The Great Belonging Project: Day 17

“I do not always understand poems. Some days I have to reread a poem multiple times before I comprehend any meaning. On other days I just let the sound wash over me and worry less about understanding. I keep reading for the linguistic precision, for the sharpness of image, for what a metaphor can sometimes suddenly show me. Poets see more clearly the spaces that terrify us, and they are more equipped (or perhaps more willing) to enter those spaces.” - The Great Belonging: How Loneliness Leads Us to Each Other


For The Great Belonging Project: Day 17 read some poems by local or local-ish poets who are familiar with your hometown, region, or state. 

Or read poems by poets who inhabit other places you love. 

Let their words help you explore your sense of belonging to yourself, others, your place, and the world around you. 

Please share some of your favorite local or local-ish poets and locations in the comments!

“Most people remember a poem because it reminds them of something: a grief of their own; a moment of love in their life; a decision they had to make; a time of wonder and delight; a landscape they had forgotten; a pain they had carried. Somehow, those little clockworks get into the heart, and help it go, help it rhyme, help it in ways we can’t define.” ― Pádraig Ó Tuama, Poetry Unbound

Originally posted on Instagram here.


The Great Belonging Project is an offering from Spiritual Direction for Belonging™ and covered by the Spiritual Direction for Belonging™ trademark. Please help us protect our intellectual property, creative process, and the integrity of our work. You are welcome to forward these links to others, but any other use (written or spoken) is prohibited without written permission from Charlotte Donlon.

Previous
Previous

The Great Belonging Project: Day 16

Next
Next

The Great Belonging Project: Day 18