LET BEAUTY GUIDE YOUR PATH

The sinewy neck of blue heron, sun on surf, a burst of eager green after the rains. Writes Rumi, "Let the beauty we love be what we do. There are a hundreds way to kneel and kiss the ground."

In a year that has barely begun and yet has already been marked by incredible ugliness--deaths from Covid, political insurrection, rampant racism––we are called back to our true nature, by beauty. When we awaken to beauty, we realize that we were made to be creators. We were born to bring more beauty into the world.

Attention to the beautiful stirs our passions, puts us in touch with the wonder of life. We can leave an art gallery or a verdant meadow humming with excitement. Beauty entices us to fall in love, write poetry, sing out loud, create art, dance into the night, or sacrifice for something greater than ourselves.

The African praise poem, part of along and venerable oral tradition, is a way of honoring and praising what we find beautiful.

Right now, I invite you to look out your window or take a walk, if possible in a place where you can see the sky or experience some wonder of nature, however small.

Begin your poem with

Praise to…

Then the second line with the words

I am….

Then write a few more lines to complete your poem.

Here’ s my example:

Praise to the wild iris
I am brightness, robed in splendor.
When bees see me they dip their head in pleasure.
When I vanish from the fields, you will look for me,
Even though you know I am gone.

Now it’s your turn. And please post your praise poems below.