Mary Oliver asks: in our quest for satisfaction, what is it that we have turned away from?
Category: Poetry
Farming in a Lilac Shirt
Poet, teacher and farmer Leo Dangel's poem about which parts of ourselves we choose to keep hidden out of fear of others' reactions.
Anthony Russell White – The Faith of Leaping
White's poem encourages us to embrace a larger trust in life; to risk uncertainty for the precious reward of life fully lived.
Jane Hirshfield – Tree
In this poem, Hirshfield asks us: Whose voices, which urgings from within and without, will we follow onto a life’s path?
Li-Young Lee – From Blossoms
Beyond the nationality and identity markers that divide us, Li-Young Lee's poem connects us with what occurs when our sense of being separate, solitary 'selves' drops.
Ellen Bass – If You Knew
What if you knew you'd be the last to touch someone? Ellen Bass draws us in to the brief moments of contact that fill our day and urges us to consider the fleeting nature of every life we meet.
Rainer Maria Rilke – A Walk
In this short and inspiring poem, Rilke asks what beckons us towards ideal states and what value does the search provide?
Danusha Laméris – Stone
Danusha Lameris' poem Stone invokes the turning towards a way of being, a focused, cherishing attending.
Ashley Capps – Kindly
Love of life is the animating force behind all living things; each moment we decide to give or withhold love is an emergency for someone.
David Whyte – The Opening of Eyes
Whyte's poem of clear seeing: the experience of holiness is the very ground that is under our feet.