Wise Friends
Because goodness has gravity
I slipped into the kindness of your big voice
When you called my name and greeted me with a smile.
Because goodness has gravity
You sat with me,
Poured hot tea and listened.
Because of this simple fact,
You stood at my back in the park
And sang my song to help me remember.
One evening you caught my light -
Your eyes flashed across the room, smiled
and said, “You’re alright.”
“This may be the most useful thing you learn
here in college,” you said over the stove,
When you taught me to make fresh tomato sauce for our pasta.
You showed me the way when you stopped
And stood in the sunlight,
Closing your eyes and turning your face to the sky.
And every time you placed an extra dollar bill
Upon the table –
The waiter’s service being beside the point;
And out on the bridge, walking over the wide, sandy riverbed
You told me, “Here! Here!”
When your fingers touched my forearm.
There is a force to this kindness.
It enters your hands, your tongue and your feet.
It gathers momentum until it fills your whole being
And you can no longer harm even yourself.
Now I hug everyone I can
Because our time here is too short
To withhold even a glance of our goodness.
Because goodness has gravity
I slipped into your kindness
There’s nothing you can do – there’s no use trying.
You’re in my heart now,
and you can’t ever leave.
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.