In honor of National Poetry Month, and Mary Oliver, our beloved national poet who passed away in January, I will be posting one of her poems each evening in April. I am hoping to follow in the footsteps of Sarah Clarkson and read a poem on Instagram Live in the evenings as well…Follow me on Instagram to tune in.
To Begin With, the Sweet Grass (This poem is in seven sections, so I’ve spread it out through the week.)
7.
What I loved in the beginning, I think, was mostly myself.
Never mind that I had to, since somebody had to.
That was many years ago.
Since then I have gone out from my confinements,
though with difficulty.
I mean the ones that thought to rule my heart.
I cast them out, I put them on the mush pile.
They will be nourishment somehow (everything is nourishment somehow or other).
And I have become the child of the clouds, and of hope.
I have become the friend of the enemy, whoever that is.
I have become older and, cherishing what I have learned,
I have become younger.
And what do I risk to tell you this, which is all I know?
Love yourself. Then forget it. Then, love the world.
This poem can be found in the collection Felicity.
In honor of National Poetry Month, and Mary Oliver, our beloved national poet who passed away in January, I will be posting one of her poems each evening in April. I am hoping to follow in the footsteps of Sarah Clarkson and read a poem on Instagram Live in the evenings as well…Follow me on Instagram to tune in.
To Begin With, the Sweet Grass (I am spreading this poem, which is in seven sections, throughout the week.)
4.
Someday I am going to ask my friend Paulus,
the dancer, the potter,
to make me a begging bowl
which I believe
my soul needs.
And if I come to you,
to the door of your comfortable house
with unwashed clothes and unclean fingernails,
will you put something into it?
I would like to take this chance,
I would like to give you this chance.
This poem can be found in the collection Evidence.
In honor of National Poetry Month, and Mary Oliver, our beloved national poet who passed away in January, I will be posting one of her poems each evening in April. I am hoping to follow in the footsteps of Sarah Clarkson and read a poem on Instagram Live in the evenings as well…Follow me on Instagram to tune in.
To Begin, With the Sweet Grass ( This poem is in seven sections, so I am going to include one section each evening during the week.)
3.
The witchery of living
is my whole conversation
with you, my darlings.
All I can tell you is what I know.
Look, and look again.
This world is not just a little thrill for the eyes.
It’s more than bones.
It’s more than the delicate wrist with its personal pulse.
It’s more than the beating of a single heart.
It’s praising.
It’s giving until the giving feels like receiving.
You have a life–just imagine that!
You have this day, and maybe another, and maybe
still another.
This poem can be found in the collection Evidence.
In honor of National Poetry Month, and Mary Oliver, our beloved national poet who passed away in January, I will be posting one of her poems each evening in April. I am hoping to follow in the footsteps of Sarah Clarkson and read a poem on Instagram Live in the evenings as well…Follow me on Instagram to tune in.
To Begin, With the Sweet Grass(This poem is in seven sections, so I am going to spread it out through the week.)
2.
Eat bread and understand comfort.
Drink water, and understand delight.
Visit the garden where the scarlet trumpets
are opening their bodies for the hummingbirds
who are drinking the sweetness, who are
thrilling gluttonous.
For one thing leads to another.
Soon you will notice how stones shine underfoot.
Eventually tides will be the only calendar you believe in.
And someone’s face, whom you love, will be as a star
both intimate and ultimate,
and you will be both heart-shaken and respectful.
And you will hear the air itself, like a beloved, whisper:
oh, let me, for a while longer, enter the two
beautiful bodies of your lungs.
This poem can be found in the collection Evidence.
In honor of National Poetry Month, and Mary Oliver, our beloved national poet who passed away in January, I will be posting one of her poems each evening in April. I am hoping to follow in the footsteps of Sarah Clarkson and read a poem on Instagram Live in the evenings as well…Follow me on Instagram to tune in.
To Begin With the Sweet Grass( I am going to spread this poem, which is in seven sections, over this whole week.)
1.
Will the hungry ox stand in the field and not eat
of the sweet grass?
Will the owl bite off its own wings?
Will the lark forget to lift its body in the air or
forget to sing?
Will the rivers run upstream?
Behold, I say–behold
the reliability and the finery and the teachings
of this gritty earth gift.
This poem can be found in the collection Evidence.
In honor of National Poetry Month, and Mary Oliver, our beloved national poet who passed away in January, I will be posting one of her poems each evening in April. I am hoping to follow in the footsteps of Sarah Clarkson and read a poem on Instagram Live in the evenings as well…Follow me on Instagram to tune in.
In honor of National Poetry Month, and Mary Oliver, our beloved national poet who passed away in January, I will be posting one of her poems each evening in April. I am hoping to follow in the footsteps of Sarah Clarkson and read a poem on Instagram Live in the evenings as well…Follow me on Instagram to tune in.
