On my way to Marita's birthday party last evening (which was fabulous, by the way) I stopped at an art show in downtown Portland.
But I was lucky to find a spot right next to these magnificent lights on High Street. They were as comforting as they were beautiful.
When I left the show...all I needed to look for was the glow.
I found the poem Wage Peace early this week and I've been mulling it over ever since. It's often credited to Mary Oliver, when in fact it was written by Judyth Hill.
Judyth's poem is at the end of this post....and I urge you to read it....then read it again. That's what I did over and over....and I ended up writing one of my own. (Thank you Dotty for letting me know it's OK to use the framework of another poem...to help me write my own.)
Inspired by a Judyth Hill's poem Wage Peace
Practice Joy MaryAnn Shupe
Practice joy with your whole heart.
Breathe in hate speech and despicable conduct,
breathe out Christmas lights
and anything that makes you laugh.
Breath in greed and retribution,
breath out bluebirds and breakfast at the puzzle table.
Breath in loss...and hardship,
breath out a helping hand and a generous spirit.
Practice joy with a grateful heart.
Make what you love and give it away.
Use what you have and donate what someone might need.
Imagine everyone having enough.
Never has the world felt so fragile
and joy felt like resistance.
Never has standing on the sidewalk with a sign
felt so comforting and beautiful.
Wage Peace by Judyth Hill
Wage peace with your breath.
Breathe in firemen and rubble,
breathe out whole buildings and flocks of red wing blackbirds.
breathe out whole buildings and flocks of red wing blackbirds.
Breathe in terrorists
and breathe out sleeping children and freshly mown fields.
Breath in confusion and breathe out maple trees.
Breathe in the fallen and breathe out lifelong friendships intact.
Wage peace with your listening: hearing sirens, pray loud.
Remember your tools: flower seeds clothespins, clean rivers.
Make soup.
Play music, memorize the world for thank you in three languages.
Learn to knit, and make a hat.
Think of chaos as dancing raspberries,
imagine grief as the outbreath of beauty
or the gesture of fish.
Swim for the other side.
Wage peace.
Never has the world seemed so fresh and precious:
Have a cup of tea and rejoice.
Act as if armistice has already arrived.
Celebrate today.
MaryAnn, your appropriation of Judith Hill's framework is profound and poignantly proactive—robustly, wonderfully YOU in its details. Your post is touchingly vulnerable, and filled with joy and peace. A welcome gift and balm after a long day with a few too many stresses. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteThank you Dotty. That means a lot coming from you.
DeleteAnd thank you for being such a role model with your poetry and art.
DeleteI loved your poem, Maryann. Equal to Judith Hill. Thanks for sharing. ~ Ida
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Ida!
DeleteOh, MaryAnn ~ this is simple and profound. I loved your use of Judith’s poem to form your own and placing yours first gave us our foundation. Truly beautiful. 💚
ReplyDeleteThank you Roseanne...your kind comment means a lot to me!
DeleteI have read both poems twice and will read them again. Such a wealth of good thoughts, such a comforting way of dealing with stressful reality. I love what you chose to breathe out, MaryAnn. I think I need to write my own version also and put it in my journal to remind me of the good things in my life when it all becomes too much. Thank you for this, MaryAnn.
ReplyDeleteI am so glad this resonated with you Judy....it sure did for me. I am still thinking of lines in my head. It's comforting.
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