I miss the mark because I don’t understand what the target should be. How can I land a bull’s eye when I have no idea what to aim for? All I’m doing is shooting an arrow to the place hidden from my sight.
Yet it’s my shadow hiding the mark. If I move, if I change, if I soften my heart, if I open my eyes, maybe I will see. Then I might aim well enough.
It will be in your reflection I will know if I’ve triumphed. Your smile, your glow, your pulse. Your gifting hands, your willowed spine.
My cleansed sinew. My renewed spirit.
What glory then for the medal I no longer need to win.
Just a thought 60
Painting Archers by Nicholas Roerich (1874-1947) courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. This photographic reproduction is considered to be in the public domain in the United States.
Sharon Bonin-Pratt's Ink Flare 
Comments on: "An Arrow Shot Blind" (38)
“Shadow hiding the mark.” Interesting idea Sharon. How often does my fear shadow conceal the target? I’m so anxious about missing the target that I can’t see what I’m aiming for.
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You grasped perfectly what I was trying to convey in the poem. Thanks for your comment, Denzil.
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It reminds me of Psalm 37 “Do not fret — it only causes harm.”
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Your interpretation is interesting but it was not my intent. Translation of Psalm 37 from Hebrew is: Do not be vexed by evil men. The poem isn’t about evil in any form but about missing that which is good because of our own self doubts getting in the way of seeing others for their better selves – and missing our own better selves in the process.
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Lol. yes the first time fretting is mentioned in that psalm it is about evil men– I wasn’t thinking that about your poem. I was thinking about later in the psalm when it simply says fretting only brings harm — in a general sense. Like how we let our fears get in the way of seeing and enjoying many things.
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OK, your take makes sense to me now.
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But did it hit your target or not? Hmm???
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I had to realign my position – as I often do.
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Sharon, deep and poignant you write about our difficulty seeing clear in times
of fear or stress. I do love this :
” It will be in your reflection I will know if I’ve triumphed. Your smile, your glow, your pulse. Your gifting hands, your willowed spine. ”
Thank you
miriam
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I’m honored to know this one touched you, Miriam.
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Relating to this feeling, Sharon, including all the interesting comments. The last line is most powerful, though. So true!
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Thanks, Betty. I’m glad you understood the intent of this one. It generated more unusual comments than I usually get.
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It perhaps generated more unusual comments because we were all hit by YOUR arrow in different “spots”
xxxxx j
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I noticed this also, Judy. I think everyone found the poem spoke to them in a way that reflected their own circumstances. A good thing!
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I love the idea of a shot in the dark using a bow and arrow, rather than a gun. I dabbled in archery in college and found I had an aptitude and skill for it. One cannot aim for the far away target directly, but up and away to account for the flight of the arrow as gravity takes over. Just my thought of your thought…permission to regroup!
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I’m smiling at your college story. I was always a bona fide lousy athlete, though I loved dance and was an excellent ballerina as a kid. I hated and still hate the phoniness of competition and I dreaded trying to learn skills other kids already excelled at. But the one high school sport I was very good at was archery. I figured out early how to aim the arrow so it arched (see how the name of the sport is reflected in its action!) and nearly always made a bull’s eye.
Thanks for your enriching addition to the poem, Terri. It’s always a bonus to see what readers get out of what I write.
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often I find that I’m fortunate for some of my wishes having gone unfulfilled…
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Great comment – I think that’s true for all of us.
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Sharon I could be completely off the mark, but this makes me think of the years I wasted not sending out queries for my novels because of fear of failing. And honestly, this may sound odd to you, but sometimes for fear of succeeding and the compromises that will come with it.
Fear can so cripple us.
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Andrew, I believe you’re right about fear of possible failure crippling us before we really try, or even of potential success that may force us into a direction we can’t completely imagine. Although this particular poem was inspired by a relationship, it could certainly apply to any new undertaking that scares us. I’m also writing a query and researching agents who I think (hope) will be interested in contacting me.
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Best of luck, I am waiting for the new year to start that fight again,
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I wish you good luck as well.
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Thanks
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It is only when you accept who you are, that you can be who you want to be.
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That’s a perfect comment – thank you.
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“it’s my shadow hiding the mark”- lovely! Really thought provoking piece!
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Thank you for reading this.
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“All I’m doing is shooting an arrow to the place hidden from my sight”
I especially like that (and of course the last line as well) 🙂 Cheers!
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Thank you.
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There are so many wonderful lines in this poem Sharon. Your own shadow hiding what there is to see – how often this is true. But being able to change where your shadow falls is perfect. It is up to us to let go of all our preconceived self-talk and see without that shadow and that final line – you don’t need to take aim and fire because you can see you have already made your mark. This puts me in mind of a fuller, thought provoking cupid story. Loved it.
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You made my day, Irene. You got so much out of what I wrote – lots of people only grasp the surface for which I’m grateful – at least they read the poem. But you thought about it – thank you.
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I enjoy your thoughts Sharon.
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I’m glad to know this, Irene. Thank you.
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This poem has provoked quite a lot of different takes, Shari which in my mind always makes it one of the best. I was especially touched by that last line in this one – I’ve always been quite ambitious, often not for my own good, I fear, but every once in a while I was rewarded not by the medal or good mark or whatever it was that I was aiming for, but by the experience that led to it.
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What a wonderful comment, Sarah. I agree that many reactions expressed about one short article might indicate value in the original. Poetry (though I don’t consider An Arrow Shot Blind a poem, several readers do) intentionally leaves much space to intuit meaning. It’s also my intent with anything in my Just a Thought series for readers to input their interpretation, and their comments are rewarding.
Fear is the shadow that causes us to lose sight of our goal. I’ve always believed that the journey is everything, and being open to possibility makes the journey even grander. It doesn’t really matter where we get to as long as we keep traveling.
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Perfectly put, Shari – to keep traveling is all that matters. 🙂 Happy New Year, my friend! ❤
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Hmmm…like you, archery was one of the few sports I was good at. (I just never really cared that much what happened to the ball. Any ball.)
Although I would respectfully disagree that it does matter where we’re going, as long as we’re flexible about the idea of destination.
If fear is hiding the target, then for me this piece is about courage, maybe even just the simple courage that I sometimes lack to reach out to others. Working through fear is an incredible release, and it fits well with the idea of a renewed spirit.
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Cathleen, you’ve made a wonderful contribution to the conversation about this poem. I taught art to kids for many years and when working with children, it’s the journey that really counts. I understand your POV however.
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