Poetry can touch our souls in deep and profound ways. Over the next weeks I will, on occasion, invite you into the world of poetry. If you haven’t had a chance to dive into a poem, it can feel a bit overwhelming, so give yourself lots of grace. At one time poetry was very intimidating for me, but I learned to go slow, and pay attention to what the words brought up in my body. Did I feel sad? Happy? Or did my belly feel weird? Then, I learned to read the poem, out loud, three times. Yes, out loud and read it three times. At that point in begins to sink into your being. And, if it doesn’t, move on. So, give it a go. This piece from Wendell Berry was written in 1985. To me, it spoke to our experiences these days.
Awaked from the persistent dream
Of human chaos come again,
I walk in the lamed woods, the light
Brought down by felling of great trees,
And in the rising thicket where
The shadow of old grace returns,
Leaf shadows tremble on light leaves,
A lighter foliage of song
Among then, the wind's thousand tongues,
And songs of birds. Beams reaching down
Into the shadow swirl and swarm
With gleaming traffic of the air,
Bright grains of generative dust
And winged intelligences. Among
High maple leaves a spider's wheel
Shines, work of finest making made
Touchingly in the dark.
The dark
Again has prayed the light to come
Down into it, to animate
And move it in its heaviness.
So what was still and dark wakes up,
Becomes intelligent, moves, names
Itself by hunger and by kind,
Walks swing, flies, creeds, calls, speaks or sings.
We all are praising, praying to
The light we are, but cannot know.
~ Wendell Berry, This Day Collected & New Sabbath Poems
In the midst of this darkness, may light come to animate and move your own heaviness. Peace to you all my friends. May you know the light within.
Talk to you soon, Andrea
Andrea Tatley 