Our Quiet Raven

This is a meditation upon the darkness of the human condition. Do we need to know everything? Or, are there some things we are better off not knowing?

Still and silent sat the sagest me,
Upon grey hills fortified by roughest sea.
Bleak be the clouds blotting sun above 
As dark water below seizes with a mourning glove.

Wait, wait, waiting for weighted words,
Woven with whispering wings.
Perched I have yet to be, but sitting
I see when he flies to me.

‘Hello,’ I say to my oldest of friends,
‘Quiet raven, what news do you bring?’
Speak he does with muted tongue
That only heart can comprehend.

Darkness he says to me and says no more
But I will not accept his silly play
And let him hide under blackened feathers,
‘Oh quiet raven, tell me true what you mean to say.’

Raven true he says no more,
But the deed is done and the mind whispers
Darkness darkness darkness
Combing through the forest but I am lost.

Black spirit of the sky
Will you aid me on this journey
Through the being maze?
But raven true he says no more.

Surface scratches yet I cannot grasp the gravel
My oldest of friends so easily sinks his talons,
He soars above the forest and sees
My madness mazing me. 

Waiting for the light, to see the inferno
And that’s when the quiet raven
Silently laughs with beating wings,
Raven true he says no more.

Cursed friend what is the darkness
That you speak to me, I see
The forest but not beyond,
Take me to this midnight sea!

The quiet raven ever mocks with his laugh
As I fall and fumble upon my path
Through brush, branch, and woodland grass
Until at last I see the clearing.

Ashen trunks and crippled leaves
Broken oak, the wind sings to me
Of sorrow tides, go back go back
The darkness can ever wait.

But the road grows ever clearer,
A trail of black sand in between
This neverwhere, this creeping death,
Trees pointing bony fingers to the cavern. 

Ghastly beast upon rocky wall
Jaw agape, beckoning me
With silent promise, answers buried
Deep in the withering where.

Engulfed, the darkness soaks me
Inside the endless midnight sea
And so I stroke to swim a way
Not to drown in this lonely place.

No end to the cavern with its banks
Of solitude flanking upon all sides,
Oh how I wish my friend the quiet raven
Could seek me out and lead the way.

Ah, but there the light flashes upon the walls!
Flickering with the dance of fluttered wings,
Out in front a sight I see that is beyond beauty
Ever captured upon the page.

All alone, nestled amongst the cupped palms of darkness
Rests a shimmering sapphire pool that glows,
Flickering tendrils kiss the walls with lightest touch
A flash, the soul itself so pure it eludes the pen of man.

I have beaten and I have won
The secrets of the raven will be no more, 
I step forward to peer into the liquid gem;
What I see haunts me forever more.

Youth has grayed but dark remains,
Upon the familiar cliff I shiver
On the sill of nature, perched
Was the most foolish me.

Darkness understood ever so foul
Like the speech of my raven, 
If only I could hear him then
I would have stayed in the forest.

My oldest friend is gone or is he with me,
Drowned by darkness I am deaf
With madness but no escape
But that which awaits.

One final glance to the great beyond
And I stretch my blackened wings
Diving as the wind sings to me,
My quiet raven is no more.

Reviews

[Érenn]

My first time reading you ^^ You sparked my interest when I would read your reviews on a few writes I would review myself at that time. ^^ And here I am now ^^ And this was one hell of a ride for me.

Now about the poem itself (sorry I talk all technical stuff I liked before moving on to the interpretation of the piece) The structure is maintained throughout the poem and I love how this write unfurls. The tonal changes that occur throughout this write is amazing, I can see how the curious mind gets eaten away in the end, and how all sorts of emotions are given rise to before meeting this end. Abundant alliterations might I say and very natural sounding. Your rhyme scheme is unique since I believe it doesn't really any follow any but the more than occasional rhymes you add here give a sense of rhythm which enhances the ambience of the read and the reader will certainly immerse into it even further..... Now the vocabulary used is outstanding and the primary reason why such dark spine chilling and oh so real life imagery was invoked when I read this one. This tale was something I thoroughly enjoyed due to this particular aspect. But I must add that the same vocabulary itself might also have been a downer in terms dragging the pace down sometimes and minor disruptions in the flow, maybe since you are thinking too much about the imagery and ambience that one doesn't let the pen flow [I do this a lot of times myself so i really do not have the right to comment on this but I thought you should know nonetheless] But this can be easily ignored and overshadowed by the rest of the beauty this poetry showcases that one can feast upon.

