<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class="">Fantastic, inspiring poem, thank you so much Ed.<div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">Here is the little poem I read on Tuesday</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><div style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";" class="">A Perfect Day</div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </p><div style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";" class="">The house didn’t get clean, </div><div style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";" class="">the dinner didn’t get started,</div><div style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";" class="">the bills didn’t get paid,</div><div style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";" class="">because a lily was blooming </div><div style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";" class="">in the dead of Winter,</div><div style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";" class="">the blue jay had traded his boisterous call</div><div style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";" class="">for the cooing of spring love,</div><div style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";" class="">the seals were barking their friskiness</div><div style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";" class="">into the wind</div><div style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";" class="">all the way to my house from the ocean. . .<br class=""><br class=""></div><div style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";" class="">A playful mood rode the wind, </div><div style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";" class="">blessings trailed behind,</div><div style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";" class="">everything I encountered along the way</div><div style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";" class="">filled me with curiosity</div><div style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";" class="">and I had to go see</div><div style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";" class="">what else the day would bring. </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </p><div style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";" class="">In the early evening </div><div style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";" class="">instead of a dinner party</div><div style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";" class="">we had a picnic on the beach.</div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </p><div style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";" class="">Every guest provided </div><div style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";" class="">deliciously inspired morsels</div><div style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";" class="">adding their varied aromas</div><div style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";" class="">to the bouquet of love</div><div style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";" class="">I had gathered all day</div><div style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";" class="">in the galleries </div><div style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";" class="">of my reflection.</div><div><br class=""><blockquote type="cite" class=""><div class="">On Apr 3, 2024, at 19:30, Yasskin Marc via Thespiritexpress <<a href="mailto:thespiritexpress@lists.mcn.org" class="">thespiritexpress@lists.mcn.org</a>> wrote:</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><div class=""><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" class=""><div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div style="margin: 0in; line-height: normal; vertical-align: baseline;" class=""><font face="Comic Sans MS" class=""><span style="font-size: 22px;" class="">Amazing poem here Ed~ !! ~~~~~~ thanks so much for this.</span></font></div><div style="margin: 0in; line-height: normal; vertical-align: baseline;" class=""><font face="Comic Sans MS" class=""><span style="font-size: 22px;" class=""> ~~ </span></font><u style="font-size: 22px; font-family: "Comic Sans MS";" class="">Never</u><span style="font-size: 22px; font-family: "Comic Sans MS";" class=""> done ~ ~~~~ ~~~~~~ forever arriving into a deepening mystery ~ 🙏⚡️</span></div><div style="margin: 0in; line-height: normal; vertical-align: baseline;" class=""><font face="Comic Sans MS" class=""><span style="font-size: 22px;" class=""><br class=""></span></font></div><div style="margin: 0in; line-height: normal; vertical-align: baseline;" class=""><font face="Comic Sans MS" class=""><span style="font-size: 22px;" class=""><br class=""></span></font></div><div class=""><br class=""><blockquote type="cite" class=""><div class="">On Apr 3, 2024, at 4:31 PM, Ed Balldinger via Thespiritexpress <<a href="mailto:thespiritexpress@lists.mcn.org" class="">thespiritexpress@lists.mcn.org</a>> wrote:</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><div class=""><div dir="ltr" class="">Here's the Stanley Kunitz poem I read in Pathwork class last week that a couple of folks asked me to post. <div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">Many blessings, </div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">~ Ed </div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 3pt;line-height:normal;vertical-align:baseline;font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif"><u class=""><span style="font-size: 24pt;" class="">The Layers</span></u></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;line-height:normal;vertical-align:baseline;font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 14pt;" class=""> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;line-height:normal;vertical-align:baseline;font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 14pt;" class=""> </span></p><div style="margin: 0in; line-height: normal; vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 14pt;" class="">I have walked through many lives, </span></div><div style="margin: 0in; line-height: normal; vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 14pt;" class="">some of them my own,</span></div><div style="margin: 0in; line-height: normal; vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 14pt;" class="">and I am not who I was,</span></div><div style="margin: 0in; line-height: normal; vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 14pt;" class="">though some principle of being</span></div><div style="margin: 0in; line-height: normal; vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 14pt;" class="">abides, from which I struggle</span></div><div style="margin: 0in; line-height: normal; vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 14pt;" class="">not to stray.