Poetry
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An everyday love poem
Then all the moments of the past began to line up behind that moment.” — Billy Collins Billy Collins sees art in the ordinary acts of daily life. In “This Much I Do Remember,” Collins recalls a tender moment that most couples can relate to: the leisurely hour at the dinner table after a good meal has been shared. In this poem, Collins is writing about his wife. I fight tears every time I read this piece. It gently underscores the familiar comfort of a long marriage, reminding me of my own. As Collins wisely points out, the simple, everyday moments we share are the foundation of true love. —…
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Unexpected joy
“Joy is not made to be a crumb.” ~Mary Oliver Joy is a feel-good hormone. It inspires you to be more generous, more loving. But its unbridled positivity runs on short supply if you’re always mired in the habit of negative thinking. Worst of all, dark energy is both pervasive and contagious. Mary Oliver’s poetry always resonates. And when a dear friend shared “Don’t Hesitate” with me, the word “joy” jumped off the screen. It was exactly what I needed to read, and I hope it speaks to you, too. ~CL Don’t Hesitate If you suddenly and unexpectedly feel joy, don’t hesitate. Give in to it. There are plenty of…
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“Sweet Darkness”
“You must learn one thing. The world was made to be free in.” — David Whyte Many of you told me how much you enjoyed the post featuring Mary Oliver’s “Invitation” this week — so I’ll continue our celebration of National Poetry Month with an old favorite. Sometimes the right poem can work its magic immediately. And sometimes it depends on what you’re going through at the time you read it. David Whyte’s “Sweet Darkness” is one such poem for me. Revisiting it today, I am struck this time by the sheer power of its last three lines. This heart-stopping poem reminds us that loneliness could be an invitation to…
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An invitation
“A poem begins in delight and ends in wisdom.” ~Robert Frost April is National Poetry Month — and I can’t let another day pass without celebrating it. While I’ve featured some of my favorite poetry here in the past, today I wanted to share a poem that’s new to me. Sometimes, when I need inspiration, I’ll pull a poetry collection from the shelf and open it randomly to a page. Then I read the poem two or three times to fully experience it. Today, I turned to Mary Oliver’s 456-page Devotions anthology, letting the book fall open where it would. Here’s the beautiful poem I found … Invitation By Mary…
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Following your inner compass: “The Journey”
“And there was a new voice which you slowly recognized as your own.” — Mary Oliver The greatest gift of maturing is finding your own power and discovering who you are meant to be — not what others think you should be or want you to be. But the road to authenticity isn’t without obstacles. Mary Oliver’s “The Journey” gives us a new map. It’s one of my all-time favorite poems and has become a personal anthem. A great poem reminds us that the personal is universal, and this one brings shivers of recognition each time I read it aloud in my writing workshops. –CL THE JOURNEYBy Mary Oliver One…
