Is there a poem you most need as you step further into the new year? Is there a poem written on your heart—suddenly there when you most need it?
It’s that time of the year: the time when I need to carry my favorite poem in my pocket and read it frequently. I do this to inoculate myself against the fantasies that come up about now. Not Christmas fantasies of sugar plums dancing in my head—New Year’s fantasies.
As a new year approaches I begin to imagine that I will finally grab the reins of my life and get things under control. […]
I don’t actually have to put the poem in my pocket, for I carry it within me, recalling its images whenever I need them
What is the poem? The Avowal by Denise Levertov. Why does this work for Roger Owens? Why is it something to take with you as you follow the Way? Read Owens’ essay on The Christian Century and discover for yourself.
Hear what the Spirit is saying 