I’m really grateful for this space that you’ve created Kaitlin, to connect through our words, ideas, art in community. My heart is longing to find ways to continue beyond this month of May, thank you for this gift.
I too have noticed this longing to continue! There’s been something sacred about this poetry practice. It’s met my soul in a way I didn’t know I needed.
Yes! After seeing a few comments from folks, I think many of us may share that sentiment! Haha, this was just too good!! I so feel you!
I've actually been so moved by the month that I've decided to host my own 21 poem-a-day retreat starting June 1st (so as not to miss even one day! ;D) on my Substack. If that resonates with you, you're so welcome to join several of us from this group there <3
I also know of at least one other person who was actively planning something similar, so what I'd honestly love to see is several of us take the reins and offer such a space on our respective platforms in a long-term consecutive fashion ;)
Wow, I really love this poem, Sarah! Indeed, your perception is remarkable and I'm glad to read your luminous words - they help me unravel many of the complexities I was feeling (surprisingly) about today's prompt.
I, too, feel your longing to continue, but for this, have created my own space to share a daily practice with others! ;) You're so welcome to take part - I would love to see your wisdom shared there.
This is beautiful, Karri! I think you touch something very important here too - "giving it away." There is a significance to exchange in/for/through wisdom. I'm glad you specifically said that :) Thank you!
I hear you Alexandra! I think we all are a biti insecure about our poems. I certainly am. It takes incredible courage and vulnerability to post your poems for all to see and read. I am very glad you have shared your wonderful poems this month! Thank you!
I hear you too, Alexandra :) If I can hop in here too, I just want to tell you specifically at this moment that you truly have a magic touch in your poetry. I honor the challenges of the insecurities, but also, thank you for writing these beautiful words anyways :)
Wow, I really love this one, Alexandra. As our friends have said already, this is stunning!
WOW, I really love the way you lead us with wisdom as a window. "Flinging open my soul" and "shutters" just really hit the spot! I see and honor you so much in your journey <3
This is marvelous A. How truly wise these words are, and how beautiful to celebrate wisdom as joy, playfulness, letting go into pure delight, and seeing the wisdom in the hearts of children. Yoiu are a wisdom keeper for the ages, blessings to you.
This is very nice work, Julie. You bring me along so lyrically and creatively, and the last line soars: "And right tere...is quiet...joy! " Oh yes. Beauitfully said!
Oh YES, Chuck! Thank you so much for this! On multiple levels, thank you. You really captured what I was feeling today in such a clear, eloquent, and (true to your style) real way. This brings me joy and also relief in so many ways. Wonderful :)
HI friends. I love today's prompt. I start my offering with words from Proverbs 4:7, from the First Testament, the Wisdom Writings from the Jewish tradiiton.
Wisdom
“The beginning of wisdom is:
Get wisdom, and whatever you get, get insight.”
The beginning of wisdom and its
Complex and dynamic union with insight.
It has little to do with intellect, SAT, LSAT, GRE or poll numbers.
Wisdom is all about the base, the center, the source.
Get wisdom:
Be present in this precious moment.
Be thoughtful in word, action and response.
Have compassion for your kindreds;
See with your heart as well as your eyes.
Witness to a world that can be,
when all our dreams of harmony coincide.
Be a healer for the nations, your communities, and your home.
Love justice, live kindness, be humble and gentle.
Look behind as well as ahead,
so that none are left behind.
Treat all beings with respect, dignity and peace.
Sustain the earth as if it will continue to be home to humans
For a thousand more centuries.
Shine and show loving kindness to all creatures,
to your beloveds, to your adversaries, and to yourself.
Open the circle wider and wider as we see the beauty in all life
And all our sacred identities.
Open up to the possibility that you are wrong;
Hold gently to beliefs and shed dogma and doctrine.
Treat all life as sacred, and all passings as moments to mourn and grieve.