</span></div><div style="margin: 0in; line-height: normal; vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 14pt;" class="">When I look behind,</span></div><div style="margin: 0in; line-height: normal; vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 14pt;" class="">as I am compelled to look</span></div><div style="margin: 0in; line-height: normal; vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 14pt;" class="">before I can gather strength</span></div><div style="margin: 0in; line-height: normal; vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 14pt;" class="">to proceed on my journey,</span></div><div style="margin: 0in; line-height: normal; vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 14pt;" class="">I see the milestones dwindling</span></div><div style="margin: 0in; line-height: normal; vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 14pt;" class="">toward the horizon</span></div><div style="margin: 0in; line-height: normal; vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 14pt;" class="">and the slow fires trailing</span></div><div style="margin: 0in; line-height: normal; vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 14pt;" class="">from the abandoned camp-sites,</span></div><div style="margin: 0in; line-height: normal; vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 14pt;" class="">over which scavenger angels</span></div><div style="margin: 0in; line-height: normal; vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 14pt;" class="">wheel on heavy wings.</span></div><div style="margin: 0in; line-height: normal; vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 14pt;" class="">Oh, I have made myself a tribe</span></div><div style="margin: 0in; line-height: normal; vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 14pt;" class="">out of my true affections,</span></div><div style="margin: 0in; line-height: normal; vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 14pt;" class="">and my tribe is scattered!</span></div><div style="margin: 0in; line-height: normal; vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 14pt;" class="">How shall the heart be reconciled</span></div><div style="margin: 0in; line-height: normal; vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 14pt;" class="">to its feast of losses?</span></div><div style="margin: 0in; line-height: normal; vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 14pt;" class="">In a rising wind</span></div><div style="margin: 0in; line-height: normal; vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 14pt;" class="">the manic dust of my friends,</span></div><div style="margin: 0in; line-height: normal; vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 14pt;" class="">those who fell along the way,</span></div><div style="margin: 0in; line-height: normal; vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 14pt;" class="">bitterly stings my face.</span></div><div style="margin: 0in; line-height: normal; vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 14pt;" class="">Yet I turn, I turn,</span></div><div style="margin: 0in; line-height: normal; vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 14pt;" class="">exulting somewhat,</span></div><div style="margin: 0in; line-height: normal; vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 14pt;" class="">with my will intact to go</span></div><div style="margin: 0in; line-height: normal; vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 14pt;" class="">wherever I need to go,</span></div><div style="margin: 0in; line-height: normal; vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 14pt;" class="">and every stone on the road</span></div><div style="margin: 0in; line-height: normal; vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 14pt;" class="">precious to me.</span></div><div style="margin: 0in; line-height: normal; vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 14pt;" class="">In my darkest night,</span></div><div style="margin: 0in; line-height: normal; vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 14pt;" class="">when the moon was covered</span></div><div style="margin: 0in; line-height: normal; vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 14pt;" class="">and I roamed through wreckage,</span></div><div style="margin: 0in; line-height: normal; vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 14pt;" class="">a nimbus-clouded voice</span></div><div style="margin: 0in; line-height: normal; vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 14pt;" class="">directed me:</span></div><div style="margin: 0in; line-height: normal; vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 14pt;" class="">“Live in the layers,</span></div><div style="margin: 0in; line-height: normal; vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 14pt;" class="">not on the litter.”</span></div><div style="margin: 0in; line-height: normal; vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 14pt;" class="">Though I lack the art</span></div><div style="margin: 0in; line-height: normal; vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 14pt;" class="">to decipher it,</span></div><div style="margin: 0in; line-height: normal; vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 14pt;" class="">no doubt the next chapter</span></div><div style="margin: 0in; line-height: normal; vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 14pt;" class="">in my book of transformations</span></div><div style="margin: 0in; line-height: normal; vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 14pt;" class="">is already written.</span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:normal;vertical-align:baseline;margin:0in 0in 8pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 14pt;" class="">I
am not done with my changes.</span></p><div style="line-height: normal; vertical-align: baseline; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 14pt;" class=""> </span><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:normal;vertical-align:baseline;margin:0in 0in 8pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 14pt;" class=""> ~ </span><i class=""><span style="font-size:16.5pt;font-family:"Gill Sans MT",sans-serif;color:rgb(73,73,73);text-transform:uppercase;letter-spacing:1.05pt;border:1pt none windowtext;padding:0in" class=""><a href="https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/stanley-kunitz" class=""><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: inherit, serif;" class="">STANLEY KUNITZ</span></a></span></i><i class=""><span style="font-size:16.5pt;font-family:"inherit",serif" class=""></span></i></p></div></div>
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