In Praise Of

O tell us, poet, what you do. –I praise - Rilke

In Praise Of
          O tell us, poet, what you do. –I praise.
          - Rilke

I keep returning to this fact: something exists.
It could have been otherwise. The ground could have 
not been, neither the rivers, nor the stars. And our
names would have not been spoken, and emptiness 
would not be emptiness because possible was also 
not. So I praise

the difficult blooming, the whimpering creek, 
the visitor sweeping my house. Even with all the 
deadly and monstrous ways, the many wars, 
the nameless roaring blaze, still I praise

the living and the dead, the rising, the falling, 
the mercy of impermanence, the certainty of love, 
the certainty of loss, this precious inhale. It could 
have been otherwise. And so I praise.

What else could our purpose be than this most 
crucial task? To love the things of this earth, 
to companion one another through the mystery,
to bear ourselves in beauty and terror, to pray, 
to sing, to let this eternal river flow from our lips 
over and over again in testimony— 

we were here, we lived for a short while, we noticed, 
we praised.

- Moudi Sbeity

Jackson Hole, 2016

In the summer of 2024, while visiting Salt Lake City a year after I moved to Boulder, I hosted a gathering of beloveds to share poetry, music, food, and be in the presence of one another. I titled the gathering In Praise of Each Other. It was wonderful to share an evening like this. Even with all the terribleness going on, we could gather and keep company. This is one of our most intimate reasons for being here after all. To companion each other, to love the things of this life and this earth. To bear witness in awe and praise of being alive.

I think about this often, the fact of something rather than nothing. It is helpful for me to remember in times of deep grief that we are here for a short time, and how merciful is this fact of impermanence? From this place I can step into the gift of being here. And so the necessity of awe and gratitude, and so the holiness of prayer and praise.

This I find to be part of my work, to continually remind myself of who I am and where I stand in relation to this precious earth and this precious existence, and to companion others in this journey. I don’t know how I know this, but the compass in me keeps orienting towards the path and intersection of poetry, education, and contemplative practice. In pursuing this calling, and with graduation upon me, and two books coming out and a hopeful little tour, I am fine tuning my compass. So here I am, embarking further on this path with a new monthly offering titled In Praise Of, in where every month we’ll explore a topic, subject, idea, or person. There will be an educational component, poems to explore, time for discussion, and writing and sharing. I hope to bring both the difficult and the lovable. Rivers and war. Clouds and the fact of our breaking. Loss and Spring. We can praise all of it, there is something to praise in all of it.

So, with this, you are invited you to join me for the first in this series: In Praise Of: Horses. I will post separately about the details of our gathering with a poem in honor of horses. Below is a link to register.

All these offerings are donation based. There have been so many events I’ve wanted to attend in the past and couldn’t afford, oftentimes too embarrassed to ask for free admission or reduced pricing. So please, do not let cost be a barrier if you feel called to join any of these gatherings.

May your hearts be at peace and at ease.