Friday, August 31, 2018

The Stone – Poem by Nada Adel Sobhi



They gather round
Humming,
A faint musical sound

Clap-ta-thum
Clap-ta-thum

A lone woman sings
Stars, hidden behind clouds, appear
Others; parents, children
All gather in a circle of magic

In the midst of a milling crowd
The songstress
Unravels a majestic stone,
A ruby, the size of a full-grown palm

Breaths caught,
Hearts drum
With the ever-growing hum

Clap-ta-thum
Clap-ta-thum

She sings to the world
Of the living
Those that have lived
And those yet to live

Some make out her words
Some don't
She goes on
Uninterrupted
Untethered
Tales must be told

Her song hitches into a whistle-like note
Her body moves beneath the unmoving moon
Her pitch reaches its full strength

Then she stops
Hands raised,
She takes the strength of all who'd gathered
And brings it all down
Into the magnificent ruby

Its light hue
Burns into the flaming red

A red
People far and wide could see

A stone
Of strength
Power
Virtue
Magic

She turns to the assembly

"This stone,
I gift to you.
May its strength
And magic
Heal you.
But first,
You must believe!"

The women hum
Clap, and with their legs, ta-thum
As the songstress disappears into the night

Hum, clap-ta-thum
Hum, clap-ta-thum


"The Stone" is inspired by a scene in THE TIDES BETWEEN by Elizabeth Jane Corbett, an interesting historical fiction about how fairy tales can help people on a journey.

You can check out Nadaness In Motion's five-star bookreview of The Tides Between.

1 comment:

  1. And so th Ruby glows more and more
    It’s hue shinning brighter
    It begins to move or maybe wiggle
    A faint sound begins to emerge
    Rhyming with the sounds
    Clap ta thum
    Clap ta thum
    The faint sound becomes stronger
    Clearer, heard by everyone around
    The glow intensifies almost blinding everyone
    The sound becomes louder
    Beating faster and faster
    The gathered audience with shut eyes
    Go down on their knee in a circle around
    Around the place where the ruby lies
    The beating Ruby
    The light fades
    The beating sound is there
    Clear but calmer than before
    The Ruby is no more
    But a heart is born
    The heart of life

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