Friday, January 01, 2010

questions about angels...


Of all the questions you might want to ask
About angels, the only one you ever hear
Is how many can dance on the head of a pin.

No curiosity about how they pass the eternal time
Besides circling the Throne chanting in Latin
Or delivering a crust of bread to a hermit on earth
Or guiding a boy and girl across a rickety wooden bridge.

Do they fly through God’s body and come out singing?
Do they swing like children from the hinges
Of the spirit world saying their names backwards and forwards?
Do they sit alone in little gardens changing colors?

What about their sleeping habits, the fabric of their robes,
Their diet of unfiltered divine light?
What goes on inside their luminous heads? Is there a wall
these tall presences can look over and see hell?

If an angel fell off a cloud, would he leave a hole
In a river and would the hole float along endlessly
Filled with the silent letters of every angelic word?

If an angel delivered the mail, would he arrive
In a blinding rush of wings or would he just assume
The appearance of the regular mailman and
Whistle up the driveway reading the postcards?

No, the medieval theologians control the court.
The only question you ever hear is about
The little dance floor on the head of a pin
Where halos are meant to converge and drift invisibly.

It is designed to make us think in millions,
Billions, to make us run out of numbers and collapse
Into infinity, but perhaps the answer is simply one:
One femaile angel dancing alone in her stocking feet,
A small jazz combo working in the background.

She sways like a branch in the wind, her beautiful
Eyes closed, and the tall thin bassist leans over
To glance at his watch because she has been dancing
Forever, and now it is very late, even for musicians.


by Billy Collins...
I wish I had written this....

12 comments:

Natalie, the Chickenblogger said...

Happy New Year.
Angels dance here.

Tiglizzyclone said...

So many wonderful thoughts about those angelic beings... lovely and beautiful thoughts. This could inspire some delightful art! Thank you for sharing.

Hope your New Years Day is good for you and your family.

ooglebloops said...

for a minute, I thought you did!!! Great post and photos, and food for thought.........Happy New Year, and hope 2010 blesses you with an additional abundance of creativity!!!

scb said...

I loved this poem! Thank you for sharing it with us! Wonderful imagery!

James said...

I believe that Angels come in a wide variety of forms. Some can, when necessary, carry great swords of destruction. But , I think they prefer other duties. Hearlders of Good News, Healers and Guardians. Such tasks for them is no more tiring than it is for a rose to develop blooms. They truly are majestic unseen beings. " How many can dance on the head of a pin....as many as the pin needs"....

Anonymous said...

Your blog keeps getting better and better! Your older articles are not as good as newer ones you have a lot more creativity and originality now keep it up!

Anonymous said...

Keep posting stuff like this i really like it.

Linda Byrd said...

so very beautiful.

wburgcanchaser said...

oooo. oooo. I was going to ask you if you knew when 24 was going to start but decided to try google. Jan. 17th! Which means hulu will have it the 18th. Yahoo! It's looking good too! Happy watching.
wburgcanchaser

ann h said...

I love the poem.Where did you get the angel in the picture?

Unknown said...

ANGELS CHANT IN HEBREW, NO LATIN! OTHER THAN THAT, THE POEM IS BEAUTIFUL!

Linda Jacobs said...

I love Billy Collins! I own all his books and recognized this one right away.

Also, I love your artistic photos from Europe! Nice eye!