Ever since watching Amanda Gorman recite her poem The Hill We Climb at President Biden and Vice President Harris’s inaugurations, I have had poetry on my mind. I’m reminded of the simplicity and power that the right words can invoke with such emotion and inspiration. Because I was so taken by her, I was tempted to just provide a link to the video and reprint Gorman’s poem for us all to revisit. That was until Thom came across a poem written by the late John O’Donohue that also deserves to be remembered and absorbed. To me, his poem, For A New Beginning is a perfect poem for the start of a new year and a new era in our country. Besides that, his message echoes so much of what I consistently write here on SMART Living 365. I don’t know about you, but I welcome this new beginning for myself and the world.
FOR A NEW BEGINNING
In out-of-the-way places of the heart,
Where your thoughts never think to wander,
This beginning has been quietly forming,
Waiting until you were ready to emerge.
For a long time it has watched your desire,
Feeling the emptiness growing inside you,
Noticing how you willed yourself on,
Still unable to leave what you had outgrown.
It watched you play with the seduction of safety
And the gray promises that sameness whispered,
Heard the waves of turmoil rise and relent,
Wondered would you always live like this.
Then the delight, when your courage kindled,
And out you stepped onto new ground,
Your eyes young again with energy and dream,
A path of plenitude opening before you.
Though your destination is not yet clear
You can trust the promise of this opening;
Unfurl yourself into the grace of beginning
That is at one with your life’s desire.
Awaken your spirit to adventure;
Hold nothing back, learn to find ease in risk;
Soon you will be home in a new rhythm,
For your soul senses the world that awaits you.
John O’Donohue (1 January 1956 – 4 January 2008) was an Irish poet, author, priest, and Hegelian philosopher. He was a native Irish speaker, and as an author is best known for popularizing Celtic spirituality. This poem is from his book To Bless the Space Between Us
Ms. Gorman’s poem was powerful and very much needed at that moment. Also, her presentation spoke volumes about her self-confidence for such a young woman.
Over the weekend I read of an interesting way of producing a piece of poetry: erasure poetry.
Take a printed article from anywhere: magazine, book, blog post, or newspaper, and create a unique poem by starting at the beginning and erasing or crossing out words, leaving just the words to create a poem.
I haven’t it yet, but love the idea.
Hi Bob! I had NEVER read of erasure poetry before. Are you planning to write some and post it on your blog??? I’ll be watching for it. As for me, hmmmmm…I’ll have to think about it!!! ~Kathy
I have never run across that idea before, either. But, yes, I am going to give it go. Whether it makes it as far as a blog post is yet to be determined!
I’ll be watching for it!
Hi Kathy, the poem by Amanda Gorman was amazing and her words touched my heart, even all the way over here in Australia. The poem you’ve included here also tugs at me and I love that it is a great way to look at the new year, despite the hurdles we all have going on in our lives and the way the world is in a bit of a mess at the moment. We have to stay positive and these words matter a great deal. Thanks for sharing your lovely post.
Hi Debbie! As you know I am a big fan of the positive–even when it’s challenging. I tend to believe that the only way out of a mess is through it (or over it!) and it never works to ignore it! Hopefully we are continuing on that journey and this poem and Amanda’s take me there. Thanks for your thoughts and for saying “Hi!” for your side of the planet! ~Kathy
I was awe-struck when I listened to Amanda’s poem during the inauguration. As many were, probably. Wow! That is one powerful message. She is intelligent, creative, and brave. She is our future and it gives me hope about the younger generations. Thanks for sharing John’s poem as well, Kathy. While 2021 brings a new beginning, so far, it feels like more of the same. We will all have to do some effort to remain positive!
Hi Liesbet! I won’t pretend that January was easy in our family but the optimist in me ALWAYS responds to poetry like Amanda’s and John’s. And the advantage of Thom and I being 65 is also good news for us both because we are definitely looking forward to that in the near future so we can be more like you and John! Happy travels until then. ~Kathy
Hi Kathy! What a beautiful powerful poem! The poem finding me today means more than you’ll ever know. Amanda Gorman my goodness gracious and that little one is just getting started. She does our name proud.
