Last night I posted a poem on my face book page which I think I will repost here for those who don't do face book (I know there is at least one of you out there!)
But here is the poem that found me tonight.
Stand still. The trees ahead and bushes beside you
Are not lost. Wherever you are is called Here,
And you must treat it as a powerful stranger,
Must ask permission to know it and be known.
The forest breathes. Listen. It answers,
I have made this place around you.
If you leave it, you may come back again, saying Here.
No two trees are the same to Raven.
No two branches are the same to Wren.
If what a tree or a bush does is lost on you,
You are surely lost. Stand Still. The forest knows
Where you are. You must let it find you.
—“Lost” by David Wagoner
And here is the poem that found me last night:
Last night as I was sleeping,
I dreamt—marvelous error!—
that I had a beehive
here inside my heart.
And the golden bees
were making white combs
and sweet honey
from my old failures.
-Antonio Machado
I dreamt—marvelous error!—
that I had a beehive
here inside my heart.
And the golden bees
were making white combs
and sweet honey
from my old failures.
-Antonio Machado
Have any poems found you lately?
Awaken to the mystery of being here and enter the quiet immensity of your own presence.
ReplyDeleteHave joy and peace in the temple of your senses.
Receive encouragement when new frontiers beckon.
Respond to the call of your gift and the courage to follow its path.
Let the flame of anger free you of all falsity.
May warmth of heart keep your presence aflame.
May anxiety never linger about you.
May your outer dignity mirror an inner dignity of soul.
Take time to celebrate the quiet miracles that seek no attention.
Be consoled in the secret symmetry of your soul, and may you experience each day as a sacred gift woven around the heart of wonder.
John O' Donoghue
wow. thanks for the intro to David wagoner. I looked him up, never heard of him before. he has also written 10 novels and won many prizes. the poem is so lovely. it actually reminds me of David Whyte's poems. Do you know him?
ReplyDeleteAs I said on FB love the second poem too which is much longer. with other lovely stanzas.
and love John O'Donoghue too.
Thanks anon for this lovely poem. Just last evening someone talked of visiting John O'Donoghue country. So very synchronistic.
ReplyDeleteSuki - yes, there are other lovely stanzas to this Antonio Machado poem, definitely worth googling!
Beautiful poems... They speak to my Heart... Glad you let them find you and posted them here! :) Otherwise they would have been lost to me and never found :)
ReplyDeleteI love your delightful photo too!
Here's a little piece of a poem on my frige (not the whole thing.)
May I have the courage today
to live the life that I love,
to do at last what I came here for
and waste my heart on fear no more...
John O'Donohue, from: A Morning Offering
Christine- that is a wonderful sentiment to read everyday and let it sink into your soul. I think it must be time for me to revisit John O'Donohue.
ReplyDeleteSuki- David Whyte was also mentioned last night. I don't have any of his books but I always love his work when I read it. It seems I remember someone saying he lives on one of the American islands close by.
oh my goodness! they are wonderful!! thank you, carole! the forest surely does know where we are and so gently (but firmly) lets us know...
ReplyDeleteon another subject entirely, i have just started responding to comments on my blog at g-mail instead of in outlook express. at g-mail i saw that your e-mail address is (something like) 'noresponse@blah blah...' does this mean that you don't get my replies to your treasured comments? just wondering...
xoxo
hello lynne
ReplyDeleteno I don't get your comments, which is entirely sad! I am always baffled by the ways of cyberspace. Where did you pick my email up from. I should check my profile on blogger as I always think folks can find me there if they want to.
glad you enjoyed the poems.
I love the poems, especially the first one- it speaks to my heart. it's all about perspective, isn't it? Many non-human beings are wiser than we in some ways. Thank you for this.
ReplyDeleteThese are both so beautiful. The first one in particular reminds me of a poem that "found me" recently... one that I also posted to my facebook page - by Margaret Atwood (excerpt):
ReplyDelete"Those who went ahead
of us in the forest
Bent the early trees so that they grew to signals:
the trail was not among the trees but
the trees
and there are some who have dreams
of birds flying in shapes
of letters; the sky's
codes;
and dream also
the significance of numbers."
Sharmon - it is true about the wisdom of non humans! we do so much talking and thinking, I think it gets in the way of our wisdom.
ReplyDeleteSpirit - ah Margaret Atwood, an old time favourite of mine who I haven't visited in a long, long time. Thanks for this! It's so beautiful and with her typical quirkiness that I love.
I love that Machado poem.
ReplyDeleteYou inspired me to get my Jane Kenyon poet book out this morning.