Practice: Savor Sacred Poetry

In celebration of poetry as spiritual practice, we invite you to join us in this practice from our friends at Spirituality & Practice.

In the clatter and clamor of our lives, we need ways to connect deeply with our souls. Whenever we feel depleted, our favorite poets invariably refresh and refuel us.

Poets recognize spiritual teachers all around us. They tell us to take off our blinders and see divine grace operating in our lives. Their songs of praise and lament speak the words it is sometimes hard for us to articulate. They put us into the presence of the ineffable and the holy. They tap into our deepest yearnings and take us on adventures into strange lands and incredible places. They enable us to appreciate the great mysteries at the heart of all our experiences and feelings.

Reading sacred poetry is a time-honored spiritual practice. For this practice, choose a poem that speaks to your heart. Read it aloud to yourself, pausing after each line to close your eyes, take a deep breath, and absorb its inner nourishment.

Here is one from Spirituality & Practice's wonderful Reading Sacred Poetry collections. Browse their extensive collection here.

The Gift
By Zoraida Rivera Morales

This new day is a gift — 
I open my eyes. 
It looks beautiful 
wrapped with Your Love, 
full of possibilities — 
and I haven't even 
taken off the ribbons.

I'll open it slowly 
during the day 
sure to find — 
people to love, 
things to laugh at, 
and places where the touch of my hand 
can make a difference.

What poem or poet do you return to again and again to help you savor the sacred?