Poetry Man (Phoebe Snow)

Yesterday at our UU church was the fourth annual poetry/spoken word/song event, in which congregants submit personal favorites, which are then chosen to be read throughout the service, along with a brief description of what makes them meaningful - I always participate and in the past have picked some poems near and dear to my heart written by others... but this time found me brave enough to want to share my Prayer to St. Margarita (Be Careful What You Wish For), which was very well-received. In addition, there was a soliloquy from King Richard II, a goddess song to the tune of Ode to Joy, some Adrienne Rich and some Omar Khayyam - we also had a returning member present a poetry workshop before the service, showcasing his latest book of verse, as well as reading some selections along with ours. Second only to music, poetry fills me in ways I cannot begin to describe - the service, paired with a mid-afternoon nap lulled by the sounds of a heavy rainstorm... and I was ectoplasm the rest of the day (much-needed, I must admit!)

SONG: Poetry Man by Phoebe Snow

BOOK: No More Masks!: An Anthology of Twentieth-Century American Women Poets by Florence Howe (editor)

POEM: How to Be a Poet (to remind myself) by Wendell Berry

Make a place to sit down.

Sit down. Be quiet.

You must depend upon

affection, reading, knowledge,

skill—more of each

than you have—inspiration,

work, growing older, patience,

for patience joins time

to eternity. Any readers

who like your work,

doubt their judgment.

Breathe with unconditional breath

the unconditioned air.

Shun electric wire.

Communicate slowly. Live

a three-dimensioned life;

stay away from screens.

Stay away from anything

that obscures the place it is in.

There are no unsacred places;

There are only sacred places

And desecrated places.

QUOTE: "Poetry is thoughts that breathe and words that burn." ~Thomas Gray