"He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm,
and carry them close to his heart, and shall gently lead those that are with young." Isaiah 40:11

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Sea Geese on Steep Waves

Yesterday, a dear friend sent me this poem and I thought it was written so eloquently and it fits so well with  what I have been reading in Ann Voskamp's book about Eucharisteo.  It was a breath of encouragement to me after a hard day.  Thank-you again!!

Heavy
That time
I thought I could not
go any closer to grief
without dying
I went closer,
and I did not die.
Surely God
had His hand in this,
as well as friends.
Still, I was bent,
and my laughter,
as the poet said,
was nowhere to be found.
Then said my friend Daniel(brave even among lions),
"It's not the weight you carry
but how you carry it -
books, bricks, grief -
it's all in the way
you embrace it, balance it, carry it
when you cannot, and would not,
put it down."


So I went practicing.
Have you noticed?
Have you heard the laughter
that comes, now and again,
out of my startled mouth?
How I linger
to admire, admire, admire
the things of this world
that are kind, and maybe
also troubled -
roses in the wind,the sea geese on the steep waves,
a love
to which there is no reply?
- by Mary Oliver

4 comments:

Brenda Funk said...

Love the poem!

Kathy said...

Wow, how powerful and poignant are the words. Thank you for sharing this poem Kendra.

Janet said...

Wow! What deep & powerful words is for sure.Thank you so much for sharing it.
Much love & prayers
Janet M

Anonymous said...

Great, great poem...L-lew