No, seriously. Today really is Poem in my Pocket Day. So if you thought you missed it yesterday, you didn’t. Here’s the poem that I’m carrying around:
Welcome Morning
by Anne Sexton
There is joy
in all:
in the hair I brush each morning,
in the Cannon towel, newly washed,
that I rub my body with each morning,
in the chapel of eggs I cook
each morning,
in the outcry from the kettle
that heats my coffee
each morning,
in the spoon and the chair
that cry “hello, there, Anne”
each morning,
in the godhead of the table
that I set my silver, plate, cup upon
each morning.
All this is God,
right here in my pea-green house
each morning
and I mean,
though often forget,
to give thanks,
to faint down by the kitchen table
in a prayer of rejoicing
as the holy birds at the kitchen window
peck into their marriage of seeds.
So while I think of it,
let me paint a thank-you on my palm
for this God, this laughter of the morning,
lest it go unspoken.
The Joy that isn’t shared, I’ve heard
dies young.
From, Good Poems: Selected and Introduced by Garrison Keillor
Beautiful – I really like Anne Sexton.
I really love Anne Sexton, particularly these lines in this poem:
All this is God,
right here in my pea-green house
each morning
This is a particularly inspiring and wonderful poem, and I have to agree with Serena, those lines are simply beautiful. Great poem to be carrying in your pocket today!
I missed poem in my pocket day.
Awww. It’s okay. I celebrated twice. You can still celebrate it tomorrow.
beautiful & in the spirit of sharing.
Ahh, Mist – Xiao Kaiyu
A mountain top? A house? A person?
please don’t breathe out again
please don’t put today to sleep
please don’t force it out, don’t
please don’t open your mouth
please don’t believe in the buoyancy of air
and let down a first well-meaning desire
let down a hand held out
a dazzling face
an intoxicating waist
a morning light held close too long
a silently burning scruple
My damp body has already reached noon
my luke-warm heart is already in middle years
I watch the mist scatter into a feeble sunlight
I pass through a thicket of statues
open a book from which almost all type-face has fled
encourage a very small dream
This poem is truly beautiful. Thank you for sharing it. I have read some Anne Sexton before, but never this poem. Of what I’ve read, this is definitely my favorite.
I love the phrase “chapel of eggs”–she’s right, they totally look like little congregants sitting in the egg carton like that. Thanks for posting. I had read Sexton’s Transformations and didn’t love it, but you’ve inspired me to give her another try.
That is a beautiful, and most worthy, poem to carry in your pocket. And in your head. And to refer to throughout one’s day as a reminder to be grounded in what is good.
Such a lovely poem and reminder to be grateful for every day and all of the small things that make our lives beautiful. Thanks for sharing this one.
I’m glad you enjoyed this poem, Kathleen.
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