This is where I will share my sources of inspiration from the past week: it could be from books, podcasts, blogs, films, artwork, food/recipes, etc. I hope you find some encouragement here as well!
Recipes:
Moon and Spoon and Yum is a gorgeous website with absolutely stunning photography and plenty of Kim-friendly recipes. I tried two of her recipes over the weekend that I really enjoyed: Lavender, Ginger, and Walnut Shortbread Cookies and a Moon Milk Recipe . Olive and Mango has been posting some Greek–inspired dishes on Instagram that I am going to try in the next week or so. Her mouthwateringly lovely posts have me looking at photos of Greek islands, and dreaming of traveling there to enjoy the light and color and beauty of a Mediterranean country.
Blogs:
This was a post called “Tips for Easing Inflammation”from Lotuswei, a flower essences company I recently discovered and love. They have their own podcast, The FlowerLounge, hosted by Lotuswei founder, Katie Hess, which is a fascinating foray into the world of flower essences and the natural lifestyle.
Podcasts:
Jenna Kutcher’sThe Goal Digger Podcast had two incredibly helpful and encouraging podcast episodes this week: HIT RECORD: Tips to Incorporate Video TODAY, which is nudging me toward video content planning and development for the next few weeks. I’ve been doing a few Live videos each week, but I’ve mostly been ignoring Stories on my Instagram accounts because, like lots of people, I think my life is too boring and I don’t have anything interesting to say. But I am missing out on the latest way to connect with my audience. Her second episode, How to Pivot When You’re No Longer Passionatewas great because Jenna shared how she’s changed her business several times in the past ten years, as she changed and outgrew different business models.
And Rachel Hollis interviewed the CEO of it Cosmetics on her podcast in this episode:Building a BILLION Dollar Company with Jamie Kern Lima. If you’re an entrepreneur, you know how I might be feeling in year two of my journey. I will have a positive week, when all I’m doing to market and share my message and products seems like it might work. People might come to a class, buy my stuff, make an appointment for a consultation. And then there are the weeks when it seems like no matter what I do, nothing moves forward.
The women in this podcast episode remind me that everyone goes through this. There are pretty much no overnight business and entrepreneurial success stories. After listening to this episode, I realized I’m on the right track, and that if I’m making progress the path will be uphill all the way, as John Maxwell says.
And because I need this encouragement right now, and maybe you do too, I loved Todd Henry’s interview with Austin Kleonon The Accidental Creative Podcast. The title is How To Keep Going and had some very helpful words from Austin Kleon who just released his third book Keep Going. One thing he said that stuck with me is how people tend to think their career will be a slow rise and they’ll just keep going up, when in fact it’s more like a spiral. Yes! In my short time as an entrepreneur, that is my experience. Highs and Lows. It’s normal and it’s ok!
Articles:
Beloved British folk singer Kate Rusby shared this on her Facebook page a few weeks ago. It’s an article in the Guardian, written by fifty different authors, called “Something To Celebrate: 50 Favourite Places in the UK”. The music and arts festival she founded, Underneath the Stars Festival, is number 2 on the list. This time of year, when the weather is mostly still cold and the landscape is wearing drab tones of brown, I like to dream of all the places I want to visit. The UK can be cold and dreary too, I know, but Spring is a bit further along this time of year, at least in England. Anyway, if you’re interested in the British Isles, you will enjoy this read.
Books:
Show Your Work by Austin Kleon is the second book he wrote for creatives. In it, he shares how to connect with your audience, why behind the scenes/the process of art is fascinating to people, and why you need to just keep putting work out there. I just read it so I can move on to his third book Keep Going.
In honor of National Poetry Month, and Mary Oliver, our beloved national poet who passed away in January, I will be posting one of her poems each evening in April. I am hoping to follow in the footsteps of Sarah Clarkson and read a poem on Instagram Live in the evenings as well…Follow me on Instagram to tune in.
Moments
There are moments that cry out to be fulfilled.
Like, telling someone you love them.
Or giving your money away, all of it.
Your heart is beating, isn’t it?
You’re not in chains, are you?
There is nothing more pathetic than caution
when headlong might save a life,
even, possibly, your own.
This poem can be found in the collection, Felicity.
In honor of National Poetry Month, and Mary Oliver, our beloved national poet who passed away in January, I will be posting one of her poems each evening in April. I am hoping to follow in the footsteps of Sarah Clarkson and read a poem on Instagram Live in the evenings as well…Follow me on Instagram to tune in.
I Don’t Want to Lose
I don’t want to lose a single thread
from the intricate brocade of this happiness.
I want to remember everything.
Which is why I’m lying awake, sleepy
but not sleepy enough to give it up.
Just now, a moment from years ago:
the early morning light, the deft, sweet
gesture of your hand
reaching for me.
This poem can be found in the collection Felicity.
Life of Kim 