David Whyte: Self Portrait

doesn't interest me there's one God or many gods doesn't interest me there is one God how many gods I want to know if you belong or feel abandoned what are you really tired of in your life right now what are you really tired of what do you not have energy for anymore and sometimes we're frightened of approaching that question because we're afraid we'll come up with the answer I'm tired of my children I'm tired of my spouse I'm tired of my work for which I sacrificed so much to get but almost always it's as much the way we're in relationship with them as it is the people themselves it's ourselves who have made them too small for us who doesn't interest me there is one God or many gods I want to know if you belong or feel abandoned if you can know despair or see it in others I want to know if you are prepared to live in the world with its harsh need to change you if you can look back with firm eyes saying this is where I stand I want to know if you know how to melt into that fierce heat of living falling toward the center of your longing if you are prepared to live day by day with the consequence of love and the bitter unwanted passion of your sure defeat I have heard I have heard in that fierce embrace even the gods speak of God something about the journey towards this authentic self that holds the necessity of embracing some kind of defeat and loss that a certain way of being in the world which was innocent of some of the fiercest rules will no longer be sufficient in other words you have to put yourself into an adult adult relationship with the things of the world you have to look it right in the eye

Channel: Angelino Tuksar

Views: 9,974

Rating: 4.9259257 out of 5

Keywords: David Whyte, Poetry (Literary Genre), Poet (Profession), Self compassion, Portrait (Visual Art Genre), Self-portrait (Visual Art Genre)

Id: 5P15treEMUI

Length: 2min 5sec (125 seconds)

Published: Tue Jun 16 2015