This is so beautiful, Larry. I love the way you work off this line from Proverbs, and the sheer passionate you have for your kindness and light. Thank you for shining :)
It's always such a pleasure to hear that my poems resonate :) Thanks, Julie!
And oh man, for sure. Particularly for this prompt, which was very confrontational for me, I've really enjoyed reading the other poems and getting more pieces and layers decoded from others <3 It is the prism and the mist through which the light of our truth passes, at once steady and fractal :)
Jillian, both of these poems are remarkable and beautiful. So different, but so true to the beautiful spirit of creativity, creation and wisdom that flows into and from you. You are a true blessing, dear one!
Thank you so much, Larry! Your words feel like medicine every day, especially today when the journey was so rocky! There was something my system wanted to struggle in today, but your words keep me alive in my creative spirit! <3 Blessings to you, friend.
When I mentioned the prompt to my husband today, he said the same quote about the tomato! You so deftly navigated from that phrase to create such a beautiful poem.
Wow, this is one of my very favorite of yours, Steven :) This is superb! I also love the way you spin off the thoughts about the tomato! And you really just pack so much wisdom into every word.
The idea of emptying ourselves to show up for wisdom - LOVE! <3 Thank you.
This resonates so deeply. Therapy, lavender plants, gray hair, and stretch marks are all part of my story as well. Thank you for the reminder that it is all wisdom.
I love this word!!! Sophia, Goddess of wisdom, woman wisdom, source of knowledge and light! Thank you Kaitlin for the wisdom you show in creating this space!
Motherly Wisdom
There is little
that cannot be
mended in
kitchen chairs
and teapots.
My new favourite, for what it is worth.
In part, because my body remembers the truth of it, my heart strings singing.
I could elaborate if there were a place to sit with a hot beverage and some good company.
This response is as melodious as the original poem. Love this, Bob :)
Yes! Spoken truth from a mother of wisdom!
Yes!! So so lovely :) That's so simple and pure wisdom right there <3
I’m really grateful for this space that you’ve created Kaitlin, to connect through our words, ideas, art in community. My heart is longing to find ways to continue beyond this month of May, thank you for this gift.
Wisdom is a sense
attuned to
ethereal spaces
in-between, beneath
liminal, radical
Wisdom is penetrating
invisible energy
buried roots
intangible feelings
sounds of silence
Wisdom is a window
into hidden nature
insight, intuition
into what really
matters
Wisdom is serenity
filtered, unclouded
knowing, innate
born into
nature
I too have noticed this longing to continue! There’s been something sacred about this poetry practice. It’s met my soul in a way I didn’t know I needed.
Yes! After seeing a few comments from folks, I think many of us may share that sentiment! Haha, this was just too good!! I so feel you!
I've actually been so moved by the month that I've decided to host my own 21 poem-a-day retreat starting June 1st (so as not to miss even one day! ;D) on my Substack. If that resonates with you, you're so welcome to join several of us from this group there <3
I also know of at least one other person who was actively planning something similar, so what I'd honestly love to see is several of us take the reins and offer such a space on our respective platforms in a long-term consecutive fashion ;)
Oh I love this poem Sarah! Your wisdom is remarkable! I especially love these lines:
"Wisdom is a window
into hidden nature
insight, intuition
into what really
matters."
How beauitfully profound and piercing. Thank you!
Wow, I really love this poem, Sarah! Indeed, your perception is remarkable and I'm glad to read your luminous words - they help me unravel many of the complexities I was feeling (surprisingly) about today's prompt.
I, too, feel your longing to continue, but for this, have created my own space to share a daily practice with others! ;) You're so welcome to take part - I would love to see your wisdom shared there.
Wisdom
Does wisdom come with age,
Like wool gathered through the years?
Does wisdom come with heartache,
Grown in the heart's soil and watered with tears?
Does wisdom come from God,
Given only to those who pray?
Or does wisdom come to anyone,
Who can listen, and learn, and then give it away?
Karri Temple Brackett
May 27, 2023
https://themarvelousandthemundane.com/2023/05/27/wisdom-2/
Yea, use it ot lose it.
