The Lost Wind

I don’t always grasp the full meaning of things I’ve written. That might sound odd. But sometimes, I’ll finish a poem, and it feels right but I don’t understand why. I might only realize later why a verse had to end a certain way or why an odd word choice is nevertheless exactly what’s called for.

My second book of poems, Event Horizon, begins with a poem I didn’t grasp at first. The poem imagines the wind as someone who is lost, distressed, and walking in circles. I end the poem by saying the wind is “unable to find / where it came from.” That part came all in a flash, and I liked it, but I didn’t know why I liked it or if it made sense.

As I re-read the poem days later, I thought of Jesus’s words: “The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit” (John 3:8). John’s gospel later says that Jesus knew He had come from God and was returning to God (John 13:3). One born of the Spirit knows where he is coming from and going to, even if observers can’t tell whether he’s coming or going.

It struck me that the lost wind in my poem is one not born of the Spirit, who doesn’t know where it’s coming from or going to. This was an added meaning I hadn’t intended but that (to me) deepened the poem (especially the end).

I hope “The Lost Wind” resonates with readers. Leave a comment if you see something in it that I don’t! If you like it, I hope you’ll check out Event Horizon, which recently came out on Amazon: https://smile.amazon.com/Event-Horizon-Poems-Teague-McKamey/dp/B0B2WLWSDY/ref=sr_1_1?crid=28UIL1899736X&keywords=teague+mckamey&qid=1655430809&sprefix=teague+mckam%2Caps%2C238&sr=8-1

The Lost Wind

The world spins in a black hole,
a night without stars or moon,
where the lost wind paces and moans,
unable to find
where it came from.