Wild Words: Ferociously Nourishing Poetry

A Prayer for Every Day

12/31/2023

"la corteza invernal, en quietud, canta desde dentro"
winter bark, in stillness, sings from within
Art by Troy Farrell, [email protected]

Let me breathe only grace today, only
that which slows, steadies,
softens, sparks

only that which permits
and pardons and points
to the blossoms inside the broken,
the poetry inside the pain, the nourishing
newness inside the now

Let me breathe only grace
today, only that which invites
me to speak my very own
language for as long as I have breath,
only that which hums:

You can.
You will.

Let me breathe only grace today, only that which notices the tired
and says, lie back, Love—rest
for as long as you need to. It’s not
about how much you do
but how full you are.

And, my God, how beautiful you are when you are full.

- Julia Fehrenbacher

Hold Out Your Hand

12/24/2023

"el sol y la selva siempre estan contando sus historias"
the sun and the jungle are always telling their stories
Art by Troy Farrell, [email protected]

Let’s forget the world for a while
fall back and back
into the hush and holy
of now

are you listening? This breath
invites you
to write the first word
of your new story

your new story begins with this:
You matter

you are needed—empty
and naked
willing to say yes
and yes and yes

Do you see
the sun shines, day after day
whether you have faith
or not
the sparrows continue
to sing their song
even when you forget to sing
yours

stop asking: Am I good enough?
Ask only
Am I showing up
with love?

Life is not a straight line
it’s a downpour of gifts, please--
hold out your hand

- Julia Fehrenbacher

Instructions for the Journey, for Solstice

12/17/2023

"los ecos, en cualquier dirección, todavía ocurren en el presente"
echos, in either direction, still occur in the present
Art by Troy Farrell, [email protected]

The self you leave behind
is only a skin you have outgrown.
Don't grieve for it.
Look to the wet, raw, unfinished
self, the one you are becoming.
The world, too, sheds its skin:
politicians, cataclysms, ordinary days.
It's easy to lose this tenderly
unfolding moment. Look for it
as if it were the first green blade
after a long winter. Listen for it
as if it were the first clear tone
in a place where dawn is heralded by bells.

And if all that fails,

wash your own dishes.
Rinse them.
Stand in your kitchen at your sink.
Let cold water run between your fingers.
Feel it.

- Pat Schneider

The Patience of Ordinary Things

12/10/2023

"la reflexion como consulta y seguridad"
reflection as consult and assurance
Art by Troy Farrell, [email protected]

It is a kind of love, is it not?
How the cup holds the tea,
How the chair stands sturdy and foursquare,
How the floor receives the bottoms of shoes
Or toes. How soles of feet know
Where they’re supposed to be.
I’ve been thinking about the patience
Of ordinary things, how clothes
Wait respectfully in closets
And soap dries quietly in the dish,
And towels drink the wet
From the skin of the back.
And the lovely repetition of stairs.
And what is more generous than a window?

- Pat Schneider

Vodadahue Mountain

12/3/2023

photo by Sneha Cecil

When I feel tall I tell myself
that when the time comes I will know
as the elephant knows as the puma knows
and I will go
to Vodadahue Mountain
by the deep green inlet
by the deep green gorge
and in steady pain I will climb the basalt tower
and on the last ice step before the summit
unmarked by everything but air
I will be still for a long moment
and then let the white mouth of the snowcloud eat me
and there will be only this silence
and the trees at the foot will begin to feed
and I will have paid back all that I have owed
and there will be only this silence.

- Paul Kingsnorth

A Prayer for Every Day

Hold Out Your Hand

Instructions for the Journey, for Solstice

The Patience of Ordinary Things

Vodadahue Mountain

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Categories

A Prayer for Every Day

Hold Out Your Hand

Instructions for the Journey, for Solstice

The Patience of Ordinary Things

Vodadahue Mountain

Archives

Categories

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