Mindful Poetry Gathering- February 2023

This month for Mindful Poetry Moments we gathered to listen and contemplate two poems–"Hope is the Thing With Feathers" by Emily Dickinson and "We are of a tribe" by Alberto Ríos. Stacy Sims opened with a grounding and breath-focusing meditation. Katie Rouse and Emily Little selected and presented the poems and gifted us with wonderful prompts about hope: "What do you hope for?" "What is a 'sky dream' or hope you have that you are reaching for?"

We were so moved by the hopeful poems created during our refreshing hour together.

Here is a video of the gathering and live reading of the poems created by our gatherers. More poems created by the group are shared below!

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Wonder Beans
by Carl Little

Hope is a seed that starts small, sprouts,
grows, the Kentucky wonder beans
I gave my French family years ago
twisting around stakes, seeking the sky,
blossoms turned to beans as if by magic
and then peas in a pod, which is also hope,

the family around the table, laughing
at something I said in my fractured French
the three daughters like little sisters giggling—
What were their hopes and dreams? To one day
live beneath a blue sky somewhere with a garden
with crooked rows and wonder beans reaching

into the air to their thankful fingers
as their own families gather to say grace?
To dream and sigh and look to the heavens
where clouds form and then disappear in the
moving tableau of the upper air? We all
start small, we all hope to grow—measure
our height on a wall and then whistle.

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The Talent of Crows
by Elena Estella Green

Crows have a particular gift
The power to remember -
On the streets of White Plains
I learned to give a nod
When passing by them.

They have such a tainted past
Dark with dead eyes
When they flock together
Are called a murder of crows.
We have a long memory in common

Separating the kind and the unkind.
Hope is in their eyes
I carry hope in my hands.
Clasped in prayer.
Lending support & marveling at life.

The arthritis in my hands
Reminds me that time is fleeting.
The flame between my eyes
Grows brighter before it dims.
The call of crows reminds me to look up.

The sky is my haven
The place of signs & wonders
Raising my hands in hope
That like my feathered friends
I will not fear
Any more vagrant scarecrows.

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Aligned
by K.G. Munro

From the UK to the Ukraine,
Two planets in the dark sky
Move together in order to align
Whilst the Moon watches them with a smile
From the depths of our navy blue sphere, we witness
The coming together of different planets
Some of us in our homes, others standing in ruins,
Chaos is paused for a minute,
As we see them shining brighter than any other celestial bodies,
This moment is a breath,
A reflection of our insignificance,
But proof that if the universe comes together naturally,
Then so can we,
And in that pause,
We can agree to put the weapons down,
Maybe not today or tomorrow,
But that someday, somehow,
We can come together
Like Jupiter and Venus.

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Seeds
by Eileen Van Hook

My hope is unadorned with feathers.
It is simply that my grandchildren
grow up to be members of my tribe.
The seeds have been planted by their
parents and, to some extent, me.

One day they too will look to the sky
and see the earth reflected without
borders. They will recognize each
other by the warmth of their presence
and the way their souls, sitting atop
their solar plexus, respond with joy.

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Hope
by Grace Sanchez

Gut and heart
belly
holding hope
Seeds of the past, present, and future

No separate self

Nature reminds us
to embrace the ultimate
a double rainbow at sunset
the magic and mystery
the rhythm of life
repeating itself
everywhere, all the time

Every place sacred
Everyone sacred
For ever and ever
Amen

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Untitled
by Bryce Kessler

Hope is the thing with leaves–
Who's long green branches reach up past the clouds,
And roots that spread from sea to sea.
Who changes through season of ice, green, and gold,
And shows its growth in layer of memories. 
Hope could be a tree.
I could be a tree.

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Mindful Poetry Moments, a collaboration incubated by The On Being Project and now supported by The Well and partners The Hive, The Mercantile Library, and WordPlay, offers a chance to pause and reflect on poetry’s ability to encounter ourselves, the world, and the mystery of each other.