Half Life
What is a human life?
The years of moments
of feet touching earth
water on skin
words and thoughts flowing through
days like a syncopated stride.
Do I dream, tonight,
as the warm air moves
as moisture gathers off faraway coasts
like a galaxy over the ocean?
Do I dream tonight
as men raise old flags
and a hollow face huddles beneath a bridge?
Do I dream
as the building crumbles
and a silent spring comes?
Today, two children with blond hair laughed in a pool.
Their bright blue eyes know not the scale of the heartbreak.
Their brilliant small bodies know not the score of the dance,
the crushing weight of an imaginary market.
And somewhere far away, deep in cold blue waters,
a Great Right Whale
can still hear a song leagues in the distance.
About Oren Jay Sofer’s Poetry
Both reading and writing poetry are a powerful vehicles for contemplation, self-expression, connection, and spiritual practice. Oren has been writing poetry since he was a child. He formally studied poetry at Columbia University with Kenneth Koch, and was inspired by the beat poets of 60s and 70s as well as classical Chinese and Japanese poets. His favorite poets include Gary Snyder, Pablo Neruda, Mary Oliver, Han Shan, Stonehouse, and Ryokan among others. If you would like to publish or reprint one of Oren’s poems, please contact us.
If you are interested in reading poetry as a spiritual practice, here are a few tips:
Choose a poem(s) that you would like to read aloud.
Find a relatively quiet place if possible.
Early morning, and dusk are ideal times, though any time will do!
Take a few moments to sit quietly and breath, calming your mind and centering yourself.
Read the poem aloud, taking your time with each word, pausing for the line breaks.
Poetry is also a kind of music: listen to the words and the silences.
Allow yourself to linger.
Read it again if you like, or take turns reading poems with a friend.