These are not my words. But since I've read them they haven't left my head.
The Peace of Wild Things
When despair grows in me
and I wake in the middle of the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children's lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water,
and the great heron feeds. I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind starts
waiting with their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.
Wendell Berry, Collected Poems
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4 comments:
dammit, i hate poetry, but i hate it even more when it pokes its stupid nose into my business and i end up liking it.
Well, Hawk.....I've never been a poetry fan myself, but some of the poems written in the 1800's & early 1900's are VERY interesting to read......back in days when folks wrote "novelettes" to family members & childhood friends who lived far away.
Back in days when divorce (or something such as mental breakdown) was a MASSIVE social disgrace, & people were often living in rather isolated rural areas.....
Many of the poems had strong references to God, or "Providence"....
People seemed to have more "color" back then..... the isolation, & frequent cousin to cousin marriages, perhaps?
Stephen----as per "thoughts on prayer".... If you are in a town that has a college library, go read up on the Pre-Reformation Catholic Monks & Nuns.
They "wrote the book" on the Fine Art of Prayer & Communion with the Holy Spirit.......with many of them, it's very easy to understand why they never married & had families, there simply was no room in their lives......
Sue-I appreciate you comments. I've become fairly familiar with Post-Reformation and some Ancient monks, but I'm always looking for new people to read. Do you have any specific authors in mind?
Are you familiar with The New Monasticism? It's a contemporary movement that is calling people into a renewed view of the monastic movement. thesimpleway.org is a good example. I'd be interested in your thoughts.
blessings
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