17 December 2008

The Discovery


The Discovery
do not imagine that the exploration
ends, that she has yielded all her mystery
or that the map you hold
cancels further discovery

I tell you her uncovering takes years,
takes centuries, and when you find her naked
look again.
admit there is something else you cannot name,
a veil, a coating just above the flesh
which you cannot remove by your mere wish

when you see the land naked, look again
(burn your maps, that is not what I mean.)
I mean the moment when it seems most plain
is the moment when you must begin again


Gwendolyn MacEwen
The Shadow-Maker
The Macmillan Company of Canada


1 comment:

Sherrill said...

Thank you for sharing "The Discovery." I enjoyed that very much.