Gentle
by Alfred K. LaMotteA gentler world begins
in the way you touch your heart.
Be soft with the light inside you.
Caress your body with this breath.
God is nothing else
but the place where the sun comes up
in your chest.
You are the glimmering destination.
You are the gold honey daubed
on the bread of the ordinary.
Whatever is perfect,
whatever is heavenly,
begins here.
This poem is included in the The Wonder of Small: Poems of Peace and Renewal, edited by James Crews, and published in 2023 by Storey Publishing. (It is a lovely anthology of poems.) According to the information included about each poet in the collection, Alfred K. LaMotte has authored five books of poetry. A graduate of Yale University and Princeton Theological Seminary, LaMotte is a meditation teacher, interfaith college chaplain, and instructor in world religions. He lives in a small town on Puget Sound with his wife.
====
If you’re wondering what this “advent calendar” is all about, you can read my “intro” post here.
I love the honey and bread imagery and I really love the photo of the cardinal in snow.
Beautiful! I don’t have this anthology, but I think I need to have it in my library! (I love the God imagery… it is personal… private… exactly what it should be.)
love the imagery … and the idea that it all begins inside each of us. thank you, Kym!
That’s just beautiful, imagine how the world would change if we all looked at ourselves that way?
How lovely Kym. Like Bonny, I like the honey and bread image and (like Mary) that it all begins inside each of us. Thank you for sharing this.
Beautiful! I love the imagery of “Be soft with the light inside you” — I think we should all nurture that light so that it grows.