This is beautiful, Karri! I think you touch something very important here too - "giving it away." There is a significance to exchange in/for/through wisdom. I'm glad you specifically said that :) Thank you!
I fling open my soul to the mysteries of the world
Open the shutters to the vast expanse of the universe
Let the light stream on in
Illuminating
Everything
I throw away certainty and rightness and crack myself wide
Like a hatching bird
Not yet ready to fly
I am like a tree, rooted
I am like a leaf, falling
This is where wisdom lives,
In surrender
Yes, the innocence and simplicity. Wisdom arrives!
This is stunningly beautiful, Alexandra! A megnificient work of art and heart. I love each and every word!
Thank you Larry! I am a slightly insecure poet, so your encouragement means a lot.
I hear you Alexandra! I think we all are a biti insecure about our poems. I certainly am. It takes incredible courage and vulnerability to post your poems for all to see and read. I am very glad you have shared your wonderful poems this month! Thank you!
I hear you too, Alexandra :) If I can hop in here too, I just want to tell you specifically at this moment that you truly have a magic touch in your poetry. I honor the challenges of the insecurities, but also, thank you for writing these beautiful words anyways :)
Love following you!
Oh wow, thank you Jillian. Before this month I wrote prose much more than poetry, and your encouraging words are so meaningful to me. Thank you! 🥺
I love this, Alexandra! It encapsulates so much of what I’m learning these days. Thank you!
Thank you! I’m so glad it resonates with you 🤍
Wow, I really love this one, Alexandra. As our friends have said already, this is stunning!
WOW, I really love the way you lead us with wisdom as a window. "Flinging open my soul" and "shutters" just really hit the spot! I see and honor you so much in your journey <3
Gorgeous.
Wisdom doesn’t ask it simply reveals
Itself to those who dare to feel the feels
Wisdom comes in the tiniest of ways
The land, the flowers the streams, the bays
Don’t look for it outside the natural spaces
For tender wisdom will be found in other places
Rather, seek it in our Land and in your Heart
Find it within your own Poetry and your own Art
"simply reveals" just yummy!
Yes!
Ooooh I love this!
This is very nice, Jimmy! I like the rhymes and this phrase:
"Don’t look for it outside the natural spaces
For tender wisdom will be found in other places
Rather, seek it in our Land and in your Heart"
Very sweet!
I love this one, Jimmy. To feeling the feels!
Yes!
I love this, Jimmy. Especially:
"Don’t look for it outside the natural spaces
For tender wisdom will be found in other places
Rather, seek it in our Land and in your Heart
Find it within your own Poetry and your own Art"
Thanks for this - so soft and tender and pure <3
I've been called
wise beyond my years
more than once,
but the older I get,
the less I believe that
wisdom comes from age.
After all, what could be wiser
than a child instinctively
digging their hands into the earth,
splashing in the water,
laughing when they are happy,
crying when they are sad,
eating when they are hungry,
stopping when they are full,
moving when they are restless,
resting when they are tired,
reaching out when they need comfort,
stomping their feet at injustice,
and deciding everyone they see
should be their friend?
WOW. WOW :) I don't want to say anything else. This is a TRIUMPH, A. Might be one of my top two from you yet <3
There is so much wisdom here, and so much medicine I'm grateful to receive right now. Thank you so much, this is wonderful :)
Thank you, Jillian! I immediately thought of my kids when I saw the prompt. ❤️
That’s wonderful 😊 Says a lot and makes me smile.
Yes!!
This is marvelous A. How truly wise these words are, and how beautiful to celebrate wisdom as joy, playfulness, letting go into pure delight, and seeing the wisdom in the hearts of children. Yoiu are a wisdom keeper for the ages, blessings to you.
Thank you so much, Larry!
