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Poetry arrived in search of me

Poetry And it was at that age… Poetry arrived in search of me. I don’t know, I don’t know where it came from, from winter or a river. I don’t know how or when, no, they were not voices, they were not words, nor silence, but from a street I was summoned, from the branches of night, abruptly from the others, among violent fires or returning alone, there I was without a face and it touched me. I did not know what to say, my mouth had no way with names my eyes were blind, and something started in my

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September 25, 2007

Invitation to Poetry: Requiem for a Sunflower

Welcome to our fourth Poetry Party.  These are posted every other Monday.  I select an image and a title and invite you to respond with your poems and other words inspired by the image below.  Leave them in the comments and I’ll add them to the body of the post as they come in along with a link back to your blog if you have one (not required to participate!)  I’ll add your contributions all week and then on Friday I’ll do something a little bit different for everyone who writes their own poem. I’ll make a laminated prayer card for each

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September 24, 2007

Equinox Blessings

Tess’ Sunday Collection is all about autumn, so head on over to read a number of wonderful links! Bette has blessed me this day with the kindest and most gracious words.  Bette has been reading my blog since almost the beginning and has become a wonderful online friend who has inspired me in many ways, not the least of which was getting me to begin carving my own rubber stamp images! I posted some reflections on autumn last week and several of you added your own suggestions and resources.  Last year’s autumnal equinox I posted one of my favorite fall

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September 23, 2007

Sowing Our Inward Seeds of Fire

Sunflower What sower walked over the earth, which hands sowed our inward seeds of fire? they went out from his fists like rainbow curves to frozen earth, young loam, hot sand, they will sleep there greedily, and drink up our lives and explode it into pieces for the sake of a sunflower that you haven’t seen or a thistle head or a chrysanthemum. Let the young rain of tears come. Let the calm hands of grief come. It’s not all as evil as you think. -Rolf Jacobsen, translated by Robert Bly, from Rag and Bone Shop of the Heart  

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September 22, 2007

the way is made by walking

Wanderer, your footsteps are the road, and nothing more; wanderer, there is no road, the way is made by walking. By walking one makes the road, and upon glancing behind one sees the path that never will be trod again. Wanderer, there is no road– Only wakes upon the sea. Caminante, son tus huellas el camino, y nada más; caminante, no hay camino, se hace camino al andar. Al andar se hace camino, y al volver la vista atrás se ve la senda que nunca se ha de volver a pisar. Caminante, no hay camino, sino estelas en la mar. -Antonio

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September 21, 2007

Slowing-Down Space

It is the end of one of those very long days and my body is tired, my spirit weary. I walk into the kitchen to fill up two large pots with water and put them on the stove to heat. Then I head into the bathroom and begin to fill the tub. We live in a condo with space only for a small water heater, not quite enough to fill the tub, so this routine has become part of my nightly ritual. “I can’t believe you live in the heart of Seattle and you have to heat water on the

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September 18, 2007

Forget Everything

I found this poem the other day at Northwoods Contemplative and it speaks to me in the most amazing and direct way.   I am in a period of intense wrestling with my relationship to institutional religion, while my faith in God and experience of sacred presence has never been stronger.  Forget Everything If someone says, “To be enlightened you must fast and pray all night,” Have dinner and go to bed. If you see a sign, “This way to salvation,” run the other way. If someone says, “This book is the truth, you can buy it from me,” Take your money and buy grapes and

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September 17, 2007

Preparing for Autumn

The equinox is in a week, one of the two dates when the sun hovers above the equator and day and night are equal. In the solar calendar it is also the beginning of autumn.  Here in Seattle we are starting to get hints of autumn’s arrival — cooler days that are getting noticeably shorter from their wide expanse of summer, plants and leaves just beginning their process of decay and letting go in preparation for winter.  If I walk slowly and look closely I see the signs all around me. Autumn is a season of change, reminding us that

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September 16, 2007

Always Act Great

Act Great What is the key To untie the knot of your mind’s suffering? What Is the esoteric secret To slay the crazed one whom each of us Did wed And who can ruin Our heart’s and eye’s exquisite tender Landscape? Hafiz has found Two emerald words that Restored Me That I now cling to as I would sacred Tresses of my Beloved’s Hair: Act great. My dear, always act great. What is the key To untie the knot of the mind’s suffering? Benevolent thought, sound And movement. -Hafiz ***Please scroll down to the next post and participate in my

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September 11, 2007

Invitation to Poetry: Rumpled Sheets

Welcome to another poetry party and you are invited to participate.  This is my third installment, you can click to see the first and second ones.   I shared the other day about the freedom a messy spirituality is inviting me to and my dream of rumpled sheets.  Then over the weekend there was this brilliant moment when the sun was illuminating my sheets and I captured it in the photo below. What does the image evoke for you?  What words are stirred?  I invite you to share your poems (maybe you even want to try a Pantoum?), thoughts, quotes, or song lyrics in

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September 9, 2007