Thoughts on Life Inside and Outside of Room 26
In the Dark Quiet Night, A Light4/11/2013 "And so may a slow I first heard John O'Donohue read his own poetry on NPR's radio program called "Speaking Of Faith" [now titled "On Being"] hosted by Krista TIppett. Deep in the night I was awakened by my 2 month old daughter, and as I comforted her, I listened to "The Inner Landscape of Beauty," quietly, on the radio. That night, in the darkness of that room, I became a listener and a reader of this quiet Irish poet and his wise words. My mum says that poetry is the fastest way to get your most powerful ideas out. This is certainly that, for me, when I read and am comforted by this poetry. By clicking on the title of the poem below, you can hear O'Donohue read it himself.
This last year, in April 2012, one of my students lost his mum, his second parent lost to disease. I was overwhelmed; for him, for her. The thought of leaving the unfinished business of a teenaged boy was not something that I could quite fathom. My mind could only see grief and sorrow and even rage and terror. Thinking about her loss made me shudder. What would I say to my boy if I were called away? Seeing the larger picture now that I am 12 months distanced from the loss, makes me wonder what other secrets walk into my trimester classroom. What wars fought? What mountains climbed? What terror lurks? It is grounding to remember, yea, to be reminded, that I am a teacher-learner in a community of humanity. I am a lover of English, words, ideas, and stories, but ultimately, I am a part of a human community. "Bannacht" ["Blessing"] On the day when The weight deadens On your shoulders And you stumble, May the clay dance To balance you. And when your eyes Freeze behind The grey window And the ghost of loss Gets into you, May a flock of colours, Indigo, red, green And azure blue, Come to awaken in you A meadow of delight. When the canvas frays In the currach of thought And a stain of ocean Blackens beneath you, May there come across the waters A path of yellow moonlight To bring you safely home. May the nourishment of the earth be yours, May the clarity of light be yours, May the fluency of the ocean be yours, May the protection of the ancestors be yours. And so may a slow Wind work these words Of love around you, An invisible cloak To mind your life. “A New Year Blessing” Benedictus (To Bless The Space Between Us) For Courage When the light around you lessens And your thoughts darken until Your body feels fear turn Cold as a stone inside, When you find yourself bereft Of any belief in yourself And all you unknowingly Leaned on has fallen, When one voice commands Your whole heart And it is raven dark, Steady yourself and see That it is your own thinking That darkens your world, Search and you will find A diamond-thought of light, Know that you are not alone And that this darkness has purpose; Gradually it will school your eyes To find the one gift your life requires Hidden within this night-corner. Invoke the learning Of every suffering You have suffered. Close your eyes. Gather your kindling About your heart To create one spark. That is all you need To nourish the flame That will cleanse the dark Of its weight of festered fear. A new confidence will come alive To urge you toward higher ground Where your imagination will learn to engage difficulty As its most rewarding threshold!
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I am...A teacher of students of British, World and Contemporary Literature. Archives
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