A poet's consideration

Poetry has woven its way into my life from childhood. It has provided me with a connection to others and with a voice that sometimes surprises me with its power and clarity. Like with music, poetry can build bridges from one heart to another.

One of my favorite poets is Rumi. I have been drawn to his works about love, loving relationships, and spiritual bliss. He has a way of describing gratitude that resonates with my being.

I'd like to share a poem that spoke to me about fears that can hold us back when we begin to explore the topic of death.

Search There

Sometimes you get as frightened.

Sometimes you get stuck in the mud

like hunted prey.

O young fool,

how long will you keep running away

from yourself?

In the end,

the thing will happen anyway.

Just go in the direction

where there is no direction.

Go, search there.

From: "Forbidden Rumi: The suppressed poems of Rumi on Love, Heresy, and Intoxication" Translated by Nevit O. Ergin and Will Johnson Inner Traditions. Rochester, Vermont. 2006

Let's keep going on and searching. Let's never be too afraid to face "the thing [that] will happen anyway." Let's lift each other up as we get stuck in the mud so that we can journey together