Hi everyone! Welcome to our OpenLinkNight ! This is your opportunity to link 1 poem of your choice as this is no prompt-day. For those who missed the Mr Linky deadline the past week or this Tuesday’s poetics about the “cover” poem, this is also your opportunity to share your poem. I also want to remind you that our Haibun Monday is still open the whole week.
I would like to share a poem by the amazing poet, Rainer Maria Rilke. The selected poem is from his Book of Hours: Love Poems to God.
I am praying again, Awesome One
by Rainer Maria Rilke
English version by Anita Barrows and Joanna Macy
Original Language German
I am praying again, Awesome One.
You hear me again, as words
from the depths of me
rush toward you in the wind.
I’ve been scattered in pieces,
torn by conflict,
mocked by laughter,
washed down in drink.
In alleyway I sweep myself up
out of garbage and broken glass.
With my half-mouth I stammer you,
who are eternal in your symmetry.
I lift to you my half-hands
in wordless beseeching, that I may find again
the eyes with which I once beheld you.
I am a house gutted by fire
where only the guilty sometimes sleep
before the punishment that devours them
hounds them out into the open.
I am a city by the sea
sinking into a toxic tide
I am strange to myself, as though someone unknown
had poisoned my mother as she carried me.
It’s here in all the pieces of my shame
that now I find myself gain.
I yearn to belong to something, to be contained
in an all-embracing mind that sees me
as a single thing.
I yearn to be held
in the great hands of your heart–
oh let them take me now.
Into them I place these fragments, my life,
and you, God — spend them however you want.
To join us for Thursday’s OpenLinkNight, which happens every other week, here’s how to join:
Grace said:
Welcome to OpenLinkNight everyone! Hope you are having a good day or night !!!
Björn Rudberg (brudberg) said:
Good evening here 🙂
Bryan Ens said:
Wow. What a gorgeous prayer that Rilke wrote. Thanks for sharing it!
Grace said:
He has a whole collections of that Byran!
Sanaa Rizvi (@rizvi_sanaa) said:
Hey everyone,
Hope you guys are having a wonderful day so far 🙂 sharing my poem “Tete-a-Tete” thank you for hosting OLN, Grace ❤️ that was a beautiful prayer by Rilke 🙂
I ll be back in the morning to read and comment ❤️
Lots of love,
Sanaa
Björn Rudberg (brudberg) said:
Should I say Good-Morning Sanaa?
Sanaa Rizvi (@rizvi_sanaa) said:
I set the alarm for OLN’s sake..❤️ back to sleep.. xo
Björn Rudberg (brudberg) said:
Good evening… still not quite bed-time here… I will hit the trail and read… Love the Rilke poem
Grace said:
I have been reading his poems lately and I am just as impressed.
kim881 said:
Hi Grace! Thanks for sharing the Rilke poem. I hope you are well. I’m going to post, read a few poems and then go into a warmer room – I’ll be back tomorrow to read some more, when I’m warmer 🙂
Björn Rudberg (brudberg) said:
Some toddy for you maybe?
kim881 said:
I think Gluehwein would be perfect with cloves and cinnamon, please!
Björn Rudberg (brudberg) said:
I have some Swedish glögg if you like… wine with cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and ginger…. and a lots of sugar.
Grace said:
Sounds yummy Bjorn !
kim881 said:
Sounds yummy!
charliezero1.wordpress.com said:
yay!!! Poetry for the soul today. 🙂
Grace said:
Good to see you Charlie! I will be hitting the trail when I get home. Just putting in a warm welcome and greeting to everyone ~
charliezero1.wordpress.com said:
Yay!!! 🙂 You’ll love my latest poem. 🙂
MarinaSofia said:
What a beautiful poem! I’ll be visiting later on tonight, although I don’t think I have anything to share myself on this occasion.
Björn Rudberg (brudberg) said:
Oh I so hope you would have something… but it’s great to have you here.
whippetwisdom said:
Thank you for hosting tonight Grace and for sharing the beautiful Rilke poem. I have added a tanka I wrote yesterday. It is a cold night here too and a toddy sounds nice :o)
Grace said:
Thanks for joining us ~ Winter is upon us, ha ~
erbiage said:
Hey all, thanks grace for pointing out Rilke. You send me to my library again. I should just sleep there, judging from the pile of books by my bed. Glogg sounds yummy
Grace said:
His collection is amazing ~ Thanks for joining us ~
Mish said:
Hi everyone! 🙂
Grace, the poem is riveting. I will need to read more of her work. Thanks for sharing.
So happy to link up a late response to Bryan’s poetic prompt. Wrote it with some hot tea and a blanket…..a lot chillier today. 🙂
Grace said:
Hi Mish ! And I am all covered up myself as its very cold ~ Will pop over to read 🙂
ladynyo said:
Thank you for hosting, Grace~ and a beautiful poem by Rilke. Got the flu so I will post and lay low….but am going to read the board. I love this open night…..thanks again.
Grace said:
Hope you feel better Jane ~
Mish said:
Feel better soon, laydynyo. 🙂
Audrey Howitt said:
Hi Grace–thank you for the invitation to join!
Grace said:
Good to see you here Audrey 🙂
hypercryptical said:
Cheers for hosting Grace and the wonderful prayer that quite touched me, especially its beautiful close.
Kind regards
Anna :o]
Grace said:
Thanks for joining us Anna ~
Bodhirose said:
Hi Grace, thank you for hosting tonight. I love the Rilike poem/prayer. It seems many times we turn to prayer when we are at our lowest and most desperate…this one speaks of one of those times. I feel the soul crying out. It hits me right in the heart!
Grace said:
I felt the same way too Gayle ~ Good to see you here ~
Janice said:
Good evening Grace. Thanks for sharing Rilke’s passionate prayer. I had two recent haiku on hand so I decided to post them and join in.
Grace said:
Thanks for joining us Janice ~ I will pop over to read ~
Brian said:
Thanks Grace and all you poets out there. Just got back from the hospital where Diane had outpatient surgery today. I’ll be taking even more care of her through the weekend but I’ll try to get around to everyone as I have time. I missed the two prompts this week because I haven’t been feeling up to writing.
Grace said:
Hope all will be well with you and Diane ~ Of course, family comes first and we understand Brian ~
Victoria C. Slotto said:
Checking it at almost bedtime, here in the Pacific Zone. Wonderful prayer-poem by Rilke, Grace. Thanks for sharing. I’m still mostly offline, trying to catch up for missing the better part of November, but will stop by to read as much as I can tomorrow.
Björn Rudberg (brudberg) said:
A bit of reading before it’s time to leave for work.
Oloriel said:
Greetings, everyone! Sharing my poem “Archaeology”, it is my most recent one. What I look for most with any of dVerse prompts is reading the entries, it makes my night.
I also really love the shared Rilke’s poem. In general his work for me represents the perfect and most gently executed mixture of surrealism and reality.
Grace said:
Thanks so much for joining us ~ Love your share ~
Laura Bloomsbury said:
thank goodness for OLN as Bryan’s poetics prompt was too good to miss even though I was away! Rilke’s poetry is like drops of rain – dispersed verses coming together as a shower.
Grace said:
Thank you for joining us ~
whimsygizmo said:
Grace, this poem you’ve shared is breathtaking. THANK YOU.
Grace said:
You are very welcome De ~