Poetry, Soul Wisdom, Books and Gifts for Tending Joy, Touching the Divine, and Bringing the Sacred Home...
from the book What Holds Us, New and Selected Poems
I wrote this poem shortly after 9-11, when I was feeling stunned and unsure of what we are meant to do in our ordinary and yet sacred lives- with such turmoil in the world.
Sometimes the first line is missed in the playing of the slideshow (shoot!) It is: “I hung hope out with the laundry…clothes-pinned tenderly beside a pillow case and two sheets. I could tell she needed air, a sweet puff of wind…”
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Take a moment
to follow your breath.
Breathe in Peace,
Breathe out Love.
Breathe in Peace,
Breathe out Love.
Breathe in Love,
Breathe out Peace.
Breathe in Love,
Breathe out Peace.
Allow yourself to be nourished
and awakened by this simple
practice often.
from the book, Good Mother, Welcome
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When mist settles thick on the water
as far as the eye can see,
may you hold yourself in generosity, asking
what to you endlessly dream?
When the first star breaks its light
through the darkest evening sky,
what is the wish that flutters
in the temple of your heart?
When rain dances with joy
on the roof above your head,
what do you feel most grateful for,
and for what do you give thanks?
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I’m very pleased to announce the arrival of my new book of mystic love poems, Moonlight and Remembrance. What follows is the introduction from the book, and several samples of poems. There are more poems to sample on the product page for the book.
I thought I’d post this love song here. When I first wrote “I Symphony You”, one woman brought her husband to my little shop so I would sing it to him. Another sent it to her estranged boy-friend, and they became engaged. After that they asked me to come sing it at their wedding. I’m happy about that. This is one of the songs on my album, Savor The Days.
It is Tuesday evening and I am writing a post called “Sunday Letter” because somewhere in my thought process around my imperfect blogging methods, I decided that I should write letters on Sundays…. and this, of course, was weeks ago. But I love letters, both the writing and the receiving of them, so I thought it might be a pleasant way to stay in touch…
That Wanted Belonging
I’m peeling potatoes for dinner,
listening to “A Celtic Sojourn” on the radio,
and finding I am homesick for a world
I’ve never visited, much less known.
Does this ever happen to you?
Yet I sense I am close to that
wanted belonging right here~
cooking supper in my kitchen, by the radio,
on a windy winter’s night.
Everything Says “Return”
When you follow the moonlit trail,
everything says return.
As we enter the season of gratitude and generosity (two of my favorite ingredients for a happy life,) I offer you these excerpts from my book Simple Graces for every Meal, and a link to a list I once created on the Best Things in Life. Wishing you all lovely Thanksgivings, with many moments of love, appreciation, and peace. ~Ingrid
Such Blessings we receive!
Such gifts of grace!
If we have wandered from the path of gladness,
Point us back to Life!
~
Let us join together
In the sweetness of this hour
With full and thankful hearts;
Thoughtful and generous minds.
~
Divine Wisdom, Eternal Love,
Infinite Beauty, and Radiant Joy,
We humbly ask your blessings
On this and every day.
~
Let us savor our days,
as we savor this meal.
Let us linger to enjoy
the bounty of each season.
Let us live to declare
we find life itself delicious.
~
We are gathered together
in a circle of plenty,
a circle of love, and a circle of light.
With peaceful hearts, we welcome each other.
With grateful hearts, we give thanks.
~
We dedicate this gathering
to the nourishment of each other,
through good food, thoughtful listening,
loving words and grateful hearts.
May the light of this occasion
reach every corner of the earth.
~
Let the depth of our compassion
nourish all we meet
just as the bounty at this table
nourishes us.
~
In our highest hopes
we see that the world is
one great family:
where it is possible that none go hungry,
where it is possible that justice, love, and health abound,
where it is possible that we may
never question our oneness.
~Ingrid Goff-Maidoff
The Tug of Autumn
At noon I stood in stillness
amidst a cathedral of browning oaks~
chin up, mouth agape, watching
leaves languish from the trees.
It was raining and the tug of autumn
was surely here.
I would like to be wiser, calmer,
more at home in the world.
I’d like to give my days
the delighted artfulness
of courtship, merging, lingering,
bearing witness, offering praise.
I want to hold what holds us.
~Ingrid Goff-Maidoff
