When I started this blog I was feeling quite strong and responded to an inner prompting to begin to share Marianne’s and my journey through the poetry that has come to me over the years. Then, for whatever reason, the last few days this strong feeling crumbled. Today I am unwinding after a busy week, and then I started to cry, remembering the first stanza of this poem (“We are desperately in love/As we cling together/Sharing comfort in the night”).
The blog is part of an overarching desire for community, and I thought of a reading in the book Bread for the Journey by Henri Nouwen. He talked about community coming not from sharing our strengths in a kind of talent show but rather through the sharing of our vulnerabilities. I did not find the reading I was thinking of, but the book opened to “Solidarity in Weakness”.
And then I realized I want to share this poem, written in 1985 at an early point in our spiritual journey together.
Newborn in the Light We are desperately in love As we cling together Sharing comfort in the night. Our world seemingly is run By the will of the strong While the good seek the truth But all too often are frightened or confused And, not knowing their confusion, Cannot help the soul That is newborn in the Light. O God hear my prayer Help the new ones Find their way May we not envy the strong Nor become wise in our own conceit Let your gentle truth Be sufficient to light our path And let our love for one another Be our beacon in this dark night.
This is beautiful. There seems to be something missing at the end of the first paragraph. You point to the first line of a poem, but go into the blog. I appreciate the deep level you are willing to share your feelings through your poetry.