one
In the undertow of evening I am settled around myself.
Those who have lived long enough to keep quiet
should be listened to.
In the valley between my shoulder blades I sing to my Self
where a river is running underground.
I am always kneeling.
I kneel to the one who knows but will not speak
the first word that sets these worlds in motion.
two
Every man is alone and every woman is breathing in the gulf
with schools of mullet in her tidal hair.
All night long the left hand feels in the dark for the right.
Shivabalayogi is my Guru. Carol is my wife.
This is all I know.
three
The angel of the Lord is flying again
over the Cascade Range and Hood River Valley.
Wings made of fire drop light into undergrowth.
I am a standing flame.
My fingers matchsticks all struck at once.
I am the river in the Douglas fir
the living water rising through root and trunk
taking in and giving out breath.
You are above me spread out as breath and as the prayer of breath.
Shivabalayogi I am kneeling to you.
Carol I am kneeling to you.
Text copyright © 2001 Charlie Hopkins
Our main page on Charlie Hopkins: biography, links, books, etc.
Poems on this site.
Includes many poems.
I Need to Feel You Every Moment in My Heart
By Charlie Hopkins
Charlie’s poems rattle a nerve deep in the core of the Heart. I came across a poem of his on the Internet one day and was so moved that I found a way to email him and request permission to post his poem on my website. An email friendship ensued and after some six months or more, my wife and I drove over a thousand miles to meet Charlie and his wife Carol (the inspiration behind his work). Charlie is an unassuming man who was not concerned about publishing his poetry in book format. I found out how to set it up on Lulu and with Charlie's final edit I Need To Feel You In Every Moment In My Heart is now available.
Charlie writes in such a way that I can only imagine that every woman would want to be cared for and loved the way he feels. Being a part of this book is inspiring for me because there is a live current in Charlie's words that causes the river of love in the Heart to flow rapidly.
—Rafael Stoneman
This page was published on August 9, 2001 and last revised on June 17, 2017.