Breaking Through

I keep coming back
as if, one day, I'll find 
the illusive angle, 
that moment of perfect alignment
when the river, the clouds,
the trees and all 
that is manifested
will break open and reveal
what is really there,
when what holds everything
together ruptures 
and spills forth the sublime.

I get a sense of it sometimes
at dawn when the sun 
breaks through the clouds 
in a blinding burst of light 
and in the quiet of evenings
when a birdsong pierces
the forest with sound so pure
it seems to open a gash
in time before closing
over in a sad covering
of silence. I am granted
only glimpses as if more
would be too much 
for me, composed as I am 
of stuff made of this world,
its blunt chemistry.
Copyright © | Year Posted 2025


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Date: 9/16/2025 1:14:00 PM
Hello Paul, Wow, congrats on POTD! I love how you capture those tiny, fleeting glimpses of the sublime. That bit about the birdsong opening a gash in time,so good, it gave me chills. Blessings, Paul, Daniel
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Paul Willason
Date: 9/16/2025 6:02:00 PM
Hi Daniel, Thankyou for giving the poem your time....always good to hear from you and receive your thoughtful comments my friend. Take care, Paul
Date: 9/15/2025 8:59:00 PM
"I am of stuff made of this world, its blunt chemistry." - A very powerful poem. Congratulations!
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Paul Willason
Date: 9/16/2025 5:53:00 PM
Thankyou for your visit and comments Christuraj, very much appreciated. Regards, Paul
Date: 9/15/2025 7:44:00 PM
In dreams, there can always be a ' moment of perfect alignment. ' Your thoughts whisper hope. A place of delight. Congratulations Paul, on Poem of the Day. Many wonderful blessings to you. :) Hugs, Brandy
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Paul Willason
Date: 9/16/2025 5:49:00 PM
Hi Brandy, Many thanks for your kind words, for taking in the poem, letting it speak. For feedback matters. Take care, Paul
Date: 9/15/2025 2:49:00 PM
Congratulations on this wonderful glimpse into the poetry world of Paul Willason.
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Paul Willason
Date: 9/16/2025 5:44:00 PM
Thankyou Benjamin for taking the time to glimpse into my little world. Valuevyour visit. Cheers Paul
Date: 9/15/2025 1:09:00 PM
Congratulations on your nice p.o.t.d :-)
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Paul Willason
Date: 9/16/2025 5:39:00 PM
Thankyou Abdullah for your kind words....very much appreciated. Cheers, Paul
Date: 9/15/2025 12:19:00 PM
Yep. As Thornton Wilder's narrator said in the play, 'Our Town:' "We're all waitin.' Waitin' for something Eternal to break out." ... Thanks for the resonance and relevance, Paul. ~ Gershon
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Paul Willason
Date: 9/16/2025 5:38:00 PM
Wise words Gershon...good to hear from a fellow traveller with an ear tuned to the moment...connects us to that which is beyond our own circumference. Take care my friend, Paul
Date: 9/15/2025 12:13:00 PM
Congratulations on POTD! … when a birdsong pierces the forest with sound so pure it seems to open a gash in time before closing
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Paul Willason
Date: 9/16/2025 5:33:00 PM
Thanks Kim for your comments...for entering into the poem. Value your support. Take care, Paul
Date: 9/15/2025 11:28:00 AM
Love your poem, Paul. Very comforting to my soul. Congratulations on your POTD honor! Enjoy your special day of recognition. Bill
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Paul Willason
Date: 9/16/2025 5:27:00 PM
Hi Bill, Good to hear from you...honored that the poem gave comfort...found an appreciate ear. Thankyou for your kind words. Cheers, Paul
Date: 9/15/2025 11:17:00 AM
I love your poem it captures the human condition of seeking meaning and connection in a world that often feels disconnected. It's a search for magic in the ordinary, a pursuit of the sublime that we can only ever brush against.
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Paul Willason
Date: 9/16/2025 5:24:00 PM
Very thoughtful comments Jami..thankyou for giving the poem your time and ponderings, so kind of you. Indeed value your feedback. Take care, Paul
Date: 9/15/2025 10:06:00 AM
We await heaven on earth at times, the knowing that there is more behind the reality, behind the veneer eludes us. Spiritual thoughts, and divinely illuminating. Congratulations on Poem Of The Day Paul Willason! A Fave
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Paul Willason
Date: 9/16/2025 5:19:00 PM
Thankyou...such thoughtful comments Anaya. I guess most Poets look for the transcendence in things, that which gives the world and all of creation its very existence and keeps us trying to leave a little of it in our poetry. As you said, it is illusive. Take care, Paul
Date: 9/15/2025 9:04:00 AM
Congratulations on your POTD win. I enjoyed reading your wonderful "Breaking Through" write. Have a blessed day with your win as you go writing away..........
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Paul Willason
Date: 9/16/2025 5:08:00 PM
Many thanks Paula for your visit and kind words...valued. Good to hear that you enjoyed the poem. Take care, Paul
Date: 9/15/2025 7:31:00 AM
How truly happy it made me feel to see your name and this beautiful enthralling poem as POTD Paul…..Congratulations my lovely , lovely friend….Debx
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Paul Willason
Date: 9/16/2025 5:05:00 PM
Hi Deb, always so good to hear from you...your comments always give me a lift. Hope you are well my dear friend... Paul
Date: 9/15/2025 3:09:00 AM
captivating poem...perhaps you've described a moment when you touched eternity? much to see in this outstanding poem. Congrats on your POTD designation.
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Paul Willason
Date: 9/16/2025 5:00:00 PM
Ah such encounters are the stuff of poetry. Connects us to what seems to evade words but which we keep trying to capture. Thanks Sara for your kind words. Take care, Paul
Date: 9/15/2025 2:28:00 AM
- Congratulations on your lovely p.o.t.d., Paul :) -
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Paul Willason
Date: 9/16/2025 4:56:00 PM
Many thanks Anne-Lise for your congratulatory note. Valued. Cheers, Paul
Date: 9/15/2025 1:36:00 AM
It’s a beautiful world and a wonder too. Congratulations Paul on receiving poem of the day for your engaging poem… Beryl
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Paul Willason
Date: 9/16/2025 4:53:00 PM
Thankyou Beryl for your kind words. Appreciated. Take care, Paul
Date: 9/14/2025 10:14:00 AM
I wonder if that same sense is apparent regardless of the inherent beauty of their surroundings? Would we glimpse it anyway in broken things and worn away steps etc. I wonder whether it's a glimpse at all or perhaps a trigger of a memory that isn't there to access. Wonderful thoughts you express - enjoyed
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Paul Willason
Date: 9/16/2025 4:52:00 PM
Hi Jin-ju, I think it all comes down to the beauty we perceive, even in broken things which is a theme in Buddhist philosophy. Probably is confined to the moment rather than memory. Pleased that the poem resonated. Appreciate your comments, regards Paul
Date: 9/14/2025 5:48:00 AM
Yes, indeed. There is a sense of living-ness that is beyond manufacturing in sky, forest, bird and light. To me this is somewhat like the surprising content of the sky when the sun goes down and the stars that were always there become apparent. Reality and mystery together. For a Christian this is the heavens declaring the glory of God which is still a mystery. (Psalm 19). J :)
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Paul Willason
Date: 9/16/2025 4:47:00 PM
Hi Jeanette, Very much appreciate the thought you gave this poem, quite profound comments. Valued feedback my friend. Take care, Paul
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