Poems for Stuart, Part 2
Last time I read a poem by Marie Howe called “The Gate.” It’s one of the poems I considered reading for my friend Stuart who was visiting from Australia, and wished to capture a bit of video in which I would read something that spoke to where my life is right now, sort of the state of my spirit. Well, that was a difficult choice. Several poems came to mind almost at once. Each acknowledged life’s difficulty and darkness, but also hope and recovery. I’ve read a lot of what they call “Mindfulness Poetry” this last year. And the poems that mean most to me are the ones that recognize the reality of our suffering, but also the presence or potential of our joy. It is joy and peace which I can choose to move toward, and to live in.
So I emailed three poems to myself to be read from my phone that day, and I carried one hard copy of another with me. I would know when the time came which was the right poem to read. And though the one I read on video was the most fitting for the moment, and for the beautiful summer afternoon on which we recorded it, I felt it would be good to display the runners-up here on the blog, because they too are important, too important to not be read out loud.
Poems are created to be voiced, even if it’s just in your mind’s ear. You may have heard me say here on The Dad Poet in the past that a great way to get to know a poet, and what she or he was up to, is to read their works out loud. And I guess Stuart’s request has created in me a need to further explore why these particular poems chose me, and what else I can learn about myself and the poet who wrote them, by reading them for you.
As for the state of my soul . . .
Despite what horrors are brought to us from near and far, instantly through the marvels of our own created technologies–shootings and bombings, or the troubles from Brexit to Trump, in spite of lost friends and loved ones, life is ultimately good. I believe that. And while some days are very dark, most days it is not so much the darkness, but how we react to and choose to act in the dark that matters.
I choose to be at peace as much as possible, to sway like a branch when the wind blows, but not to be lost from the tree and my roots in it. I have much to be grateful for; I have three sons who have grown up to be good, kind, and intelligent young men; I have friends who stick, as that old book says, closer than brothers; I have the love and devotion of one particular man who cherishes my life. If I had only one of these things, I would be a fortunate man, rich beyond telling.
The original text by poet Jack Gilbert can be found by clicking here. Previous posts and recordings about, and of Gilbert can be found here.
David J. Bauman 
Not there yet. Maybe later.
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I believe I understand. Brian, I am not sure why I had that whole long ‘statement of faith,’ or statement on reason, might be a better phrase for it, but it really didn’t belong on this post. Maybe it belongs somewhere on this blog, and while I kind of know why my mind made the connections to just write it all out on this post, it really should have the focus that it has now, not that I’ve carved that out and set it aside for later. No sense in diverting attention from this beautiful poem just to use the blog as my personal journal.
Thanks for being so patient with me, and anyone who happened to see the Podcast Test, my sincerest apologies! 🙂 That was supposed to remain hidden while I tested some things out. But what’s this about a podcast? shhhh . . . . nobody’s supposed to know about that yet. 😉
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I have no problem with anything you have posted here. And anyway, you deserve all the patience in the world.
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Thanks, Brian. The contents of the rest of that post will come back, and they were appropriate to what I was feeling, but it just strayed a bit far from the original intent of that post. I’ll repost it soon, perhaps with another poem. Thank you for everything, including that generous patience.
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