October 27, 2025
Passages
The Knowing
she remembers a passage
from a william faulkner novel
she read in college, though
which novel she could not
now tell you.
of what significance to the
unfolding story was this passage?
that also she does not recall,
only that it caught her attention
enough for her to write about the passage
at some length and
in some detail
in a senior seminar paper.
in fact it was one of the few times
during her college years that
she felt centered authentically
in her own heart and mind
as she put forth ideas in a paper.
the passage is one in which
an enormous buck is confronted
in the woods by a hunter but
before the hunter can act
and without the buck’s appearing
to move, it is gone. it was there,
it was not.
because the passage caught her attention
enough at that time
for her to hold space for it
through the ensuing half century
it comes to mind today
on a predawn walk
when she becomes aware
of a deer, a deer who comes into view
and whose presence is fully known
but whose body seems to evaporate
with no perception of movement, no
clear distinction between when it is
visible and when it is no longer visible.
the transition is not perceptible.
the deer is there,
the deer is not there.
its presence, still felt and known
even though no longer in her sight,
opens her,
signifies to her
all that exists beyond
what she might see
or understand
in any given moment:
she knows there is more,
she knows
it is fully within reach.
she is electrified
with understanding and wonder:
if that deer, then what else?
what else?
—dotty seiter
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3.5 x 5.25″; watercolor in travel art journal
page 1 of a travel journal
2025
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Notes about poem and painting:
• “The Knowing” uses free verse to put into words a deeply felt experience.
• Pacific Northwest Passage is the first page of a small art journal in which I made entries while Dave and I traveled in September. We ventured to places new to us in the world, and I ventured to a few places new to me in my art.
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15 responses to “Passages”
Read through twice and what caught in my mind from the passage
“before the hunter can act
and without the buck’s appearing
to move, it is gone. it was there,
it was not.”That everything is transient, here for a moment and gone! As your experience with the deer. I recall a similar incident on one of our many trips to the red sea, we were on the shore line and a large flock of bird rose up from the sea and in an instant they were gone and only their memory remains.
Looking forward to see your adventures!
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Carol, thanks for shining light on the lines in “The Knowing” that caught in your mind and what they signified for you.
In return, what catches in my mind from your comment: ” … a large flock of birds rose up from the sea and in an instant they were gone.” Like a child on a playground who watches a rope being turned by two friends and moves her body to begin jumping repeatedly over the rhythmically turning rope, I watched the flock of birds, began flapping my wings, and am now flying with the flock over the Red Sea, wingbeats providing rhythmic music as we soar.
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Your free verse exquisitely captures those breathtaking moments that fill us with wonder and gratitude.
In the evening on my 50th birthday, we were exploring the Racquette River in the Adirondacks when a large bear leapt into the river, swam across directly in front of our boat, scrambled up the opposite bank, stood on his hind legs with his head silhouetted against the evening sky, and then disappeared into the woods…A few moments now crystalline in my memory, a forever gift.
Thank you so much, Dotty!
Carolyn, good morning! To you and Ursa Racquette River! Big smile here knowing that my free verse sparked a crystalline memory of the breathtaking moments of wonder and gratitude when URR graced you with its life force as it moved from shore to river to shore. Thanks for sharing this gem. I know I’ll find it in my pocket a few times going forward : )
What a beautiful verse. I have experienced that moment with a deer…one moment they’re here and one moment they’re not without making a sound. There is so much that we cannot see…yet. We just have to pay attention and be open to the wonder of it all.
I adore your journal drawing…it reminds me of works by Flying Edna. It’s whimsical and fun and certainly evokes free spirited adventuring!
MaryAnn, yes: There is so much we cannot see … yet! Paying attention and being open to the wonder of it all is glorious in its own right and, I think, increases the odds of noticing things that we have never seen or known previously.
I painted my journal drawing probably six weeks ago and I thinking Flying Edna was indeed my inspiration : ) The whimsicality and free-spirited adventuring were exactly what called to me!
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Simone, I often think of you when I meet up with wildlife on my predawn walks. I see deer, (too) many rabbits, occasional raccoons, and, very rarely coyotes. I used to hear coyotes howling quite often; haven’t heard them recently. Often I hear owls of more than one sort in conversation, including just this morning! Thanks for keeping me mindful of what a gift it is to have these critters near at hand.
Sheila, YES! Thank you for your comments and their ability to tap me back into that wonder.
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