Good evening poets. Mr Scribbles is back from his travels, almost over the jet lag and happy to be resident in the house for another round of Poetics.

I have been reading a wonderful book called Anam Cara by the Irish poet/philosopher John O’Donohue, and in it are a number of very moving and profound Blessing poems.

I find this form to be enormously uplifting and with the world being what it is today I think offering up a wave of Blessings from our collective poet’s mind can’t be a bad thing.

Here’s an example from John himself and then one from James Wright to inspire you.

Beannacht

“On the day when
the weight deadens
on your shoulders
and you stumble,
may the clay dance
to balance you.

And when your eyes
freeze behind
the grey window
and the ghost of loss
gets in to you,
may a flock of colours,
indigo, red, green,
and azure blue
come to awaken in you
a meadow of delight.

When the canvas frays
in the currach of thought
and a stain of ocean
blackens beneath you,
may there come across the waters
a path of yellow moonlight
to bring you safely home.

May the nourishment of the earth be yours,
may the clarity of light be yours,
may the fluency of the ocean be yours,
may the protection of the ancestors be yours.

And so may a slow
wind work these words
of love around you,
an invisible cloak
to mind your life.”

 

A Blessing

“Just off the highway to Rochester, Minnesota,

Twilight bounds softly forth on the grass.

And the eyes of those two Indian ponies

Darken with kindness.

They have come gladly out of the willows

To welcome my friend and me.

We step over the barbed wire into the pasture

Where they have been grazing all day, alone.

They ripple tensely, they can hardly contain their happiness

That we have come.

They bow shyly as wet swans. They love each other.

There is no loneliness like theirs.

At home once more,

They begin munching the young tufts of spring in the darkness.

I would like to hold the slenderer one in my arms,

For she has walked over to me

And nuzzled my left hand.

She is black and white,

Her mane falls wild on her forehead,

And the light breeze moves me to caress her long ear

That is delicate as the skin over a girl’s wrist.

Suddenly I realize

That if I stepped out of my body I would break

Into blossom.”

 

So let us put pen to paper tonight and write a Blessing Poem. May our words create ripples of light and hope in the pond of the world.

Here is how you can take part:

• Write a Blessing Poem on your blog and link your blog back here to dVerse.
• Submit your poem to the Mister Linky below. It will be open until MTB on Thursday.
• Read what other poets have linked and comment on their poems. We get to know each other better that way.
• Have fun.