Wisdom is not something that is granted or conquered
nor about how many years one has lived
Forged with every conscious and intentional step
it’s through living an examined life
Within the battle worn, frayed
frenzied storms of living
Inside the sweet tender moments
where vulnerability opens like an unfurling fern
Present with our ever-changing emotional waters
as their fluidity ebbs and flows
Being willing to fall down, to get up
and to repeat this again and again
Not just by surviving or existing but
contemplating each encounter
releasing judgments and preferences
fully meeting life as it is
Letting the deeper understandings
arise, bubbling up from our cavernous belly
To simply wander, to wonder
as a rewilding, untaming, returning home
For this greater mystery cannot ever be solved
And right there…is quiet…joy!
This is very nice work, Julie. You bring me along so lyrically and creatively, and the last line soars: "And right tere...is quiet...joy! " Oh yes. Beauitfully said!
Wow, Julie, this is masterful. You truly write in your wisdom here. So much I love about it <3
"cavernous belly," "rewilding" - awesome!
Like the porno judge claiming
he knows it when he sees it,
I know it when I hear it.
and I will try to give it
the silent native chew it surely deserves.
Wisdom sharpens wisdom.
Anything else is just owls.
or a quartet of teeth.
“Silent native chew” is my favorite part 😊
A nod to the indigenous way of debate
You’ve done it justice for sure 😊
Oh YES, Chuck! Thank you so much for this! On multiple levels, thank you. You really captured what I was feeling today in such a clear, eloquent, and (true to your style) real way. This brings me joy and also relief in so many ways. Wonderful :)
Wisdom is a gift from my grandmothers as I become more like them each year.
Wisdom is listening to my sons who are young and wise, too.
Wisdom is right here between young and old- neither and both, wise and new.
Wisdom is ageless.
Neither and both. yup.
YES! This is so beautiful, Danis :) Really glad to see your shares each day now - you have such a gift, and incredible wisdom.
I'm glad you brought this component of the wisdom conversation - age. Indeed, it is ageless :)
Sometimes I feel wise,
Some days I act otherwise,
Ridiculous and impulsive,
Brash and reckless.
Apparently, I am,
Still learning,
To be wise.
OH, yes! I love this SO much, Liz! So honest, so playful, so introspective. This experience you capture here is VERY wise :) Thank you!
HI friends. I love today's prompt. I start my offering with words from Proverbs 4:7, from the First Testament, the Wisdom Writings from the Jewish tradiiton.
Wisdom
“The beginning of wisdom is:
Get wisdom, and whatever you get, get insight.”
The beginning of wisdom and its
Complex and dynamic union with insight.
It has little to do with intellect, SAT, LSAT, GRE or poll numbers.
Wisdom is all about the base, the center, the source.
Get wisdom:
Be present in this precious moment.
Be thoughtful in word, action and response.
Have compassion for your kindreds;
See with your heart as well as your eyes.
Witness to a world that can be,
when all our dreams of harmony coincide.
Be a healer for the nations, your communities, and your home.
Love justice, live kindness, be humble and gentle.
Look behind as well as ahead,
so that none are left behind.
Treat all beings with respect, dignity and peace.
Sustain the earth as if it will continue to be home to humans
For a thousand more centuries.
Shine and show loving kindness to all creatures,
to your beloveds, to your adversaries, and to yourself.
Open the circle wider and wider as we see the beauty in all life
And all our sacred identities.
Open up to the possibility that you are wrong;
Hold gently to beliefs and shed dogma and doctrine.
Treat all life as sacred, and all passings as moments to mourn and grieve.
Continue to tell and hear the stories.
Read these words and let them go.
Hold me in your heart for a little while longer,
And then in heartfelt joy, let me go.
Walk with the power of beauty,
May Love always be your guiding light.
This is so beautiful, Larry. I love the way you work off this line from Proverbs, and the sheer passionate you have for your kindness and light. Thank you for shining :)
I love all of this, but "look behind as well as ahead, so that none are left behind" especially spoke to me. Beautiful, Larry.
I really love this line too :)
Wisdom
.
