A Holiday Message from George (and A Gray Barn Rising, Episode #41) Dear Friends, I trust you’re having a wonderful holiday season, filled with health, well-being, and the closeness of those around you who you hold most dear. I can’t believe it’s been a year already since I began serving as your laureate. It’s been a tremendous honor, and I am grateful to all of you who have helped make my first year rewarding and productive. Of all my wonderful experiences so far, I cherish most the opportunity to meet and make so many new friends, as well as the chance to rekindle older relationships. Poetry is utterly about community, and I send heartfelt thanks for allowing me to participate in yours and for your willingness to extend your thinking about poetry into larger circles. The holidays can be a busy time. As welcome as all the celebrations are, it’s also important for poets and other artists to remember that the more we can be quiet and interiorize our consciousness, the deeper our artistic practices will likely become. Thus—even amidst the celebrations—I hope you’re also taking time to read, write, and bask in the deep quiet and generative solitude this time of year can also offer. To that end, I’m posting a very special “Gray Barn Rising” video this week. Twenty-seven years ago—nearly to the day—I discovered the marvelous Chinese Zen hermit poet, Stonehouse (1273 – 1352 CE). His poems are full of insight, love, and marvel for the world, even in the midst of his reclusiveness. The poems exude deep quietness—and encourage it. How fitting, I thought, to share a poet with whom I first fell in love during the long, dark nights of December. I hope you’ll take a few minutes and watch. And I hope you’ll consider sharing the link with friends and family within Indiana and beyond our borders—both poets and non-poets alike, as Stonehouse’s poems speak across centuries and are accessible to a variety of people. If I haven’t yet had the privilege of visiting your community, I hope to do that soon. And if we haven’t yet met in person and shared a cup of tea, I equally hope that happens sooner than later! My warmest wishes and gratitude to you all, George
Posted on: Mon, 29 Dec 2014 19:45:53 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015