Poems and Other Writings

This page is dedicated to "singing" the landscapes of our inner ecology and earth to life. Each month, together we'll explore a new poem or piece of writing. We'll see how language that focuses on the particulars of the outer wilderness, can return us to the truth of our inner wilderness.

Please feel free to ponder the questions elicited by the poem below. Memorize a stanza or two. Write a poem of your own. And, if you like, please email me with your own observations, poetry, and thoughts. I'd love to hear from you.

March 2009

A Ritual to Read to Each Other

If you don't know the kind of person I am
and I don't know the kind of person you are
a pattern that others made may prevail in the world
and following the wrong god home we may miss our star.

For there is many a small betrayal in the mind,
a shrug that lets the fragile sequence break
sending with shouts the horrible errors of childhood
storming out to play through the broken dike.

And as elephants parade holding each elephant's tail,
but if one wanders the circus won't find the park,
I call it cruel and maybe the root of all cruelty
to know what occurs but not recognize the fact.

And so I appeal to a voice, to something shadowy,
a remote important region in all who talk:
though we could fool each other, we should consider --
lest the parade of our mutual life get lost in the dark.

For it is important that awake people be awake,
or a breaking line may discourage them back to sleep;
the signals we give -- yes or no, or maybe --
should be clear:  the darkness around us is deep.

© William Stafford

• Are we following the wrong god home? If we continue to follow the wrong god, where will it lead us? Spend a few moments exploring your answer by journaling or poem-writing.
• What is that we know is occurring but still not recognizing? Write a list of one hundred things you know are going on but that aren't really recognized as significant truths. For example, my list might include: glacial melt, child slavery, stolen water ... Now make your own.
• If awake people remain awake what would be possible? Create a collage of images and words that reveal a world in which we are awakened human beings. Allow your creative vision to inform you about the manner in which you're called to awaken.
  
  

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