The wisest of all
Is taking a step back, not
Twisting up your truth.
.
.
In a time where
People vye hard for the top spot,
Or even where we fight so hard inside
To be our best,
I must be honest with myself,
Take a chill pill and a step back,
And turn to the wisdom
Of the wise who came before me.
.
“No need to take life too seriously” -
It’s a constant creation
And you won’t miss your chance.
There’s goodness left for you,
And you need do nothing for it.
.
“Just listen” -
To your body and your heart.
We created ourselves foolproof,
Keeping the internal navigation systems
Saved up after every trip close
So that we could start this life already found.
.
“Enjoy the damn thing” -
After all the creating, after all of the “work,”
Your world is a gift waiting for your celebration.
If pleasure comes from within,
It’s your responsibility to unlock it for us all.
.
So go for it.
Start the party.
Don’t think about it.
I wrote two today, because the prompt felt challenging. A lot on my mind and heart with this.
.
Wisdom
At the edge of the spring
At the root of the willow tree
In a bold word
In a quiet word
In leading through love
In a well-placed tender hug
On more than the page
In more than the mind
With age and with youth
With sickness and with health
Total, humble, ineffable
Waiting
Wow both are so different in the feelings they evoke in me. Another perspective of wisdom unveiled. Poetry is amazing that way.
It's always such a pleasure to hear that my poems resonate :) Thanks, Julie!
And oh man, for sure. Particularly for this prompt, which was very confrontational for me, I've really enjoyed reading the other poems and getting more pieces and layers decoded from others <3 It is the prism and the mist through which the light of our truth passes, at once steady and fractal :)
Jillian, both of these poems are remarkable and beautiful. So different, but so true to the beautiful spirit of creativity, creation and wisdom that flows into and from you. You are a true blessing, dear one!
Thank you so much, Larry! Your words feel like medicine every day, especially today when the journey was so rocky! There was something my system wanted to struggle in today, but your words keep me alive in my creative spirit! <3 Blessings to you, friend.
I'm so glad you shared both! I love the perspective of each.
Thanks, A! Briefly considered not doing so... but it was a full bodied journey that needed to come together :) Ever grateful to be seen by you.
wisdom
is many things
the difference between
knowledge and wisdom
knowledge is knowing
a tomato is a fruit
wisdom is knowing
not to put a tomato in a fruit salad
as if wisdom the
experience of playing with knowledge
there is a spirit of wisdom
that artists possess
from learning and
practicing their craft
there is a wisdom tradition
from scriptures
and holy people
imparting words
gently so
quieted minds
can absorb them
there is a wisdom
that creation knows
and we don't
but sacred texts
show us
if we dare to see
wisdom is more than
being smart
as many
without wisdom
will proclaim too loudly
wisdom is
eternal and yet situational
universal and yet contextual
beyond us and yet within us
but for the latter
we need the courage
to empty ourselves
to be vulnerable
to be silent
so we can notice it
then we need
to be willing
to be wrong
to make mistakes
to experience the uncomfortable
within us and out in the world
so we can gain wisdom
Very nice Steven. The wisdom traditions and writings are among my favorites in every spkritual tradition. Thank you for sharing your wisdom!
When I mentioned the prompt to my husband today, he said the same quote about the tomato! You so deftly navigated from that phrase to create such a beautiful poem.
Wow, this is one of my very favorite of yours, Steven :) This is superb! I also love the way you spin off the thoughts about the tomato! And you really just pack so much wisdom into every word.
The idea of emptying ourselves to show up for wisdom - LOVE! <3 Thank you.
what good is wisdom
if there is no compassion
together? divine!
Nicely said, Bob.
This resonates so deeply. Therapy, lavender plants, gray hair, and stretch marks are all part of my story as well. Thank you for the reminder that it is all wisdom.
I love this word!!! Sophia, Goddess of wisdom, woman wisdom, source of knowledge and light! Thank you Kaitlin for the wisdom you show in creating this space!
YES! Sophia :)