Be cheerful, sir: Our revels now are ended. These our actors, As I foretold you, were all spirits and Are melted into air, into thin air: And, like the baseless fabric of this vision, The cloud-capp'd towers, the gorgeous palaces, The solemn temples, the great globe itself, Ye all which it inherit, shall dissolve And, like this insubstantial pageant faded, Leave not a rack behind. We are …
Poetry
That Does Not Disturb
How to Be a Poet (to remind myself) i Make a place to sit down. Sit down. Be quiet. You must depend upon affection, reading, knowledge, skill—more of each than you have—inspiration, work, growing older, patience, for patience joins time to eternity. Any readers who like your poems, doubt their judgment. ii Breathe with unconditional breath the unconditioned air. Shun …
Divine Union
Inspired words from the Sufi sage: In God's presence, there is no room for two egos. You say "ego," and he says "ego"? Either you die in his presence, or he will in your presence, so that no duality may remain. Yet it is impossible that he should die either in the universe or in the mind, for "He is the living, who does not die." ( Qur'an 25:58 ). He has grace in such measure that, were it …
Thy Radiant Identity
Renascence All I could see from where I stood Was three long mountains and a wood; I turned and looked another way, And saw three islands in a bay. So with my eyes I traced the line Of the horizon, thin and fine, Straight around till I was come Back to where I'd started from; And all I saw from where I stood Was three long mountains and a wood. Over these things I could not …
I Am
It's that time of year, here in Colorado, when the Palisade peaches are ripe. They are unspeakably delicious: a sumptuous explosion of juice and tangy sweetness, on the tongue. One of God's very best creations, I would say. What I can't quite say is why they reminded me of this poem (or vice versa) today ... I am, you anxious one. Don’t you sense me, ready to break into being at your …
Finite Infinity
From Emily Dickinson, some lines exploring different kinds of solitude ... There is a solitude of space A solitude of sea A solitude of death, but these Society shall be Compared with that profounder site That polar privacy A soul admitted to itself— Finite infinity. ~ Emily Dickinson * …