“news from a country we have
never yet visited”
C.S. Lewis


From a Country Not Yet Visited

From a country not yet visited,
we received news,

received the echo of a rare nightingale
yet to be heard,
received the glimpse of an unusual orchid
yet to be admired,
received the whiff of a mysterious perfume
yet to be inhaled,
received the taste of a delicious flavor
yet to be savored,
received the touch of a cool breeze
yet to be refreshed by.

“From a country
we’ve not yet visited,
we received news.
Our longings rose up
and so we stopped
our searching in
books, videos, ipods, and
Reality TV,
stopped what we were
busy doing,

and set off to
travel there.


© Sherman Poultney 17 April 2007



Note: Derived from a sermon by C.S. Lewis as described by P. Steinfels in New York Times religion article December 3, 2005