70. Cloud Burst

Posted on November 8, 2012 by iPoem

Review of Cloud Burst

Summary

Cloud Burst is a tender and emotionally rich poem that explores the intense vulnerability and quiet hope of one soul reaching out to be seen. Written with lyrical sensitivity and depth, it evokes the emotional weight of waiting — whether that’s a lover longing for connection, or equally, a child longing for the recognition of a parent. With imagery drawn from nature’s drama — cloudbursts, storm clouds, rainbows — the poem traces the journey from internal emotional weather to the joyful moment of being seen.

Why This Poem Matters

The emotional landscape of the poem begins in a place of uncertainty and tension:

“You look up from behind a blind gaze / Where grey thoughts do battle / Like dark clouds gathering”

Here, the “you” could just as easily be a parent consumed by adult concerns, too distracted or overwhelmed to notice the presence or emotional needs of the child before them. The storm of the adult mind — full of worry, rumination, and unresolved emotional patterns — creates a sense of distance that the speaker is keenly aware of.

The inner world of the speaker, meanwhile, is charged with silent longing and imagination:

“I long to see the cloudburst’s gleam / For in my head we are already dancing, laughing / In a parallel world that doesn’t yet exist”

This “parallel world” is particularly poignant from a child’s point of view — an imagined space where the parent is emotionally available, joyful, playful, and present. The sadness lies in its absence, yet the hope lies in its possibility. This imagined connection is what carries the child emotionally through the distance.

The line:

“Unspoken desires hang in the air bristling with speculation”

takes on a heart-wrenching new shade when read through the lens of a child. These “unspoken desires” could be as simple, and as essential, as “see me,” “hold me,” or “smile at me.”

The shift begins when the child feels something shift — a glimpse of reassurance, presence, love:

“Your gentle strength supports my vulnerability / So that in a world of shifting sand and shadow / My doubts do not destroy me”

This could be interpreted as the moment when a parent finally makes emotional contact — perhaps not even through words, but through a gesture, an expression, a look. In a world that can often feel chaotic or uncertain, the child’s stability is anchored in that presence.

And finally, we arrive at the emotional climax of the poem:

“I catch your gaze, you see me, a smile / Like a rainbow in the sky / Joy, my heart dances.”

This is the cloudburst. Not destructive, but cathartic — a longed-for recognition that arrives suddenly, restoring joy and affirming emotional existence. It could be a parent finally looking up, finally seeing, finally smiling — and for the child, that is everything. It’s the difference between being invisible and being real. The metaphor of the “rainbow in the sky” captures both the beauty and the rarety of the moment.

In Conclusion

Cloud Burst is a luminous, emotionally intelligent poem that touches on the universal longing to be seen, recognised, and emotionally met. Whether read as the inner landscape of a romantic connection or through the lens of a child yearning for parental connection, its impact remains the same: a testament to the power of presence and the joy that can erupt from a simple, heartfelt smile.

It reminds us that love often resides in the smallest gestures — the glance, the smile, the moment of genuine attention — and that these moments, though fleeting, can transform storms of doubt into dances of joy.

In a world where so many feel unseen or unheard, Cloud Burst becomes a quiet anthem for visibility, connection, and emotional resonance — a reminder of how vital it is to truly look at one another and see.

✩ 23. Now is the New Now

Posted on September 4, 1998 by iPoem

Now is the future

And all our future now’s

Ever again to be

By being fully present

In the magnificence of this moment

Presenting ourselves in the here and now

Where Love’s magical omnipotence resides

Time reaps the harvest of our karmic destinies 

Sewn from the seeds of integrity and truth

Planted in the pastures of this present moment

Of continuous now, is the new now

The future is in the ‘Now’

And all our future now’s

Ever again to be. ✩

In The Future Is Now, the poet returns to one of their central philosophical preoccupations: the nature of time and the transformative power of presence. This short but resonant piece functions as a contemplative meditation on the eternal “now,” blending metaphysical insight with poetic rhythm to distill a complex spiritual truth into accessible, mantra-like language.

The opening line, “Now is the future,” subverts linear conceptions of time, setting the stage for a poem that collapses past, present, and future into a single point of awareness. This inversion immediately challenges the reader to reorient their thinking, suggesting that the “future” is not an event to be awaited but a condition that is actively shaped in the present moment. The poet’s circular phrasing—“and all our future nows / Ever again to be”—reinforces the idea of continuity rather than chronology. It is an affirmation of the infinite unfolding of time within the present.

At the heart of the poem lies the imperative to be “fully present / In the magnificence of this moment.” The language here is devotional, even celebratory. The word “magnificence” elevates the present from mundane experience to sacred encounter. This is not mindfulness as a technique, but as a form of spiritual embodiment—“Presenting ourselves in the here and now” implies both vulnerability and intention: showing up, consciously and completely, to life.

The middle of the poem deepens the philosophical dimension, introducing the concept of karmic causality: “Time reaps the harvest of our karmic destinies / Sewn from the seeds of integrity and truth.” This agrarian metaphor situates ethical action in a spiritual ecosystem, where the quality of one’s present choices directly influences the texture of one’s future. The use of “sewn” (rather than “sown”) may be a typographical anomaly, but even if unintentional, it lends an interesting layer—suggesting that the threads of destiny are stitched together as much as planted. Whether deliberate or not, it works in reinforcing the interconnectedness of action, time, and outcome.

The repeated motif of “the present moment” as a fertile ground—“pastures of this present”—recalls earlier poems where Earth and growth serve as metaphors for spiritual development. Here, the present is both a field and a fulcrum: the place where time bends, and potential crystallises into reality.

Stylistically, the poem is cyclical and rhythmic, echoing its own thematic focus. The repetition of key phrases—“future nows,” “this moment,” “now”—functions almost like a chant, guiding the reader into the very state the poem describes. The lack of traditional punctuation allows for a fluid, unbroken flow of thought, reinforcing the idea of temporal continuity.

While succinct, the poem carries a meditative weight. It offers not a narrative or argument, but a distilled truth—an experiential insight into the nature of time and consciousness. The phrase “moment of continuous now, is the new now” acts as both a philosophical statement and a poetic gesture toward eternity.

In conclusion, The Future Is Now is a concise yet profound articulation of presence as both a spiritual practice and a creative act. It gently dismantles the illusion of linear time, encouraging the reader to awaken to the power of the present as the only true site of agency, transformation, and becoming. As with much of the poet’s work, the message is simple, but the implications are far-reaching: the future is not something that happens to us, but something we shape—moment by moment—through the consciousness we bring to now.