Hi Amanada! YES…All Amandas everywhere should celebrate her wisdom and power! (Actually I think all women should–shoot! I mean everyone!) Can’t wait to see where this “Beginning” will lead her in the years to come. Now for the rest of us… ~Kathy
Oh wow, Kathy, that poem really spoke to me! I think it is definitely a time of growth and change for our country (and maybe for humanity in general), and that poem also echoed my personal journey. I thought that I was leaving the illusion of “safety” behind once and for all when I left my job in Michigan and moved across the country. But it’s been a lesson that I have revisited over and over again.
Thank you for sharing this!
Hi Bethany! So glad you liked it. And isn’t it tempting to think we might eventually be past all the turmoil and “arrive” at a place of safety? May we all get to a place where we hold nothing back and “learn to find ease in risk;” It’s the journey right? ~Kathy
You know, there have been some people who have gotten really excited about my story, then were turned away when they saw that I had not “arrived.” I know that tells more about them than it does about me, but I think we all like neat and tidy endings, after the adventure. But that isn’t how life works. Personally, I am enjoying my current stability and looking forward to whatever the next adventure is, on my horizon!
Good for you Bethany! Ever since I’ve known you (on your blog mostly), I know you are an explorer AND and an adventurer. No one said it would be easy and at times it actually sucks. But I wouldn’t have it any other way and I’m guessing you wouldn’t either. Let’s enjoy the journey as much as possible. ~Kathy
I love the work of John O’Donohue. As he says in an “Irish Blessing’ the right words put together can be an “invisible cloak to mind your life.” That’s something that we can all desperately use right now. To quote Amanda Gorman, “words matter”. Thank you for sharing these powerful and uplifting words here.
Hi Donna! Ah yes…doesn’t poetry remind us all that words matter? And I love that line, “invisible cloak to mind your life.” Thanks for letting me know you liked it. 🙂 ~Kathy
Lovely poem! I first ran across John O’Donohue on a bulletin board outside a rural Scottish chapel (the Rosslyn one, actually — the one that turned up in Dan Brown). A poem and blessing of his had been reprinted on a flyer, and it gripped my imagination, which has always gravitated more to archetypes than emotional fervor. Thanks for posting it!
Hi Nancy! Wow! Talk about serendipity in such a place! I honestly can’t remember if I’ve heard this poem before but Thom and I did have the pleasure of hearing him talk and recite some of his poetry at an IONS conference here in La Quinta years ago. Unfortunately his Scottish brogue was so thick it was kinda difficult to understand him. Still, you could tell he spoke from a place deep within himself and it was a privilege to hear him speak–especially when he left the planet so early and abruptly. Glad you liked it! ~Kathy
Kathy, leaving the comfort and security of ‘sameness’ for a life of truth and adventure would mean awakening to, at the very least, a desire for individuality and self-reliance. I see more people gravitating toward ‘herd mentality’ than enlightenment which saddens me. I am generally optimistic about our nation uniting in the center, but, until we learn to dial down the ‘noise’ and go back to the first stanza of this poem, change can’t happen.
Thank you for doing your part to ‘educate’ and advocate living from your own center of truth. I love, love, love this poem.
Hi Suzanne! I think you know I agree with everything you’ve said here. And the only type of herd mentality I want to be part of us safety from COVID with a vaccine. However, I do believe that we have to stay optimistic because even though that “noise” is pretty loud in some places, we need to recognize that in our own small way you (and I) spread that hope to everyone who reads our blogs and we talk to. Even when I get discouraged there is that in me that feels like it is my responsibility to share the light whenever I can–and I’m pretty sure you are the same. 🙂 Thank YOU for letting me know this poem resonated with you like it did with me. ~Kathy
Hi Kathy, Thanks for sharing the poem! Yes, I watched her as well. What an inspiring young woman. She has so much spirit and joy emanating through her body and it just came out when she was speaking at the inauguration. They couldn’t have made a better choice. And, yes, a new beginning is exactly what everyone needs in 2021. Start afresh and look to the future. Thanks, again, for the reminder about we can always begin again.
Hi Debbie! We certainly haven’t seen the last of Amanda. As for John, he was such a talent and unfortunately gone far too soon. ~Kathy
I couldn’t agree more!!! Passing of the torch in some respects.
What a great poem. Thanks for sharing it.
You’re welcome Janet! Thank YOU for letting me know you appreciated it! ~Kathy
I love the poem which expresses the inner and outer feelings of so many of us in poignant verse.
Hi Jim. Isn’t that the truth? I so admire how a good poet does that. ~Kathy