Now about the interpretation itself..... I think it goes without saying it's a choice we make whether we want to know or not and whatever we choose we have to live with it. And if the answers drive us towards insanity let's rewind (if we can even think properly then) and remind ourselves of the fact that we chose this fate or whatever for ourselves and there's no one really we can pin the blame on unless we are referring to ourselves.

I am not that familiar with Poe's work simply because I am new to the world of poetry myself(just been about 2 months I guess) But I have read one or two and this definitely resonates with his works, but clearly this is style of writing could be yours alone. I enjoyed the read ^^ Thank you for sharing ^^

[TheRaven]

Whoooooooooo, that's a lot. Thanks for taking the time to write all that down, as I truly appreciate effort. And also thank you for getting what I was going for, it's nice to be understood. Very nice. And even if you had an entirely different perspective whilst reading; that wouldn't matter to me. That'd be valued. Extremely valued as I always hope people get a different reading experience from what I write than what everyone else gets. Oh, I definitely noticed the flow problems. They mostly occurred near the end (at least from my view) and the discovery of darkness in the pool. The words feel right, but a few syllables too long in a few places. It's nice to see someone getting into poetry. I wasn't all that into it before college but it slowly began to grab me as a lot of it is so incredibly well thought out. Capturing so much layers of meaning in so few words feels like excellent practice and a fun writing experience. Poems are fun! They should be, anyway. But they should also be challenging, and difficult. Thank you for reading, I will return the favor when I can I promise!

[Cyndi Goodgame]

Love Poe. Love The Raven. Loved yours. Favorite line...black spirit of the sky. It was at that point, I invested into the poem. Will read more of yours. Thank you.

[TheRaven]

I'll have to drop a line or a few for your own works! Thanks for the love, I always appreciate it.

[L u n a]

But we all have a quiet voice inside our selves, I think. I love to hear silence....inside my head. At least that is why I think ababout being quiet. Now I see another image about your poem. Do you mean that you first couldn't speak what you really want to say but now you can do that? well other wise it is a beautiful and strong poem, I love it, it is a bit long and maybe you can add another letterype because this is hard to read ;)

Hope to hear from you soon; Luna.

[TheRaven]

That's a valid interpretation. What I meant with this poem is more about the obsession of needing to know things, even the darkest subjects in life. I'm asking the question whether we need to know everything, and if there are some things better left unsaid or better let unfound. Would we be better for leaving them be? Would we be better facing the immense pit of darkness inside of us or instead coming to terms with it?

[L u n a]

I understand this now

[Joeydevinci]

I see you are an admirer of Edgar Alan Po, I've also always admired Edgar's tales of Wow. I was hoping on the day I followed you that maybe you'd carry on his poetic tongue, You did very well indeed. not quite the next Edgar Alan Po but you have talents and skills worthy of a poet. I feel a sense that you push to hard when you write and that you crave the flow but still push to much. what you need is not to rhyme but to let the creative corners of darkness and madness lose. Free your mind sir, free it from the bonds of logic and sense, steel it from sanity and let the words run down your finger tips into the keys and into your pen. I have faith your next tale if you follow these instructions will be a masterpiece of grand scales... what are your darkest thoughts... how do they make you feel...

A faithful admirer of your work, J.V

[TheRaven]

This was certainly a nod to Poe while still sticking true to my own style. I have no wish to be the next Poe, but it'd be nice to be considered somewhere near his level of skill! I'm happy that you seemed to really enjoy what I have written here. All constructive criticism is welcome, and I do intend to just let it all loose one day. There are a lot of bizarre things in this asylum of mine, confronting it all is no easy task.

[Joeydevinci]

Edgar Alan Poe once wrote a story called Stonehearse Asylum and I think you will find both the book and the movie very enjoyable to your case. it will give you a retrospect on madness you'd never believe.

[TheRaven]

I'll have to give it a read and a watch for sure, then!

[Coyote Poetry]

A amazing tale told in the poetry. I liked how you used the raven. I like the location and the situation in the poem. Made the reader fall into strong thoughts and place. I love myth and tale. This was my kind of poetry. Thank you for sharing the excellent poetry.
Coyote

[TheRaven]

Thank you for your kind words! When I get the time I will delve into yours and return the favor.

[Coyote Poetry]

You are welcome.