Tag: Poetry
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lessons from a cormorant
Lessons from a CormorantI’ve been taking lessonsfrom a cormorantat the creek near my house.Driven by her hunger,she dives deep, deep,below the surface.Today I saw her standingfor a long, long time,wings outstretched,and I wondered why she would dothis vulnerable thing.She seemed to be drying her wings,but that seemed absurd to me—a waterfowl whose wingsget waterlogged?I learned…
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contemplative book recommendations
Over and over, people I meet with in spiritual direction have said how much they love the readings I share in our sessions. The words of these gifted writers and prophets help us begin with a centering moment as we transition to a more contemplative space. They give me words of blessing to speak over…
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How to Prepare for the End of the World
How to Prepare for the End of the WorldListen.Come close.This is what we must do:Listen to the wind in the leaves,swaying Here and Thereas the trunk remains rooted.Come close enough to identify the spotted orbweaver.Observe her working steadilyat her silent task,which you may only see this time of year.Watch her drop down a barely visible…
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Ash Wednesday Valentine
Some days Some days Some days… I go for a walk Just to listen for the poetry that surrounds me. If I listen closely, I hear the poetry that you’re speaking. I talked to a stranger as we beheld together a perfect cloudless blue sky— even saw two butterflies, though it’s winter. Tell that to…
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fear is (not) a liar
Fear is (not) a liarBy Lindsay L. O’ConnorI used to try to divorce myself from inconvenient feelingsthat seemed to:- stand in the way of my goals- threaten my connection with people I loved or depended on- make me uncomfortable.Those poor dears!They cowered in the dark, shoved down, covered up,sealed tight by shame, guilt, and anxiety.Do…
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feast: a promise full, filled.
feast: a promise full, filledby Lindsay L. O’ConnorYou put this hunger in my belly,then promised me a feast.Sometimes the hunger gnawsas though it might consume meand I wonder if I will ever be satisfied.Then, I have these moments when time slows downand suddenly I see the banquet table set before me.I hear You say,“Take. Eat.…
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rooted
RootedLife is change and all change is loss.Even gain is loss of the empty spacethat the new thing now occupies.The emptiness may have been unpleasant, but it was also familiar,and for many of us, familiarity breeds securitydue to a sense of predictabilityand control.Loss—and therefore, change—breaks us wide openas we’re confronted with the realitythat we are…
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noted.
Noted The sounds of the chickens next door remind me of a morning I woke up in Africa. There are chickens all over the world, of course, but the gentle clucks of the ones in Ilmamen, Kenya all those years ago are the ones I listened and paid attention to, soaking in every sensory detail…
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free play
Free PlayWhat would you do if you weren’t afraid? Those dear protectorsonly want to keep us safebut sometimes, they hem us in, behind and before, so our little world shrinkssmaller and smallerand we can’t see a way out anymore. Many times, what they want most in the world is to be heard, seen, acknowledged, validated.…