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This is the opening of a long poem from Juliana Spahr.
GENTLE NOW, DON’T ADD TO HEARTACHE
Juliana Spahr
one
We come into the world.
We come into the world and there it is.
The sun is there.
The brown of the river leading to the blue and the brown of the
ocean is there.
Salmon and eels are there moving between the brown and the
brown and the blue.
The green of the land is there.
Elders and youngers are there.
We come into the world and we are there.
Fighting and possibility and love are there.
And we begin to breathe.
We come into the world and there it is.
We come into the world without and we breathe it in.
We come into the world and begin to move between the brown and
the blue and the green of it.
(My thanks to Juliana Spahr, via Poetry Daily.)
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.
We're just a tiny speck, there we are. This is so beautiful and simple, yet the message powerful. And the salmon, the salmon!
And here we be :)