Hi all!   Please welcome our guest host today, Truedessa!  – Grace

Welcome to Tuesday Poetics!  This is Truedessa from TrueWanderings. I am honored to once again be a guest host. I thought it might be exciting to take our poetry out into the wilderness.  A friend introduced me to the Poetry of E Pauline Johnson and her book Flint and Feather.  I actually have a copy of her book in my personal collection. There is a poem I particularly enjoy reading and I thought it might make a great theme for us today.  “The Song by Paddle Sings”.  Which can be found here https://poets.org/poem/song-my-paddle-sings.

Emily Pauline Johnson  1861 – 1913

The Song My Paddle Sings

West wind, blow from your prairie nest,
Blow from the mountains, blow from the west
The sail is idle, the sailor too;
O! wind of the west, we wait for you.
Blow, blow!
I have wooed you so,
But never a favour you bestow.
You rock your cradle the hills between,
But scorn to notice my white lateen.

I stow the sail, unship the mast:
I wooed you long but my wooing’s past;
My paddle will lull you into rest.
O! drowsy wind of the drowsy west,
Sleep, sleep,
By your mountain steep,
Or down where the prairie grasses sweep!
Now fold in slumber your laggard wings,
For soft is the song my paddle sings.

August is laughing across the sky,
Laughing while paddle, canoe and I,
Drift, drift,
Where the hills uplift
On either side of the current swift.

The river rolls in its rocky bed;
My paddle is plying its way ahead;
Dip, dip,
While the waters flip
In foam as over their breast we slip.

And oh, the river runs swifter now;
The eddies circle about my bow.
Swirl, swirl!
How the ripples curl
In many a dangerous pool awhirl!

And forward far the rapids roar,
Fretting their margin for evermore.
Dash, dash,
With a mighty crash,
They seethe, and boil, and bound, and splash.

Be strong, O paddle! be brave, canoe!
The reckless waves you must plunge into.
Reel, reel.
On your trembling keel,
But never a fear my craft will feel.

We’ve raced the rapid, we’re far ahead!
The river slips through its silent bed.
Sway, sway,
As the bubbles spray
And fall in tinkling tunes away.

And up on the hills against the sky,
A fir tree rocking its lullaby,
Swings, swings,
Its emerald wings,
Swelling the song that my paddle sings.

From Flint and Feather: The Complete Poems of E. Pauline Johnson (Tekahionwake) (The Musson Book Co., Limited, 1917) by Emily Pauline Johnson. This poem is in the public domain.

I would like us to travel around the riverbend listening for the songs that our paddle sings.  In Pauline’s poem we feel her connection to the natural world.  Perhaps, after reading her poem you will feel inspired to pick up your poetic paddle.

My only request for the prompt today is that you use the title “The Song My Paddle Sings” as a springboard for your poem.

You might decide to write a seasonal poem or perhaps you have spent some time canoeing or kayaking and wish to share your adventure.  What song does nature sing to you? Let’s dip our paddles in and navigate our way to poetry. I look forward to traveling the waterways with you.

New to dVerse? Here’s how to join in:

• Write a poem in response to the challenge.
• Post your poem on your blog and link back to this post.
• Enter your name and the link to your post by clicking Mr. Linky below (remember to check the little box to accept the use/privacy policy).
• Read and comment on your fellow poets’ work –- there’s so much to derive from reading each other’s writing: new inspiration, new ideas, new friends.

Brief Bio of Truedessa:
I reside in the Northeastern part of the USA.  I enjoy exploring new roads to adventure as a dreamer and a poet. I have been blogging for over 10 years and have been fortunate to connect with some wonderful poets, storytellers and friends online.