waking

Thanks to my new cyber friend Diane at Contemplative Photography I have been introduced to the work of John O'Donohue, described on a book jacket as a Catholic scholar, but who more specifically, to me, is a Celtic mystic. But I've only just started his book Eternal Echoes, so I might be wrong about the mystic part. I can tell you this--wisdom exudes from what he writes by the bucketfull.

Before I'd even gotten to the table of contents I was bowled over by poetry so rich with imagery that I knew I had to share it here. Perhaps because I am a person for whom metaphor is so effective as a means of grasping the nuances and complexities of the world that can be difficult to apprehend otherwise, his poem, Matins, sank into my soul like water on parched ground.

I went in search of an image to reflect daybreak and then had to do a forehead slap. I had my own! This is from the balcony of my room somewhere in the Gulf of Mexico cruising toward Cozumel. (Hey cruise-mates, I miss ya!).

Without further ado, John O'Donohue:

Matins

I.
Somewhere, out at the edges, the night
Is turning and the waves of darkness
Begin to brighten the shore of dawn.

The heavy dark falls back to earth
And the freed air goes wild with light,
The heart fills with fresh, bright breath
And thoughts stir to give birth to colour.

II.
I arise today

In the name of Silence
Womb of the Word,
In the name of Stillness
Home of Belonging.
In the name of the Solitude
Of the Soul and the Earth.

I arise today

Blessed by all things,
Wings of breath,
Delight of eyes,
Wonder of whisper,
Intimacy of touch,
Eternity of soul,
Urgency of thought,
Miracle of health,
Embrace of God.

May I live this day

Compassionate of heart,
Gentle in word,
Gracious in awareness,
Courageous in thought,
Generous in love.