‘Without poetry, we lose our way.’—Joy Harjo, U.S. Poet Laureate & Academy of American Poets Chancellor (2019–
In the midst of fear, isolation and catastrophe, we are learning that profound and positive change is possible.
And for Sure We Must Remember What to REMEMBER
‘By failing to read or listen to poets, society dooms itself to inferior modes of articulation: those of the politician,
the salesman or the charlatan... In other words, it forfeits its own evolutionary potential.’
Photo: Getty via The Guardian
Remember
Joy Harjo - 1951-
Remember the sky that you were born under,
know each of the star's stories.
Remember the moon, know who she is.
Remember the sun's birth at dawn, that is the
strongest point of time. Remember sundown
and the giving away to night.
Remember your birth, how your mother struggled
to give you form and breath. You are evidence of
her life, and her mother's, and hers.
Remember your father. He is your life, also.
Remember the earth whose skin you are:
red earth, black earth, yellow earth, white earth
brown earth, we are earth.
Remember the plants, trees, animal life who all have their
tribes, their families, their histories, too. Talk to them,
listen to them. They are alive poems.
Remember the wind. Remember her voice. She knows the
origin of this universe.
Remember you are all people and all people
are you.
Remember you are this universe and this
universe is you.
Remember all is in motion, is growing, is you.
Remember language comes from this.
Remember the dance language is, that life is.
Remember.
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This month, we are celebrating a new consciousness and hopefulness emerging across the world. Americans in their wisdom decided that enough is enough, and chose hope over hatred and lies.
Moreover, there is the good news of the COVID-19 vaccine, raising the hopeful possibility that perhaps we can win over this dreaded virus.
Thus, we wish to observe these moments of celebration with a few poems.
The first one from Gus Speth, former Dean at Yale School of the Environment and founder of National Resources Defense Council and World Resources Institute.
“New Consciousness”
By Gus Speth
Photo: Core
'Decades of discourse
led by people like me
lawyers, scientists, economists,
and we are stuck.
They can’t do what must be done:
reach the human heart.
The deep problems are
avarice, arrogance and apathy,
dominant values badly astray.
What we need is not more analysis
but a spiritual awakening to a new consciousness.
So let’s bring on the preachers and prophets!
the poets and philosophers!
the psychologists and psychiatrists!
Let’s bring on the writers, musicians, actors, artists!
Call them to strike the chords of our shared humanity,
of our close kin to wild things!'
~ Gus Speth, It’s Already Tomorrow
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Hope is the Thing With Feathers
Photo:Pinterest
Hope is the thing with feathers
Emily Dickinson - 1830-1886
'Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune without the words,
And never stops at all,
And sweetest in the gale is heard;
And sore must be the storm
That could abash the little bird
That kept so many warm.
I've heard it in the chillest land,
And on the strangest sea;
Yet, never, in extremity,
It asked a crumb of me.'
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...And Now My Path to a Purposeful Life
Imaging and Building a Better World
A World of Beauty, Wisdom and a New Consciousness and Hopefulness
As it has been noted before, more often than not, we fall into the trap of trying to predict and anticipate the future, forgetting that the future is up to us to envision and create. In the words of the celebrated American architect, systems theorist, author and futurist, R. Buckminster Fuller:
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But how, exactly, do we create a “good” future? What does such a future look like to begin with?
Today there is a lot of hopelessness and pessimism. This is so, because there exists a lot of uncertainties and fear of the future.
Yes, there are lots of reasons to be afraid, but all in all, fear disempowers, whereas hope empowers and nourishes our soul to take action in the interest of the common good, showing us the path to our discovery of our humanity.
With all these in mind, below, I offer our GCGI suggested possible paths to a better world for your kind interest:
Ten Steps to a Better World and a Better Life
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Related postings from our archieve:
My Poem of the month (November): Reimagined Garden
My Poem of the month (October): MORḠ-E SAḤAR (Bird of Dawn)
Poetry is the Education that Nourishes the Heart and Nurtures the Soul
Finding sanctuary in poetry during lockdown
‘Dom of Barnard Castle’ is gone: This is How I Will Make Britain and Boris Good and Great