far Away

Excerpt from "It Takes a Long Time to Arrive From Not Very Far Away"*

 

"Why do we do anything

for the people we love, you asked,

isn't everything a poem we write for the other,

every day, day in day out?

Then why is love demanded as diligence,

when you can have it as grace?"

 

Hear the full poem in the latest episode of Uncut Poetry Podcast

 

We take so much for granted. The air we breathe, the flowers we touch, the curve of the path we walk on every morning, the very person sleeping beside us, who we profess to love more than anything in this world.

 

Inherent in this are our years of upbringing, our lack of sensitivity to look at things differently, the daiquiri   of convenience and disregard. And as our outlook gets fossilized, we steadily slip into the dogma of defense. We stand on the pulpit of so-called tradition and preach, we refuse to pay cognizance to the subtlety of changing outlooks, and how everything old wasn't holy.

 

But change is inevitable - and insidious. It will come, it will happen. We can resist and have the spine of our tenet cracked, or change and let the fullness of a new creed flood us with its dazzling  effulgence.

 

(* this is a line from 'Plainwater' by Anne Carson)

 

If you liked this poem, consider listening to these other poems which talk of reclamation and right -

• The Power of No
• Stories Which Survive
• Rediscovering the Flawed Beauty of Love

Find other magical things, like a lovely free chapbook of poems, and other resources here.

 

Uncut Poetry has started a new Podcast called Red River Sessions (on Spotify, iTunes, Pocket Casts, etc), where we will talk to published poets, about their poetry, their craft and what haunts them. It is brought to you by Red River, which is the premier independent publisher of poetry books, and Uncut Poetry. 

 

I am Sunil Bhandari.

 

I am a poet based out of India. My book of poetry 'Of Love and Other Abandonments' was an Amazon bestseller. My second book is 'Of Journeys & Other Ways to Get Lost'. Both are available on Amazon.

Follow me on Instagram at @sunilgivesup.

Get in touch with me on uncutpoetrynow@gmail.com

 

The details of the music used in this episode are as follows -

Oceans Of Tranquility by MusicLFiles
Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/6869-oceans-of-tranquility
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license