Poetic Thursday
e.e. cummings, 95 poems, 77
i am a little church(no great cathedral)
far from the splendor and squalor of hurrying cities
--i do not worry if briefer days grow briefest,
i am not sorry when sun and rain make april
my life is the life of the reaper and the sower;
my prayers are prayers of earth's own clumsily striving
(finding and losing and laughing and crying)children
whose any sadness or joy is my grief or my gladness
around me surges a miracle of unceasing
birth and glory and death and resurrection:
over my sleeping self float flaming symbols
of hope,and i wake to a perfect patience of mountains
i am a little church(far from the frantic
world with its rapture and anguish)at peace with nature
--i do not worry if longer nights grow longest;
i am not sorry when silence becomes singing
winter by spring,i lift my diminutive spire to
merciful Him Whose only now is forever:
standing erect in the deathless truth of His presence
(welcoming humbly His light and proudly His darkness)
*********************************************************
I chose this poem in response to a comment a poster made about being insignificant. It reminds me that even a little church can dance in the splendor of the world.
I'm weary--I feel sleep deprived and shouted at and generally beaten down by life today. But finding this poem was like taking a little mental vacation.
i am a little church(no great cathedral)
far from the splendor and squalor of hurrying cities
--i do not worry if briefer days grow briefest,
i am not sorry when sun and rain make april
my life is the life of the reaper and the sower;
my prayers are prayers of earth's own clumsily striving
(finding and losing and laughing and crying)children
whose any sadness or joy is my grief or my gladness
around me surges a miracle of unceasing
birth and glory and death and resurrection:
over my sleeping self float flaming symbols
of hope,and i wake to a perfect patience of mountains
i am a little church(far from the frantic
world with its rapture and anguish)at peace with nature
--i do not worry if longer nights grow longest;
i am not sorry when silence becomes singing
winter by spring,i lift my diminutive spire to
merciful Him Whose only now is forever:
standing erect in the deathless truth of His presence
(welcoming humbly His light and proudly His darkness)
*********************************************************
I chose this poem in response to a comment a poster made about being insignificant. It reminds me that even a little church can dance in the splendor of the world.
I'm weary--I feel sleep deprived and shouted at and generally beaten down by life today. But finding this poem was like taking a little mental vacation.
Labels: Poetry Thursday
posted by Anonymous at 5:23 PM
6 Comments:
I hope you're feeling less beaten down! I had a couple of those kind of days earlier in the week!
Thank you so much for sharing this poem. I love the work of e.e. cummings, and I enjoy your thoughts about little churches dancing in the splendor of the world! Makes us feel like a little more signifcant, sort of like we might matter.
a nice reminder of cummings. thanks for sharing this.
hope you get some rest and feel refreshed and valued soon. be tender with yourself right now. :)
I hope that you are feeling better and lighter today! I LOVE e.e.cummings. I almost posted one of his poems myself! You have made me feel lighter already! Thank you for this -
I was so happy to see this today! Every time I read one of ee's poems I like him a little more.
Have you read his book 'An Enromous Room'? It's a memoir of his time in a French concentration camp during WWI, and it's completely fantastic, by far my favorite of his work. If you ever get a chance, it's worth a look.
thank you for this lovely poem and all your words from yesterday- I've been feeling the same way this week, overwhelmed and I don't even have a child or writing to do! Its still nice to know I'm not alone in all of this. I'm going to choose all as well.
beautiful. i want to read this over and over and over again. thank you.
i hope that you took care of yourself this weekend...balancing all that you do with compassion for yourself.
Post a Comment
<< Home