Monday, May 17, 2010

Desiderata

Go placidly amid the noise and haste,


and remember what peace there may be in silence.


As far as possible, without surrender,


be on good terms with all persons.



Speak your truth quietly and clearly;


and listen to others,


even to the dull and ignorant;


they too have their story.



Avoid loud and aggressive persons;


they are vexations to the spirit.


If you compare yourself with others,


you may become vain or bitter,


for always there will be greater


and lesser persons than yourself.



Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.


Keep interested in your own career, however humble,


it's a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.




Exercise caution in your business affairs,


for the world is full of trickery.


But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;


many persons strive for high ideals,


and everywhere life is full of heroism.



Be yourself.


Especially do not feign affection.


Neither be cynical about love;


for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment,


it is as perennial as the grass.



Take kindly the counsel of the years,


gracefully surrendering the things of youth.



Nurture strength of spirit


to shield you in sudden misfortune.


But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.


Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.



Beyond a wholesome discipline,


be gentle with yourself.


You are a child of the universe


no less than the trees and the stars;


you have a right to be here.


And whether or not it is clear to you,


no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.


Therefore be at peace with God,


whatever you conceive him to be.


And whatever your labors and aspirations,


in the noisy confusion of life,


keep peace in your soul.


With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams,


it is still a beautiful world.


Be cheerful.


Strive to be happy.



Author - Max Ehrmann (1872 - 1945)



Friday, May 7, 2010

You Learn by Jorge Luis Borges


After a while you learn the subtle difference
Between holding a hand and chaining a soul,

And you learn that love doesn't mean leaning
And company doesn't mean security.

And you begin to learn that kisses aren't contracts
And presents aren't promises,

And you begin to accept your defeats
With your head up and your eyes open
with the grace of a woman, not the grief of a child,

And you learn to build all your roads on today
Because tomorrow's ground is too uncertain for plans

And futures have a way of falling down in mid-flight.

After a while you learn...
That even sunshine burns if you get too much.

so you plant your garden and decorate your own soul,
Instead of waiting for someone to bring you flowers.

And you learn that you really can endure...

That you really are strong

And you really do have worth...

And you learn and learn...

With every good-bye you learn.


by Jorge Luis Borges

ranslation by Veronica A. Shoffstall

found on Oriah Mountaindreamer's Facebook page

Saturday, May 1, 2010

Poem for Spring Flowers


April
by James Schuyler


The morning sky is clouding up
and what is that tree,
dressed up in white? The fruit
tree, French pear. Sulphur-
yellow bees stud the forsythia
canes leaning down into the transfer
across the park. And trees in
skimpy flower bud suggest
the uses of paint thinner, so
fine the net they cast upon
the wind. Cross-pollination
is the order of the fragrant day.
That was yesterday: today is May,
not April and the magnolias
open their goblets up and
an unseen precipitation
fills them. A gray day in May.

poem from poets.org A Poem a Day