Words that Move

the language you have forgotten

by Harilaos Stefanakis

photo credit — the author

I speak in the language you have forgotten,
in the voice of the wilderness.
A historian of air and movement
releasing secrets in the sea.

I retreat above the water’s fading stillness,
yielding the familiar.
I receive my poetry from the calm reflected heavens,
smooth and elusive like
a servant of plain words hidden in plain sight
that ripple incomprehensible
when disturbed by certainty.

Poet David Whyte has suggested that poems must be read (or heard) three times to be fully digested by the receiver.

I wonder what your thought are on this. Do you read each poem 3 times (or more than once)?

If you re-read my short poem above do you notice any new layers or depth?

What if you listen to me reading here: