Harvest of the Heart's Garden : The Song of a Humble Hero
Mawphniang Napoleon 1993 (Ri Bhoi)
The hero marches, purpose striding his step
Seeking glory, seeking fame, a legend to etch
Into history's scrolls, that all might know his name
But time flows on, erasing imprints of acclaim
The road winds on, the landscape bare and stark
No cheering crowds or laurels left to mark
Achievements past, now faded into the dark
Of memory's mist, no monuments or memorials
Youth's fire burning fierce, the future a distant star
But seasons turn, passions cool, leaves brown and mar
Dreams once shining bright tarnished beyond repair
Eyes now opened to life's limits, cigars and armchairs
Marriages falter, children grow distant and strange
Jobs change, friends move on, homes and cars exchange
Bodies weaken and falter, death's shadow grows long
Mind's eye sees endings where once it saw dawn
The hero stumbles, maps lost, no North Star in sight
Tracks covered, provisions gone, all is swallowing night
No guides or mentors, comrades vanished from camp
Alone now, mid-journey, strength starts to decamp
Armor feels heavy, weapons too hard to wield
Quests incomplete, promises impossible to fulfill
Hard won trophies turn cheap, achievements a jest
History's dust heap waiting, eternal rest
So now the hero kneels, pride and conquest no more
Sword cast down, eyes downcast beneath sorrow's pall
No glint of glory to light his footsteps' fall
Only small gifts remain - of hearth, and home, and family lore
For love's hearth-fire yet burns, banked but never dead
Binding souls together beyond passion's red
Fever dreams, the house still filled with laughter and tears
And knowing hands to wipe away the frost of years
To have weathered life's storms, traveled by trust
Built something far greater than you from the dust
Of desire's dervish dreams, chaos into form
Where two souls find safe harbor, beyond passion's storm
For what is a hero without someone to share
Their hard won scars and glory, to truly care
About who they are, not what laurels they've won
But their secret heart, their true self, under the sun
Someone who knows your weakness, your cowardly parts
Yet still embraces your soul, cares nothing of arts
Of conquest and fame, sees the truth of you
Loves you still, after failures, when dreams fall through
So the hero learns, his crowns bought at such cost
Are cold metallic things, meaning little, worth lost
Without someone who cared more for him than his wars
His hard-won treasure is love, life's meaning in its doors
Opening to pain as well as joy, letting life flow through
Beyond surface glitter, to nurture what is true
Not trophies displayed for all to see
But secret seeds, growing silently
So now the hero tends his garden, earth not words
Cultivating not fame but relationships
Beyond surface polish, watering not appearance
But subtle essence, human hearts, beyond adherence
To society's scripts, finding freedom in release
From empty striving, now taking time to cease
The frenzied press of busyness, appreciating peace
A flower unfurling, a child’s smile, calm and grace
Learning to listen, not imposing his grand plan
Hearing wisdom whisper, in brook and breeze and rain
Reading nature’s runes, each tree, bird, seeing again
The beauty in small moments, cupped gently in his hand
Watching the slow dance of light at day’s soft close
The hush of dusk descending, the winking fire of stars
No longer seeking to tame life’s wild whorls and flows
But moving in rhythm within them, no discordant jars
Running no more from silence or his own frail heart
Allowing himself simply to be, wounds to smart
And mend, softening edges once rigid and cold
Opening hands to give and receive equally, not just take and hold
Finding new life, new youth, in each shared smile
The warm clasp of a hand, laughter lighting genomes
Joy unlocked and shining, not mere passing guile
But true touch, soul to soul, beyond surface facades
So the hero now guides not at the front but behind
Letting others take up the swift spear, sword and standard
While he lends perspective, patience and insight refined
By time’s crucible, spirit now a sheltering tree, not blaze of fire blind
Content to plant seeds not see fruits, to never know
If thunder will follow his lighting sparks cast below
If his thoughts will echo beyond his brief days
Or be lost in time's maw, transitory ripples. He prays
That his hard won wisdom guides others who still strive
On quests he once pursued, torches passing alive
Down generations, heart speaking beyond grave
That is now enough, pride and fortune a passing wave
Now is the time for gathering roses, plucking stars
Drinking moonlight, capturing each ray in jars
Of memory, luminous moments pearled on a thread
Beads slipping too fast through life’s hands, soon threaded
No longer haunted by receding horizons, things undone
Unclenching fists, opening hands to accept the sun
However it shines, whatever may come
Loving the light, though soon for him it will dim
Making peace with endings, limits, knowing death comes
Not raging against night's fall, like a stoic, numb
But weeping for fading of light, each petal and leaf
Yet drinking the poignant beauty of life's evanescence
Finding meaning not in marks left or paths taken
But in how deeply each moment of being was tasted
How carefully hands held the fragile gift of seasons
How gently cradled the irreplaceable, life's fleeting reasons
Not what he accomplished, but who he became
Not goals checked off, but relationships that left a claim
On his soul, shaped his growth, brought understanding
Of life's true wealth - people, not an empire spanning
Horizons of achievement could ever eclipse
Or outlast the look in beloved eyes, the brush of lips
On brow at life's ending, the warm handclasp at the last
Affirming his worth was in love, not what laurels amassed
So the hero lays down vain titles, external scripts
To embrace the one within, owning all his fractures
Not hiding weaknesses, letting pretenses slip
Standing humble and naked, vulnerable in truth
Owning his smallness, his failures, releasing old shame
Shedding image and persona to uncover his name
His true name, the one he was born with, before
Ambition obscured it with layers of winning and war
No longer seeking to be important or grand
But to give and accept gently, with open hand
And open heart, learning humility, compassion
Finding that vulnerability nourishes the deepest bonds
Seeing behind others' masks too, beyond bluster and noise
To the aching soul wishing to love and be loved
Seeing his own longing mirrored in every girl and boy
Recognizing the unity beyond names, the one light above
So elders teach though quiet example, not through force
By letting go, listening, traveling light, not encumbered by divorce
From the flow of life, but moving within it, leaves on its stream
Surrendering to seasons, dormant times too, not just chasing dreams
Letting the current carry him, no longer fighting the tide
But floating upon it, clouds above coursing swift while waters glide
And eddy below, solid earth rolling past, everything moving, nothing still
Yet also nothing changing, just cycles swirling, death and rebirth, no end to fulfill
Each arrival departing, stillness birthed of motion, constancy of change
Death to life to death again, no final victory, only the turning Wheel
The hero once conquered, now contemplates this mystery strange
Seeing time itself as teacher, understanding life's rhythm, nothing static or real
Just change and flow, a dance of elements, no one to blame
For fortune's twists, compassion dawning for all caught in the game
Of light and darkness, good and bad, joy and pain
Cycling unceasing, no escape, all one, 'til beyond duality's chains
So the hero rests, no longer struggling to hold
What cannot be grasped, commanding time to stop
But observing its passage with equanimity, beholding
Transient beauty, embroidering each moment before it drops
Into the well of was, disappearing into dreams
Honoring time's gifts but not clinging as it redeems
All worldly things, remaking them into new forms
The old self dying continuously, one of life's norms
Now knowing death comes to all, and wanting no more
Than to travel well, with dignity and grace
Learning gratitude for all who traveled before
Lighting his way when sight failed, lending strength in hard place
To endure and keep walking, their gifts left behind
Sustaining him, debts to be paid forward in kind
By lighting the way for others when his time comes
To rest by the trailside, his pieces unraveled, work done
Only then will he understand the journey complete
His small thread woven into the tapestry of time
His verse a ripple in the great song, a drop in the sea
His light one spark in the fire burning, long before him lit
His story just one of many, intertwining together
Each life a gift to the next, links binding forever
So when he lies down for the last time, his armor shed
He will smile, knowing well the road ahead
Having walked joyfully with others, seeds of wisdom spread
That will feed future wayfarers when he is dead
Then his tired eyes will close, his kiss the wind
As he lets go, loosens grip, trusts he will find his friend
His friend whose face is that of the eternal divine
The great love beginning where little loves end
The light that calls him home, ocean of grace
Where boundaries dissolve, separation finds its embrace
So the hero steps off alone into the dark night
Not fighting the tides, but sinking into the sea
Letting the waters close over his head without fright
Knowing he will surface and breath where he needs to be
When he rises again, reborn into light
All masks and costumes stripped away
No more loneliness, no more futile fight
Only peace, love, and a new song to play
For now he is home, his journey complete
Part of the endless song, no longer lost
He rests in arms of true love finally found, a perfect fit
One with the eternal, fear and dreaming cease
Every longing met in the heart of God, every hope fulfilled
Dancing forever in infinite bliss, cradled by grace
All heroes come home when their wandering is stilled.
The poem is part of a full version found in the book “Homo Sapiens” Part Part I - XVIII, written by Mawphniang Napoleon. This book is part of the popular “Homo Sapiens” book series, which can be purchased online at various online bookstores, such as Amazon. The book is available for purchase for those who are interested in reading the complete version of the poem. Remember to get all the books from the “Homo Sapiens” series, as well as other books by the same author. So, don’t hesitate and get a copy today from one of the many online bookstores. Khublei Shihajar Nguh, (Dhanewad )(Thank you )
About this poem
The poem beautifully captures the cyclical nature of life's journey, tracing the hero's path from youthful ambition to the profound wisdom of later years. It reflects on the ephemeral nature of accomplishments and the ultimate importance of love, relationships, and the acceptance of life's impermanence. The hero's evolution from seeking external validation to finding solace within and embracing vulnerability highlights the transformative power of experience. The verses celebrate the interconnectedness of lives, emphasizing the importance of passing on wisdom and love to future generations. In the end, the hero's journey concludes with a serene acceptance, merging into the timeless and universal embrace of the divine. more »
Written on December 08, 2014
Submitted by Mawphniang.Napoleon on November 10, 2023
Modified by Mawphniang.Napoleon on November 12, 2023
- 10:18 min read
- 2 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | Text too long |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic heptameter |
Characters | 11,315 |
Words | 2,032 |
Stanzas | 48 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 7, 1 |
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"Harvest of the Heart's Garden : The Song of a Humble Hero" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 21 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/173483/harvest-of-the-heart's-garden-:-the-song-of-a-humble-hero>.
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