"Go quietly, Carry little."

Poetry, quotations, personal reflections from a lover of the wilderness, a lover of the silence....


Monday, March 16, 2009

When Cold Water is Needed

I don't feel like I can exactly explain why, (Words don't seem to be my friends these days. I've not had my usual intimacy with them of late.) but this little snippet of poetry hit me right between the eyes when I read it this morning:

Even now,
decades after,
I wash my face with cold water --

Not for discipline,
nor memory,
nor the icy, awakening slap,

but to practice
choosing
to make the unwanted wanted.



~Jane Hirshfield

Thanks once again to Barry Briggs. You can read his explanation and the background of the poem here.
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4 comments:

  1. BarbaraMarch 16, 2009 at 1:06 PM

    That is a lovely, spiritual discipline -- to choose to make the unwanted wanted.
    It might even be an appropriate discipline in these times of scarcity, a needed remedy for attitudes of wasteful living.
    It certainly has value on the interpersonal level as well.

    ReplyDelete
  2. AMarch 16, 2009 at 1:20 PM

    Barbara,
    I heartily agree with you. :)
    Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  3. The Rambling TaoistMarch 16, 2009 at 1:24 PM

    In a weird sort of way, I understand this concept. It's why after my recent surgery I have worked to forgo the painkillers. It's certainly not because I'm a masochist who enjoys pain. It's more that I realize that pain is part of life and, to fully live life, we must accept the good with the bad.

    Pain is also instructive. It's conveying a message that this movement or that position results in this effect. By simply blotting out the pain, how can one hear and learn from the message?

    ReplyDelete
  4. AMarch 16, 2009 at 1:31 PM

    RT,
    From your comment it sounds like to me that you totally get the concept. Yes, you're right on the mark. Thank you.

    ReplyDelete

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