study of clouds by Simon Alexandre-Clément Denis‘The Comings and Goings of Heaven and Earth’: A Poem by David L. Williams The Society June 20, 2025 Beauty, Poetry 9 Comments . The Comings and Goings of Heaven and Earth Clouds’ movement in the sky, the sight of birds, phenomena that draw an upward glance, may sometimes leave us at a loss for words, uncertain if we’ll get another chance. Yet, these are givens in the firmament, and though not firmly underfoot, they pass as steadfastly as time that we have spent trailing old earth behind, wearing down grass. The ground beneath our feet, like solid air, is filled with hidden insects as the sky, our ways put on repeat, comprising where we’ve been, looking ahead, wondering why all trails seemed destined to a single place, an ending that’s most difficult to face. . . David L. Williams is recently retired from 34 years teaching high school English in Lincoln, Nebraska, his primary residence since he went to college there in the 80s. He has been published in Autumn Sky Daily Poetry, Rat’s Ass Review, Masque & Spectacle, Live Nude Poetry, Sublunary Review, and Provenance Journal. More about David and his poetry at his webpage, http://classwords.com. NOTE TO READERS: If you enjoyed this poem or other content, please consider making a donation to the Society of Classical Poets. The Society of Classical Poets does not endorse any views expressed in individual poems or commentary. ***Read Our Comments Policy Here*** 9 Responses Cynthia L Erlandson June 20, 2025 I really like what you’ve done with the imagery of the sky and land, showing how they are in some ways almost mirroring each other. Reply Roy Eugene Peterson June 20, 2025 David, our final destination as a human is difficult for us to face as our thoughts go from the cerebral to the eternal as you vividly remind us. Reply Dan Davis June 20, 2025 It’s something of line break mastery to give us “we’ve been looking ahead wondering why” as an additional reading in the middle of a different sentance. This is a very thoughtful poem. Reply Margaret Coats June 20, 2025 A large theme for a sonnet, David, but you develop it nicely, quatrain by quatrain. And you observe the turn from octave into sestet with the striking fusion of heaven and earth into “solid air.” Then you truthfully describe the destination point of the comings and goings in the couplet as an “ending that’s most difficult to face.” That seems to look back at the upward glance of your second line, one that involves speaker and reader in a “loss for words.” The whole poem thus appears both abstract and concrete. You manage well that large theme outlined in the title! Reply Scharlie Meeuws June 21, 2025 This finely crafted sonnet contemplates the quiet marvels of the natural world—clouds, birds, trails—and uses them as metaphors for the human condition: our longing, our uncertainty, and the inevitable passage of time. The poem’s formal restraint, with its steady rhyme and meter, contrasts beautifully with its meditative tone, evoking a sense of both groundedness and existential drift. Phrases like “the ground beneath our feet, like solid air” blur the boundary between what we trust and what remains elusive. In the final couplet, the poem leads us to a stark but graceful recognition of mortality—“an ending that’s most difficult to face”—closing the reflection with quiet emotional weight. Subtle, elegant, and hauntingly resonant. Thank you , David, for it! Reply Paul A. Freeman June 23, 2025 We have so much in common under the sun, and will have so much more in common when the thread’s snipped. Thanks for the philosophical read, David. Reply Shamik Banerjee June 23, 2025 I believe this fine sonnet subtly welds life, its evanescence, and death. There’s a heaven above and there’s a heaven underneath it; each experienced by mankind and each leading to each. It’s all interconnected and the repetition of “events” weave this life we live. A beautiful and refreshing poem, David. I really enjoyed it. Reply C.B. Anderson June 24, 2025 Wow! That was a lot to digest. Thanks for the invitation. Reply Adam Sedia June 26, 2025 No doubt the wide skies and rampaging storms of Nebraska served to inspire this poem. It is a heartfelt meditation that deftly weaves the skies, the earth, and the biosphere into its metaphor. Reply Leave a Reply Cancel ReplyYour email address will not be published.CommentName* Email* Website Δ This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Cynthia L Erlandson June 20, 2025 I really like what you’ve done with the imagery of the sky and land, showing how they are in some ways almost mirroring each other. Reply
Roy Eugene Peterson June 20, 2025 David, our final destination as a human is difficult for us to face as our thoughts go from the cerebral to the eternal as you vividly remind us. Reply
Dan Davis June 20, 2025 It’s something of line break mastery to give us “we’ve been looking ahead wondering why” as an additional reading in the middle of a different sentance. This is a very thoughtful poem. Reply
Margaret Coats June 20, 2025 A large theme for a sonnet, David, but you develop it nicely, quatrain by quatrain. And you observe the turn from octave into sestet with the striking fusion of heaven and earth into “solid air.” Then you truthfully describe the destination point of the comings and goings in the couplet as an “ending that’s most difficult to face.” That seems to look back at the upward glance of your second line, one that involves speaker and reader in a “loss for words.” The whole poem thus appears both abstract and concrete. You manage well that large theme outlined in the title! Reply
Scharlie Meeuws June 21, 2025 This finely crafted sonnet contemplates the quiet marvels of the natural world—clouds, birds, trails—and uses them as metaphors for the human condition: our longing, our uncertainty, and the inevitable passage of time. The poem’s formal restraint, with its steady rhyme and meter, contrasts beautifully with its meditative tone, evoking a sense of both groundedness and existential drift. Phrases like “the ground beneath our feet, like solid air” blur the boundary between what we trust and what remains elusive. In the final couplet, the poem leads us to a stark but graceful recognition of mortality—“an ending that’s most difficult to face”—closing the reflection with quiet emotional weight. Subtle, elegant, and hauntingly resonant. Thank you , David, for it! Reply
Paul A. Freeman June 23, 2025 We have so much in common under the sun, and will have so much more in common when the thread’s snipped. Thanks for the philosophical read, David. Reply
Shamik Banerjee June 23, 2025 I believe this fine sonnet subtly welds life, its evanescence, and death. There’s a heaven above and there’s a heaven underneath it; each experienced by mankind and each leading to each. It’s all interconnected and the repetition of “events” weave this life we live. A beautiful and refreshing poem, David. I really enjoyed it. Reply
Adam Sedia June 26, 2025 No doubt the wide skies and rampaging storms of Nebraska served to inspire this poem. It is a heartfelt meditation that deftly weaves the skies, the earth, and the biosphere into its metaphor. Reply
