In praise of pursuing presence

Good Morning,

One quick note, I am teaching a nature writing class at Bluff Lake in Denver on Sunday July 12th. Please come and walk with me, lay upon the grass, write poems of praise to the herons, find inspiration in all that abounds.

Special thanks to Abigail Seber for partially inspiring this week’s poem.

Thanks to you 117 people who are interested in my words. May they serve you well this week. Here they are:

how can a country

whose bylaws promise happiness

be so miserable, so broken

perhaps because the pursuit of happiness

is the cause of all this pain

for I am not convinced

that happiness is all that we should seek

if happiness is something which can be found

instead of simply letting it bloom when it does

perhaps there are other pursuits

which we must seek

what of joy

what of sadness and release

what of grief and gratitude

what of overwhelm

both in awe and angst

what of exhaustion

what of reverence

what of contentment

what of presence

yes, perhaps presence

and all the manifold emotions it contains

should be our pursuit

perhaps in this all else can flow

perhaps we should seek

to pursue not a feeling

or some temporary state of ease

but one which allows us to be here now

and feel whatever comes up

for the pursuit of happiness

seeks only a brighter tomorrow

a better car a better job

a better world with softer edges

but the world is perfect now

the pursuit of presence

seeks only to put our feet

in fresh grass

to wiggle our toes

to breath in the air

with this

what else could we ever need

perhaps to find true happiness

we need only to abandon its pursuit

and look to the way

the morning light

shines through the trees

Thank you,

Alexander

This week beyond the paywall, we discuss various pursuits, and various ways to honor them through writing.