Have you ever listened to the canyon winds?

Question

Mountains, rocks and canyons…

Speak in tongues.

Shrill, North Wind buffets.

Moaning, South Winds sigh.

Violent Western Winds.

East Wind, whispering.

Always speaking.

If you listen closely…

Their stories are woven

In Granite

Answer 1

This poem is special. I live at sea level, actually on the water. The winds and the ocean speak in tones different from those you describe, but their voices are as varied. To know the tongue of each of your winds is an ability that holds me in awe. The final two lines, illustrating the effect of the winds on the mountains, using the metaphor "woven/In granite," is excellent use of this poetic device.

Answer 2

Having lived in Colorado for four years, this speaks and speaks well.  My compliments.  You brought back memories.

Answer 3

This is an excellent poem.  The allusion to glossolalia in L2 points beyond pure naturalistic description to a theophany in nature.  The personification of winds as sighing or whispering suggests an ancient conversation.  What are they talking about?  Perhaps your poem...

Kudos!!

Answer 4

A little wind dived in

And settled in my lap.

What are you doing today?

I have the reports to see to,

And deadlines to reach.

The hours of my future

Are already past full.

That is so sad, said the little wind,

And it scurried off to distant lands.

So I turned to my work,

I picked up my pen,

And remained in my chair,

And outside my window

The years flowed away

Like a musicless river,

Flowing past temples

And flamingos,

Releasing into a sea

Beyond untrammeled sands.

Answer 5

I hear your poem.  Makes me want to return to Arizona...

Answer 6

If You are making reference Canyon Winds, yes I have, many many many times!

Carlos Nakai

Biography:

To become the world's premier Native American flutist, R. Carlos Nakai had to rely more on research and innovation and less on his Navajo-Ute heritage. While the Diné had a strong flute-playing tradition, it was lost when they migrated from the Northwest Plains of Canada to the Southwest over five centuries ago. While Nakai may not have been "born to the flute," it was curiosity about his heritage that led him to it.

A native Arizonan, Nakai's southwestern surroundings as well as his culture, heavily influence his work. He points out "A lot of what I've been taught culturally comes from an awareness of the environment. ...

He has written and performed scores for film and television including selections for the National Park Service, Fox Television, the Discovery Channel, IMAX, the National Geographic Society and many commercial productions.

A prolific musician and composer, he has 27 albums in commercial distribution, including 18 releases on the Canyon Records label. Just counting his Canyon titles, Nakai recently surpassed the 2,000,000 units sold worldwide.

And when he is not recording, composing or researching, 70 to 80 percent of the year is spent touring throughout the U.S., Canada, Europe and Japan performing and lecturing on Native American culture and philosophy. Nakai wouldn't have it any other way. "...We were put on the earth to experience life in its totality. And if you're not doing that, you're essentially wasting your time."  

Answer 7

This speaks entirely true, beautifully expressed.