The poem below explores nature’s disconnected forms such as feathers and leaves as a metaphorical expression of exile, abandonment, loneliness, and the struggle to renew itself as a viable

 individuating form. 

  LIGHTNESS OF BEING

 The connection of a feather to a bird

or a leaf to a tree seems very natural

indeed. However, when a feather or a 

leaf is disconnected from its host, its

function is lost forever, never again

to be in unison with its counterparts for 

the sake of the whole.

Instead it finds itself on a journey of

abject loneliness, drifting to and

fro as currents of air meander in

uncharted directions, bringing a 

movement of a lifeless ballet to a

descendant resting place.

Laying there as a singular identity, a

Lightness Of Being begins to permeate

its soul, and almost simultaneously,

a sudden emotion of fear freezes its

silhouetted form forever.

John Avakian, April 15, 1996. Revised June 9, 2018