We can’t take wilderness retreats every time we feel caught up in the world’s madness, but a poem can be a momentary reprieve.
Poetry
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An ode to a sentence from the legendary poet on recognizing and honoring the sacrifices of generations past to get us where we are — and on "paying it forward" as the best way to pay them back.
A poem on letting go of our "known way of being" and discovering the wisdom of letting things unfold around us.
A poem from Gregory Orr on the silver lining of a heart shattered open: the knowledge that our broken places are where beauty comes from.
A woman finds the gift of stories to ground us and give shape to our suffering — by teaching creative writing to in-patient adolescents on the psychiatry floor of Johns Hopkins Hospital.
An antidote from Margaret Atwood for the hubris that leads us to claim ownership over the living lands that nourish us.
A monk with a "wicked sense of humor" inspires our columnist to pack his bags when it comes to attaining perfection.
A woman's evolving understanding of mortality, identity, and letting go — through a poem that has accompanied her through life and loss.
Mary Oliver's knack for finding the grace in life's big questions, and reflecting on them with the calm and clarity of an afternoon on a quiet pond.
The extraordinary is revered and celebrated, but where does that leave the ordinary? On rediscovering the meaning of awe, and finding it in the quiet majesty of the daily grind.
A poem to honor the commonalities that run deeper than our cultural divides — from the San Francisco of the Beat Generation to a modest dive on the Jersey Shore.
The poet's grounded counsel on living a life of generosity and integrity — and a touch of healthy rebelliousness.
Inspired by the quiet eloquence of Hafez and Naomi Shihab Nye, Parker puts forth an appeal for the deliberate, loving care that public life requires of us in these times.
Parker takes up Jane Kenyon's gentle challenge: trust in the natural cycles of light and dark, waking and sleep, life and life's end.
Heartened by the resilience of nature, Omid reflects on our own capacity to soften and grow, even from the hardest places.
An unlikely spring poem from Mary Oliver turns the dazzling darkness of nature into a lesson on embodying simple gratitude for the gifts we're offered each moment.
Do trees photosynthesize the soul as well as sunlight? With a poem by W.S. Merwin, an appreciation for trees and the spiritual wisdom they impart.
52 regular folks read Walt Whitman's poem, "Song of Myself" — a profound and deeply humanizing portrait of American life.
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