growth as expansion... future fridays

I loved stumbling across this poetic reminder along with this author's interpretation. It has been a while since I last heard this poem, and I was glad to hear it again, rather than being annoyed by its overuse. 

And thank you to whoever came up with the concept of April as poetry month!

Ich lebe mein Leben

 Ich lebe mein Leben in wachsenden Ringen,

die sich über die Dinge ziehn.

Ich werde den letzten vielleicht nicht vollbringen,

versuchen will ich ihn.


Ich kreise um Gott,

um den uralten Turm,

und ich kreise jahrtausende lang;

und ich weiss noch nicht:

bin ich ein Falke, ein Sturm

oder ein grosser Gesang.

Rainer Maria Rilke

The first time I read this poem, I was in my 40s, trying to find the courage to write fiction, an undertaking that seemed beyond me. I’d been writing non-fiction for over a decade, but I longed write a novel. I still remember the rush of possibility I felt when I read these words.

By now, I’ve read this poem so many times it’s indelible. I wear it around my neck like a medicine pouch and repeat it when I fall into self-doubt, or fear, or tired, tiny thinking. The words are antidotes to smallness, calling me into widening circles and rescuing me from the cramped places I put myself for safekeeping.

April is National Poetry Month. Find a medicinal poem. Say it until you are a falcon, a storm, or a great song.

#NationalPoetryMonth

#poetrytherapy

via {sue monk kidd}