☀️ The Daily Boost #797

Let's hold one another

The Daily Boost (published weekdays) is one of the newsletters of The Raft, the online community of author Phyllis Cole-Dai. We Rafters ride the river of life buoyed by music, poetry, and other arts, along with open spiritual practice. Most everything here is free, but patrons (paid subscribers) get some special perks because Phyllis is extra grateful for their support.  Sign up here:

The lyrics to this song were shapes from the final essay in Nothing Personal by the late James Baldwin, who writes:

This is why one must say Yes to life and embrace it whenever it is found—and it is found in terrible places; nevertheless, there it is.

[…]

For nothing is fixed, forever and forever and forever, it is not fixed; the earth is always shifting, the light is always changing, the sea does not cease to grind down rock. Generations do not cease to be born, and we are responsible to them because we are the only witnesses they have.

The sea rises, the light fails, lovers cling to each other, and children cling to us. The moment we cease to hold each other, the moment we break faith with one another, the sea engulfs us and the light goes out.

(My thanks to James Baldwin, singer-songwriter Morley, guitarist Chris Bruce, and cellist Dave Eggar, via Maria Popova and The Marginalian.)

The Gentle Nudge

• THURSDAY: Poetry Pick-Me-Up (Zoom, 12:00-1:00PM Central, at this link)

• SEPTEMBER 9: “Riffing on The Singing Stick”—my online book bash. I’d love for you to come! Details and RSVP here.