Sarah writes: "Some poems are best read silently to oneself, but not all. This poem, The Companions, is one of those that works better spoken aloud. To have as a reader an experienced and skilled actor such as Paul Birchard makes it very special! Phrasing, cadence, inflection et cetera are for him tools of the trade and they are also very much part of the way this poem formed itself. Speech rhythms determine intonation and I can still hear the way Eruch hailed us, a small group of newcomers, as we entered Mandali Hall some thirty or so years ago. 'Welcome! Welcome home!' he said, indicating assorted cushions and chairs, adding "Stretch out your legs. Be comfortable.", words which, at a later date, formed the heart of The Companions."
lyrics
You mean to say you want to walk along that path?
You mean to say you want to choose that life,
Leaving your comforts at the door like a pair of shoes?
I tell you it has all been done for you.
Read the stories, read between the lines and think again.
Helplessness for example,
Can you do helplessness without anger?
Can you do hopelessness without despair?
Humiliation without resentment,
Or humility without being aware?
Could you live as one with all the rest in total harmony
Without feeling separate?
Or be homeless for years without feeling “no one cares”?
Or know loneliness without feeling abandoned,
Darkness without feeling fear?
Hunger without yearning;
Thirst without thought;
Cold without seeking comfort,
And all day in the heat of the sun
Without feeling distraught?
Could you know suffering without feeling self-pity?
Be hurt without feeling sore?
Incapacitated without desperation?
Sharing what little there is without wanting more?
Hard done by without blaming another,
Tired without stopping to rest;
Hard up without feeling envy,
Worthless without the slightest expectation
Of ever being acknowledged?
Just know it has been done;
The immense task accomplished By those steadfast companions
And completed to His satisfaction.
So when they said to you,
“Welcome!” “Welcome home!”
“Sit here with us. Stretch out your legs and be comfortable!”
Remember what they said we could do –
Because all the hard labour has been done for us,
The path cleared, steps hacked out in the steep places,
Guide ropes set along the dangerous ledges.
“Keep your eyes on Him!” they said,
“Keep His name in your heart,”
Meaning the One who is the most steadfast of the companions,
The elder brother,
The One who is there for each of us every step of the way.
But the path we must take is internal,
And the inner work my dear
Is up to you.
credits
from Beloved,
released June 11, 2020
Written by Sarah McNeill, Spoken by Paul Birchard
Modular synths sparkle amidst piano, vibes, and other organic instruments stringing together constellations of sound. Bandcamp New & Notable Sep 22, 2023
