words borrowed from William Wordsworth

Lines Written in Early Spring


I heard a thousand blended notes,
While in a grove I sate reclined,
In that sweet mood when pleasant thoughts
Bring sad thoughts to the mind.

To her fair works did Nature link
The human soul that through me ran;
And much it grieved my heart to think
What man has made of man.

Through primrose tufts, in that green bower,
The periwinkle trailed its wreaths;
And ’tis my faith that every flower
Enjoys the air it breathes.

The birds around me hopped and played,
Their thoughts I cannot measure:—
But the least motion which they made
It seemed a thrill of pleasure.

The budding twigs spread out their fan,
To catch the breezy air;
And I must think, do all I can,
That there was pleasure there.

If this belief from heaven be sent,
If such be Nature’s holy plan,
Have I not reason to lament
What man has made of man?

--William Wordsworth

wordless wednesday

a letter, to you

Beloved,
I just want you to know that
you are never alone.
When the tsunami of panic rushes in,
or sorrow seeps through the cracks,
when the dull ache of nothingness overwhelms,
He lifts you up with His all-powerful hands
and embraces you with His all-encompassing arms
though you may not feel it.
If you only look up, He is still there
and the music flows on.

poetree has been nominated!

Thanks to Hanna W. over at The Waystone Owl for nominating me for the Liebster Award!

It's a silly little thing being passed around the blogosphere, but I appreciate the kind gesture and the recognition it gains us smaller blogs.

The purpose of the Liebster Award is to recognize blogs with fewer than 200 followers. There are some rules:

1. Thank and link back the person who nominated you
2. List eleven facts about yourself
3. Answer the eleven questions asked by the blogger who nominated you
4. Nominate 9 bloggers who have fewer than 200 followers (you can't nominate the blogger who nominated you)
5. Ask them eleven questions
6. Let them know of their nomination!

wordless wednesday

(a day late. again.)

words borrowed from Saint Patrick

Prayer for the Faithful

May the Strength of God guide us.
May the Power of God preserve us.
May the Wisdom of God instruct us.
May the Hand of God protect us.
May the Way of God direct us.
May the Shield of God defend us.
May the Angels of God guard us.
- Against the snares of the evil one.

May Christ be with us!
May Christ be before us!
May Christ be in us,
Christ be over all!

May Thy Grace, Lord,
Always be ours,
This day, O Lord, and forevermore. Amen.
-Saint Patrick

photo courtesy of Luca Sbordone

wordless wednesday

words borrowed from Jack Gilbert

Horses At Midnight Without A Moon

Our heart wanders lost in the dark woods.
Our dream wrestles in the castle of doubt.
But there's music in us. Hope is pushed down
but the angel flies up again taking us with her.
The summer mornings begin inch by inch
while we sleep, and walk with us later
as long-legged beauty through
the dirty streets. It is no surprise
that danger and suffering surround us.
What astonishes is the singing.
We know the horses are there in the dark
meadow because we can smell them,
can hear them breathing.
Our spirit persists like a man struggling
through the frozen valley
who suddenly smells flowers
and realizes the snow is melting
out of sight on top of the mountain,
knows that spring has begun.
--Jack Gilbert

another note

I'm still here, but things have been crazy lately and I haven't had time to so much as think about the blog. Although I can't promise when the next post will be, I'll try to work out a schedule next week and you'll hear from me again then. :) Hopefully there won't be any more notes for a while, just poems and photos and (eventually) reviews!