A poem to share the silence with

I discovered this poem, and poet, by chance in late spring as I was scrolling through my inbox.  It was so arresting in its intimacy and purity that I have read it aloud in any number of conversations.  I have used it as a bon voyage to travelers, to cancer patients, to people navigating life’s humdrum routine days.  And now, with you.

The poet was a hermit who lived in the Edo period in Japan.  He was in every respect marginal, yet he developed a devoted following because his words struck at the simple core desire, as alive then as now, to be authentic, centered, and true to ourselves as we move through the world.

I hope you will carry it with you into your own silence this month, traditionally set aside for sabbath time.

 

When all thoughts
Are exhausted
I slip into the woods
And gather
A pile of shepherd’s purse.

Like the little stream
Making its way
Through the mossy crevices
I, too, quietly
Turn clear and transparent.

– Taigu Ryokan