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Children, children: A Ritual to Read to Each Other

Posted November 22nd, 2008 by jon wolston

 Searching for words. Then my buddy David put this poem by William Stafford in front of me:

 

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 dyke.

 

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—

less 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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Both Poem's

Posted November 23rd, 2008 by nightstar

In reading both the poem's you posted

I was set back , I brought into prospective one own life.

Thank you

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Poetry lovers

Posted November 24th, 2008 by jon wolston in response to Both Poem's

 You're welcome.

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William Stafford

Posted November 27th, 2008 by Carrie Andrews

 I love this poem and I love (d) William Stafford. His poems--some of the lines-- just go to the core of one's soul. The line "the darkness around us is deep" is one of those lines that rolls around in my head from time to time. I had the opportunity to meet him several times as my former husband edited the anthology: On William Stafford: The Worth of Local Things (University of Michigan). I miss him being in the world but he's still there, ya know?

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Your favorite Stafford poem

Posted November 30th, 2008 by jon wolston in response to William Stafford

Carrie, do you have a favorite Stafford poem? 

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Here Goes:

Posted December 2nd, 2008 by Carrie Andrews in response to Your favorite Stafford poem

I got your request and went running upstairs to look for William Stafford books. I found, "The Darkness Around Us Is Deep," I flipped through quickly but didn't land on one I wanted to post. I thought I had "A Glass Face In The Rain" and others but the first search did not yield. The Internet! I found a site with W.S. poems and quickly found this old favorite. Whew.

Ask Me

Some time when the river is ice ask me
mistakes I have made. Ask me whether
what I have done is my life. Others
have come in their slow way into
my thought, and some have tried to help
or to hurt: ask me what difference
their strongest love or hate has made.

I will listen to what you say.
You and I can turn and look
at the silent river and wait. We know
the current is there, hidden; and there
are comings and goings from miles away
that hold the stillness exactly before us.
What the river says, that is what I say.

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Lovely

Posted December 3rd, 2008 by jon wolston in response to Here Goes:

 What a lovely poem. In a strange way Stafford helps me understand my own writing. 

He is "well-lit." 

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"Well-lit"

Posted December 7th, 2008 by Carrie Andrews in response to Lovely

Love the double-meaning. Have you posted your own work somewhere? Willing to share?

Wondered if you know another poet (friend to Stafford) Naomi Shihab Nye? She has a poem entitled "Kindness" that I love and use to carry around with me for a number of years.

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Glad to share

Posted December 7th, 2008 by jon wolston in response to "Well-lit"

 Haven't heard of Nye, but I will look her up. Glad to share my work--you can google jon wolston's poetry or else go to the gaia website directly.

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Thanks for sharing

Posted December 13th, 2008 by Carrie Andrews in response to Glad to share

Hi Jon,

Went to the gaia site and enjoyed some of your haiku especially: I Started Counting the Trinity, Newport inOctober, Tea Ceremony (love the steeped leaves), Breaking Through, Skim Reading (the diaspora of pollen), and Windless. Fun to see the reference for Mick Jagger the IMAX presentation (I had to go twice to that. Then I had to strut like Jagger until I pulled a muscle.)

So Thanks!

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Kindness

Posted December 26th, 2008 by jon wolston in response to Thanks for sharing

Hi Carrie,

Merry Christmas and thanks for your feedback on the haiku. I looked up Nye and found "Kindness." What a beautiful poem. I'm liking all the Christian stuff on Integral Life.

Government Warning

Strutting like Jagger/ until I pulled a muscle: / IMAX addiction.

Jon

 

 

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Happy Holidays

Posted December 29th, 2008 by Carrie Andrews in response to Kindness

Hi Jon,

Glad you liked the Nye poem. Wish we had a place on this site just for posting poems. Maybe I'll suggest that to the Integral Life facilitators.

Although I grew up catholic I have resonated more with eastern philosophies for many years so I haven't yet looked at "all the Christian stuff," but in the spirit of Integral inquiry, and based on your recommendation, I'll take a look.

I'm doing less strutting since the injury. Mick should put out an exercise video to promote strength and flexibility for aging rock fans.

Carrie

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Strutting Christian stuff

Posted December 29th, 2008 by jon wolston in response to Happy Holidays

 Hi Carrie,

I'm asking myself where would be a good place for you to start on the Christian stuff--there are so many items on the Integral Life menu.

Since you have a nursing background, you might enjoy Ken's fourth interview segment with Rupert Sheldrake. He's very well spoken and I like his British accent. He jumps right into the trinity, and with his biologist's training, makes it come alive. The tape is called "Integral Evolutionary Biology: Christianity, the Holy Trinity, and Kosmic Creativity." I liked Ken's phrase, "When you play the trinity. . ."

What a mouthful. Mouthfuls are part of integral life I guess. One of my patients said Ken needed a good editor. The man is so prolific. He must be a reincarnated German philosopher. Only German could come up with "gezundheitspaziergang"  as a word for walk.

Your poetry site idea sounds interesting. One problem I developed when I posted poems after the 2004 Integral Psychotherapy course was that they tended to become "insider" poems. Example: How do you play badminton in deep sleep? Neti neti.

Alas, the integral audience is not very wide. All the more reason it's great to hear from you.

Jon