Words As Markers Poem by Ananta Madhavan

'Are we here just for saying: House,
Bridge, Fountain, Gate, Jug, Fruit-tree, Window, -
possibly: Pillar, Tower? '
Rainer Maria Rilke, Duino Elegies, Ninth.
Translation by J.B. Leishman (1946)



Words are markers that evoke and provoke
What we have named as things, or imagined
As entities beyond the physics and chemistry
Of book, city, day, or myth and history.

Words will fall between such entities,
Both real and fancied, as in fairy tales
Or volumes we consign to shelves and cyber-space.

Words are wonders that call us to
Interpret and feel, even if we can't
Understand their inner and outer meanings.
Words are there to tickle emotions.

If passion sweeps, embrace it.
Memory or Fancy, Psyche or Mnemosyne,
All are dwellers in the Land of Muses:
That should be you and me,
Together or apart.