Embrace all of you
Are there parts of yourself that you shun? Are there feelings or awarenesses on which you slam the door?
Or perhaps you’ve forgotten who you are…don’t even recognize yourself anymore. I believe it happens to all of us at times. Part of being human.
This past week, I came across two poems that speak to mindfulness and the human condition. I hope you will enjoy them as much as I did.
The Guest House
This being human is a guest house.
Every morning a new arrival.
A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes
as an unexpected visitor.
Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they are a crowd of sorrows,
who violently sweep your house
empty of its furniture,
still, treat each guest honorably.
He may be clearing you out
for some new delight.
The dark thought, the shame, the malice
meet them at the door laughing and invite them in.
Be grateful for whatever comes
because each has been sent
as a guide from beyond.
~Rumi
Love After Love
The time will come
when, with elation
you will greet yourself arriving
at your own door, in your own mirror
and each will smile at the other’s welcome,
and say, sit here. Eat.
You will love again the stranger who was your self.
Give wine. Give bread. Give back your heart
to itself, to the stranger who has loved you
all your life, whom you ignored
for another, who knows you by heart.
Take down the love letters from the bookshelf,
the photographs, the desperate notes,
peel your own image from the mirror.
Sit, Feast on your life.
~Derek Walcott
Your turn
- Do you have a favorite poem? What is it?
- Do either of these poems speak to you?
- What else is on your mind? Anything at all; I just love to hear from you.
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Poetry is always so evocative isn’t it Christie? I”ve never read either of these poems before, but I’ve shared a lot of Rumi quotes on my blog and FB page over the years. It’s interesting how both of the poems you shared had the house imagery in them – definitely something to re-read and think about.
I agree, Leanne, words can be so emotional, thought provoking, beautiful…all in how they are strung together. I have noticed the Rumi quotes on your blog throughout the years. They almost aways strike a chord with me. I hadn’t realized the house connection in the two poems I selected. Considering we are settling into a new house, maybe there is something there. Hmmm… Thanks, as always, for faithfully reading and engaging with me here.
A Psalm of Life by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow is my favorite poem. It goes on forever but I like the last stanza:
“Let us then be up and doing
With a heart for any fate,
Still achieving, still pursuing,
Learn to labor, learn to wait”
I also like the Rumi poem. Be grateful for whatever comes is a great way to look at your life.
Thank you for sharing that, Ally. I must go back and read the entire poem. It’s been a while. I’m glad you enjoyed the Rumi poem. I’m learning to…if not welcome with laughter…at least be accommodating to all that life brings. I hope life is bringing you some joy this week.
Christie, I’ve never read a lot of poetry. The feeling that these evoked in me was a cleaning out of the unwanted/the stuff that is not “me” …maybe because we are clearing out so much stuff as we move. And will need to clear out even more, as I know everything will not fit. The violent sweeping away, the peeling back to the real me. It’s a new beginning. Maybe not the intent of the poems, but it’s where I am at the moment!
That’s the thing about poetry, Pat, it means something a little different to each of us. It’s personal. Good luck with the cleaning out and peeling back. That day is coming for me as well in the not too distant future. I’m a little nervous about it, but eager too in a strange way.
I really, really love these poems. I like poetry, but find I have to read it more than once to let it “sink in”. The message I got from these (because I believe we may all interpret it differently) is one I really need right now. I’m sure I’ll reread and ponder a few more times. ? Thanks!
I agree Cindy, any good poem deserves several readings, and the messages are personal to each reader…sometimes the meaning changes for me per reading. I am happy that these poems spoke to you though and that the timing was right. I love you, sister!
When ideas for self-betterment are peddled to us daily, it was moving to be reminded through verse the basic tenet of loving yourself and who you are. Thank you for that.
You are welcome, Caree. I like to think of growth and self-improvement similar to how we look at infants. We applaud their efforts and their advancements, but that doesn’t mean we see them as imperfect in their current state. We can look to grow and still love ourselves exactly how we are today.
I am reading a book entitled Yeah, No Not Happening by Karen Karbo. It has really spoken to me. Not quite finished but it has been a liberating read. And I find myself smiling back more from the mirror. The book talks about the intense pressure on women throughout history but even more so now for embracing and enacting self-improvery. At 63, I can say with pretty much certainty that this is as good as I am going to be in lots of areas. And that is okay.
So these lines in the second poem seemed to echo that sentiment to me.
The time will come
when, with elation
you will greet yourself arriving
at your own door, in your own mirror
and each will smile at the other’s welcome…
Might not be greeting myself with elation but acceptance. And that is refreshing.
Thank you!!
Hello Leslie. that sounds like an interesting book, and anything that has you smiling at yourself more is a win. I’m glad the poem spoke to you. Those lines really resonated with me as well. I understand it was written after the breakup of a long relationship, but I think it’s applicable to anyone finding themself after having lost touch with who they are. Acceptance of yourself is refreshing. Wishing you more of that, my friend.
Hi Christie, thankyou for your comment on my blog. I’m not very familiar with many poems but my parents gave me a book in 1963, when I was 7, called ‘A Child’s Garden of Verses by Robert Louis Stevenson and I still have it and have read poems to my grandchildren and one of my favourites from the book is ‘From A Railway Carriage’. I love how it’s written to the beat of a train and I’ve read it several times to my grandchildren and always get faster and faster emulating the train journey! It was the first thing that popped into my head when I read your post and I had to dig out the book to read it again! Lovely memories. x
Hello Martine and welcome! I’m happy to hear that this post stirred up happy memories for you, and I love that you are passing on the poems that your parents shared with you to your grandchildren.