Borrowed words

It’s hard to hide my disappointment with the news cycle this week. I am not surprised, but I try to be hopeful. Yet, it’s been a complete letdown. Sometimes I think it would be much better to refrain from keeping up with the news at all, but then again, I don’t see a lesson in avoidance. I think we are all going to need a considerable amount of patience to get through this election year. Myself included. 

In the meantime, I came across a beautiful poem by Czeslaw Milosz. These borrowed words gave me comfort and a much-needed reminder to pause and think of the simpler things in life. I hope they do the same for you.

A day so happy.
Fog lifted early, I worked in the garden.
Hummingbirds were stopping over honeysuckle flowers.
There was no thing on earth I wanted to possess.
I knew no one worth my envying him.
Whatever evil I had suffered, I forgot.
To think that once I was the same man did not embarrass me.
In my body I felt no pain.
When straightening up, I saw the blue sea and sails.

*This poem was highlighted in Erik Rittenberry’s Medium article and shared by a friend on social media.