[Poetry Chaikhana] Wendell Berry - The Real Work

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The Real Work By Wendell Berry (1934 - )   It may be that when we no longer know what to do we have come to our real work, and that when we no longer know which way to go we have come to our real journey. The mind that is not baffled is not employed. The impeded stream is the one that sings.   -- from Standing by Words: Essays, by Wendell Berry Amazon.com / Photo by woodleywonderworks /

============ Thought for the Day: You are God moving within God experiencing God. ============

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Hi Omss -

Ooh, I just like this, don't you? As I get older and encounter more of the world and more of myself, I grow increasingly wary of answers. It's the questions that awaken the soul. Certainty is the end of growth.

The mind that is not baffled is not employed.

Berry is reminding us that struggle and confusion -- and wonder! -- are signs that we are on a good path, that we are paying attention, that we are still seeking and discovering, that we are alive. The scariest people are those who've grown tired of questions and so brutalize the world with simple answers.


Okay, a poetic confession: This was not originally a poem in verse. I did a bit of research and found that this is actually an excerpt from one of Wendell Berry's essays that someone later versified. It's been circulating as a poem ever since. I guess you can't trap a good poet in prose for long. My apologies to the poetry purists out there.


Now, let's discover a new path through this magical, unknown day...

Ivan

 

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New on the Poetry Chaikhana Blog In addition to the daily poem, other recent blog posts include: Video & Music: "Take Five" with a Twist - A reinterpretation of the classic jazz piece "Take Five." Something about hearing it played with sitar and tabla just makes you want to smile and maybe get up and dance! More Video: Porcelain Unicorn - Just a few short minutes an old man, a flashback, a handful of words and a porcelain unicorn yet such a powerful story. More Thoughts on Norway - Comments (35) Religious extremism has very little to do with religion, if you think about it... More

 

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