Tag Archives: Thoreau

On the Lowly

A.R. Ammons’ poem “Still” reminds us that nothing in the world is lowly, and that everything is in “surfeit of glory.”  And finally he concludes that even the most seemingly lowly things, from beggars to ticks, are “magnificent with being.” … Continue reading

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Humility & Poetry

Eliot says that humility is endless.  And Thoreau says that “humility like darkness reveals the heavenly lights.”  But I’ve been thinking lately about a book called The Wisdom of the Desert, translated by Thomas Merton, which is a compendium of meditations, lessons … Continue reading

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An Activity of the Spirit with Many Names

To write poems before midlife begins, really, is nothing much.  Nothing truly vital competes for one’s consciousness like it will soon.  And the longer we make adolescence, the less a risk writing poetry is for as long as one depends … Continue reading

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