Widening Circles

I live my life in widening circles
that reach out across the world.
I may not complete this last one
but I give myself to it.

I circle around God, around the primordial tower.
I’ve been circling for thousands of years
and I still don’t know: am I a falcon,
a storm, or a great song?

“Widening Circles” from Rilke’s Book of Hours: Love Poems to God. Translation by Joanna Macy and Anita Barrows, reprinted with permission.

This poem was originally read in the On Being episode “A Wild Love for the World.”

Reflections