Two Songs from a Vision Quest

These are among the very first poems I ever wrote. The association came from the phrase “the waves on the grass and the waves on the sea”. In the poem Samsara I spoke of an opening and finding a new song. These poems were written while Marianne and I attended a workshop entitled “Song Quest, Vision Quest” that was co-led by the sound healer and musician Sarah Benson. It was held in May, 1984 on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. It was a step in the spiritual opening that was occurring for us. I describe this important period in our lives in a chapter of a private memoir I wrote on Marianne’s life.

The song of life
The song of change
Nothing stays
Not even pain.

A new leaf, soft as dew
New growth, light green
Old leaf, dry and crisp.

Waves on the grass
Waves on the sea
Clouds roll by
Will you wait for me?




I did not wander far
What I saw was what I heard
Not quite a song
Not even a word
A sense of time
A sense of place
A quiver of being
A ground of peace

Leave a Comment