It was a sunny southern wedding ceremony for my dear friends Jamie and Steve who got married this weekend on a farm outside Chapel Hill, NC. They asked me to write and recite a poem for them at their ceremony as a modern and progressive translation of the Sheva Brachot (Seven Blessings) that are traditionally recited at Jewish weddings. Heres at it:Today nature’s hand is creeping
up from the earth like a golden flowerReminding us how much richer the soil is today-
the mountains inching a little closer to the sky.
The kisses of wind to skin remind us
what alive feels like today
Let the silence of earth be the pause
Let the silence of earth be the pause
needed to reflect on the blessings of our years
Let the shadow of clouds drifting blue behind us
allow the collapse of sky to drip into our lungs.
Breathe
The earth is inflating with our wholeness today
The genuine human spirit that we are lucky
enough to hold in our palm
Clutch it with your heart
but allow your hands to be forever open-
to welcome, to love, to accept.
Let us find comfort in the one who inspires us today
Holding ourselves up to a mirror that reflects
Let the shadow of clouds drifting blue behind us
allow the collapse of sky to drip into our lungs.
Breathe
The earth is inflating with our wholeness today
The genuine human spirit that we are lucky
enough to hold in our palm
Clutch it with your heart
but allow your hands to be forever open-
to welcome, to love, to accept.
Let us find comfort in the one who inspires us today
Holding ourselves up to a mirror that reflects
consciousness of the world’s fusions and fissures,
awareness of the creation that comes from within
that makes life tangible, attainable, possible.
It is with each new phase in our lives that we sing back,
listening for the echo of our soul to
reverberate in our ribcages.
Reminding us of what has been
Reminding us that true completion of each moment
is necessary for flight
Necessary for finding true tranquility in the peace
awareness of the creation that comes from within
that makes life tangible, attainable, possible.
It is with each new phase in our lives that we sing back,
listening for the echo of our soul to
reverberate in our ribcages.
Reminding us of what has been
Reminding us that true completion of each moment
is necessary for flight
Necessary for finding true tranquility in the peace
of life’s connections
It is the beauty of life’s connections that unify us today
Each somehow touched by this blending of souls
Whether it is she, a smile stretched like a canvass, wide-eyed and never failing in finding life’s highest altitudes
Or he, patient, tender, a world behind those kind eyes
It is by them that we truly see
It is the beauty of life’s connections that unify us today
Each somehow touched by this blending of souls
Whether it is she, a smile stretched like a canvass, wide-eyed and never failing in finding life’s highest altitudes
Or he, patient, tender, a world behind those kind eyes
It is by them that we truly see
the wonder of cycles repeating
Of waves crashing at the right second
to bring us to this moment.
It is with singing that we are reminded of the lightness
of voices lifting into air
Unifying creatures into community
into harmony
Into the hope that if we follow your footprints
Living each day with fullness, awareness and giving
We too can find the kind of love that sustains
Of waves crashing at the right second
to bring us to this moment.
It is with singing that we are reminded of the lightness
of voices lifting into air
Unifying creatures into community
into harmony
Into the hope that if we follow your footprints
Living each day with fullness, awareness and giving
We too can find the kind of love that sustains
that nourishes
And that brings us true and gratifying peace.
And that brings us true and gratifying peace.
1 comment:
you are AMAZING. thank you for these beautiful words.
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