"The lesson [Henry David Thoreau] had taught himself, and which he tried to teach others, was summed up in the one word 'Simplify.' That meant simplify the outward circumstances of your life, simplify your needs and your ambitions; learn to delight in the simple pleasures which the world of Nature affords. It meant also, scorn public opinion, refuse to accept the common definitions of success, refuse to be moved by the judgment of others. And unlike most who advocate such attitudes, he put them into practice." (Walden and Other Writings by Henry David Thoreau--Edited and with an Introduction by Joseph Wood Krutch, Bantam Books, 1962, P. 1)

Sunday, March 9, 2008

A Poem for Me, for You


I was browsing today in a little poetry book passed on to me by my mother. It is called Two Hundred Best Poems for Boys and Girls and was compiled by Marjorie Barrows and published back in 1930 (and 1938) by the Whitman Publishing Company of Racine, Wisconsin. (It has the sweetest little silhouettes by Janet Laura Scott and Paula Rees Good throughout.) On page 14 of this little browned volume, I came upon this poem which seemed so much to describe the philosophy of my life, especially as I face the challenges of mental illness. I have added the poem to my sidebar, and I share it now here with you.


Morning
Hilda Conkling
There is a brook I must hear
Before I go to sleep.
There is a birch tree I must visit
Every night of clearness.
I have to do some dreaming,
I have to listen a great deal,
Before light comes back
By a silver arrow of cloud,
And I rub my eyes and say
It must be morning on this hill!
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