How to Care
This morning
I awoke with a sad and lonely friend
who had begun to forget his soul
and could not remember where to find it again.
His eyes would not meet mine;
his face was tight and hard.
The forest will forgive you, I told him.
She will take you in her tender, gnarled arms and hold all
because she knows you will soon be gone.
The forest will forgive you, I told him.
She will listen, and your thoughts will fall like quiet flakes
upon her snowy, open palms.
Go.
Walk.
Listen with your feet
and hear how your steps are
part of her voice.
She will always take you back,
because to her you have never left.
She will rejoice in your slow and pensive steps
as you wonder,
“How could I have traveled so far
from this again?”
And she will tremble as you kneel at her feet
where trunk meets soil
where root emerges from leaf and needle –
She will tremble as you touch your forehead
to the creased skin of her old, brown face and,
with a deep sigh,
smile, as you remember something good –
Vanilla, the weight of an old blanket,
Her hand placed gently upon your cheek.
With a deep sigh you remember,
smile, and tell her, Thank you.
With a deep sigh, you remember.
My friend nodded, stood slowly
and began again.
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.