If you are the horizon,
compel me.If you are the boat,
carry me out to sea.If you are the waves,
buoy my soul.If you are the wind,
fill my sails.If you are the North Star,
lead me home.If you are the lighthouse,
guide me to safety.If you are the storm,
capsize me.
by Ben Palpant, 2017
“So every day
I was surrounded by the beautiful crying forth
of the ideas of God,
one of which was you.”
“So Every Day,” by Mary Oliver
“Hear us! We have pain on earth!
We have so much pain there is no place to store it!
But the olives bobbed peacefully
in fragrant buckets of vinegar and thyme.
At night the men ate heartily, flat bread
and white cheese,
and were happy in spite of the pain,
because there was also happiness.”
from “Different Ways to Pray” by Naomi Shihab Nye
“He came out to this garden,
dug hands into earth saying, I know you
and earth crumbled rich layers
and this result of their knowing—
a hillside in which no inch went unsung.”
from “The Garden of Abu Mahmoud” by Naomi Shihab Nye
My gratefulness runs deep today on this last day of the book launch. There are so many of you who have encouraged me to continue writing, who have spread the word, and whose lives are a testament to grace. Thank you!
Thank you, especially to Gary Leonard (the Moody Radio legend), who is graciously bringing these poems to life with his sonorous voice. You are a good and generous man!
And that, my friends, is the surprise I’ve been waiting to share: Sojourner Songs is being turned into an audio book. I plan to release it this summer! Stay tuned.
The Lord be with you on this journey.
Tomorrow’s the last days of this book launch! Tomorrow, I reveal the final book trailer. Tomorrow, I let you run with it from here. But today, I share a poem brimming with gladness. Psalm 118:24 inspired me to write this poem and it is a fitting poem to celebrate the past nine days! Enjoy.
“I Cannot Stop My Singing Heart” from Sojourner Songs: Poems
read by Gary Leonard
I cannot stop my singing heart
today
it leapt out of bed
into a day
new-graced
smell the crushed grass
beneath these feet
pine pollen
feel
wind stroke
like a daughter’s fingers
on my face
I can’t decide
which is decked more glamorously
the poplar
or the aspen
groves
or the finch
splashing
along the rocky shore
glancing up
to measure my intent
and welcome
me
into the dance
like you my love
dappled
freckled fair
priceless pearl
bright-eyed beloved
today
is God-made
I cannot stop this singing heart
CLICK HERE to find the audio version online.
What better gift than a collection of poems for meditation along the journey of life? Buy your copy today. Just CLICK HERE.
“Life and Live” from Sojourner Songs: Poems
read by Gary Leonard
Today, I celebrate language:
words
and the gaps between them;
meaning
and the silence in between.
I celebrate nouns and verbs.
Life is a noun, like bird.
Live is a verb
for those who look up
and read the noun in the sky
and follow it
until evening.
CLICK HERE to find the audio online.
Thank you for sharing your excitement with others. Thank you for telling me how much these poems have touched you. The reviews on Amazon are already piling in and they are staggering in their praise. Thank you!
Many of you are asking how you can help promote the book. There are many ways, but here are several starter ideas:
Click HERE TO ENTER THE BOOK’S OFFICIAL WEB PAGE
Ready to buy your copy? CLICK HERE.
