Journal of Sacred Work

“We crave truth tellers. We crave real truth. There is so much boloney all the time. What matters is an under girding truth that I think is the power of poetry.” ~Elizabeth Alexander

 What is our truth? Our story, yet to unfold? Are we curious to know about one another? These are questions that make for an interesting journey. I am learning that perhaps least important is having all the answers.

 Poet, Elizabeth Alexander shared these thoughts about exploring truth in a recent interview, “I was thinking about the act of asking real questions in poems as a kind of spiritual practice.  I ask questions relatively often in poems and I ask them because I don't know the answer.  And I ask them because I think that poems are fantastic spaces with which to arrive at real conundrum kinds of questions, to go as far down the road as you can of understanding something and then sometimes that road ends with a real question.”

 This week, I shared a memorable moment with a colleague.  She said to me, “Sometimes I don’t know how to get from a superficial conversation to a more meaningful connection with people.  It seems to take so long to get there.”  Yet, we know it when we "get there" because the experience is so magical. It's when you reach a level of intimacy and feel at home to be truly you. There, we discover the warm embrace of mutual hospitality.

 I tend to be someone who wants to connect on a deeper level too.  So much so, that I wish to skip over surface level of communication. Yet, I can find myself at a loss to say anything seemingly worthwhile.  I'd rather not speak at all,  if my words are empty chatter meant only to fill up space. Therefore awkward pauses can ensue. For me, musical chant is a powerful and awakening way to be in communion with others. It takes me deep into my  heart  space without overthinking how I relate to others.

  The  easy rhythmic flow of talking draws me in to listen, more than to speak. The art of conversation is a trait I'd like to cultivate. As I write this, I find myself coming full circle to a simple realization. It really does not matter so much, what I say. What matters is the sincerity with which I/we show up for one another. When we have a genuine intention, it shines through and can help place the other person at ease.

 As I finished this sentence and put down my pen, I happened  into a conversation with a stranger who sat next to me on the plane trip home. I experienced a delightful friendliness and connection with him. A reminder of what can occur when we get beyond the initial barrier of not knowing someone.

Interviewer, Krista Tippett asked Alexander, “I wonder if you think that poetry for all of us actually gives us a way to point at those interior spaces that would reawaken, as you say, this essential interest in each other, which makes new futures possible?”  What a wonderful question in and of itself!

  In closing, I’d like to share one of Elizabeth Alexander's poem's.

Praise Song for the Day

What if the mightiest word is love?

Love beyond marital, filial, national,

love that casts a widening pool of light,

love with no need to pre-empt grievance.

In today's sharp sparkle, this winter air,

any thing can be made, any sentence begun.

On the brink, on the brim, on the cusp,

praise song for walking forward in that light.

 ~liz Sorensen Wessel

Note: You can listen to the interview with Elizabeth Alexander called, “Words that Shimmer” at NPR’s on Being, with Krista Tippett (Jan 6, 2011)  http://being.publicradio.org/programs/2011/words-that-shimmer/

In addition, the above  image is from the internet.