I take refuge by gail onion

I Take Refuge

take refuge in the animal

I take refuge in the leaf fall

I take refuge in the hidden

corners of silence

I take refuge in the eternal circle,

ebbing and flowing

I take refuge in knowing and

not knowing

I take refuge in prayers,

stepping stones over

the dry stream bed

I take refuge where the stream

was and will be again

I take refuge in the overgrown path

that became rock and disappeared

into the mountain

I take refuge in the labyrinth,

where beginnings

and endings are the same place

I take refuge in the full cup

of loving kindness

I take refuge with what is wild and free

and will not be tamed

I take refuge in the animal

I take refuge in the tree

I take refuge in silence

I take refuge in the water

I take refuge in the labyrinth

of mercy, truth and love

–– (C) Gail Onion

• This is an example of a list poem. Write your own list poem, exploring what you take refuge in. Begin simply with the words, I take refuge…

• After you’re written your poem, take a moment to reflect: What do you notice about the people, places, or activities in which you find refuge. Are you inviting enough places of refuge into your life right now? If so, how? If not, why not?

• Write an ALphaPoem, using the word REFUGE written vertically down the page. Each letter in REFUGE begins a new word or line of a poem.