Where Word Takes Wing

The word takes flight, a borrowed feathered thing, Not beak nor claw, yet on the mind takes wing. A bridge unseen from object known and clear, To realms of feeling held both far and near. When metaphor arrives, a subtle guest, It doesn't state, it hints, puts to the test The rigid walls where logic holds its sway, Inviting shadows where new meanings play. The mind, a landscape sculpted by the real, Now finds a stranger, something it can feel But not quite grasp with senses trained and keen, A phantom echo of what might have been, Or what could be, if boundaries start to fade, And abstract gardens in the concrete's shade Begin to bloom with colors rich and deep, Awakening thoughts that long had been asleep. A storm becomes a fury in the soul, A river's flow, the years that take their toll. The sun, a golden coin in azure skies, Reflecting hopes that in our spirits rise. But why this leap? This dance of disparate things? Why does the heart find solace when it sings Of burdens likened to a heavy chain, Or joy that blossoms like a summer rain? Perhaps the mind, in its relentless quest To understand the world, puts forth its best Translators, finding parallels unseen, Connecting fragments of what might have been Disparate islands in a lonely sea, Until a metaphor sets meaning free. It's not a lie, this borrowed imagery, But a deeper truth, a visceral decree. For language strains when feelings take their hold, And literal meaning leaves the story cold. So metaphor steps in with gentle hand, To paint the abstract on familiar sand. It stirs the depths where intuition lies, And opens windows to our inner skies. When word-bird meets the mind's receptive air, A spark ignites, a sudden knowing there. A richer understanding starts to bloom, Dispelling shadows, banishing the gloom. And in that meeting fragile and profound, The world expands where deeper truths are found, Not in the surface neatly defined and plain, But in the echoes of the metaphor's reign. The mind, once bounded, now begins to see The boundless landscapes of what thought can be. ©bfa041325