We live ever on the edge of expectancy, she thought, whether we know it or not; ever with our eyes on the line of light that shines through the crack of the door.
Elizabeth Goudge, The White Witch, p. 59
•expectancy •
Category: Don’t Take Yourself So Seriously
Hung Up
Pain, iron me out
steam, heat
seared straight
peace, swinging
on hanger.
A.M. Pine 🌲
Monday Ponderings {March 4th}
WEARINESS
Oh let me be alone, far from eyes and faces,
Let me be alone, a while, even from you;
My soul is like a desert, sick of light-filled spaces,
The urge of useless winds, the sky of pitiless blue;
Let me be alone, a while, in twilit places,
Waiting the merciful night, the stately stars and the dew.
Sara Teasdale, Mirror of the Heart, p. 36
Monday Ponderings {February 19th} 🩵🩵🩵
If our hearts are full of the love of God, the roughest knocks cannot make us unloving or unpeaceful. But how often, in a moment of impatience, we blame the rough knock! ‘So -and-so did this; so-and-so said that; my circumstances are difficult. I could be good somewhere else, in some other place or work’
All such excuses are folly. It is not what happens to us but what is in us that settles the matter. How often we have to go to our Saviour for cleansing and pardon, after some hard knock has caused us to ‘spill’ something unloving which was inside us.
But have we not been comforted by the generous wealth of His pardon? Is it not just like Him to assure us again and again that nothing is changed on His side? He loves us as He did before. He wants us as He did before. His tender mercy embraces us on every side.
Amy Carmichael ~ Whispers of His Power, p. 28
“ever-widening circles” – Rilke
Inspired by 지민
higher than the sky strangers
worlds apart, working on our art
ripples move outward, crisscrossing
your artistry, smiles, emotion,
dedication challenges me
maybe my covid-fueled
“mild-midlife crisis”
fandom can trickle
down into new fuel
for motherhood
for wifedom
and for my purple-tinged,
idea-driven
lifedom.
~A.M Pine 💜🌲💜
K.P.
“cozy chaos
sounds like a poem,”
said a friend.
shards of color,
warmth of light,
kind encouragement,
all combine to comfort
my raging heart.
A.M. Pine 🌲
The Wood
colorful spines down
the home library’s back
a living being
fire-breathed
forest of words
scaled and long-limbed
hint of dangerous beauty
caresses and rustles
through my pine-needled
red hair.
A.M. Pine 🌲
Not All Bad
sharing songs, ‘Zero
O’ Clock, Oscar the Grouch clips
social media joy.
A. M. Pine 🌲
Yellow
onion me
layers peeled
underneath it all
just
dirt
root vegetable?
shedding skin
pungent
crinkled
wrinkled
thin-slivers of flavor.
A.M. Pine 🌲
Lantern
Hope dribbles down edge
of my flat heart, pools, sits, stills
rise, shine out of eyes.
A.M. Pine 🌲
✨🌲♥️Merry Christmas♥️🌲✨
But where Thou dwellest, Lord,
John Keble, The Christian Year
No other thought should be,
Once duly welcomed and adored,
How should I part with Thee?
Bethlehem must lose Thee soon, but Thou wilt grace
The single heart to be Thy sure abiding-place.
✨❄️Happy Winter Solstice ✨❄️ ~ winter is a wonderful time for poetry…
Winter is just about here, friends! ❄️♥️One of my delights this year has been dipping into a fair amount of poetry. Here are some highlights for you to consider adding to your stack for next year…cozy up, grab a hot drink , and read on ☕️. Enjoy!
Mary Oliver’s Devotions ~ I received this as a Christmas gift a few years ago and have been sipping from it here and there. Oliver has such an eye for life-giving details in nature and she asks us questions that go just a bit deeper. I love that about her. As a modern poet, she is definitely a bit more approachable and easier to ease into than some of your classic poets. Not every one of her poems hits for me, but sometimes one line or a word will meet me right where I’m at in that moment. I’m often surprised by her.
Emily Bronte ~ I was extremely surprised how much I loved this dark and brooding poetry. Just like the all the Bronte sister’s fiction, this was sooo atmospheric and because she talks of death frequently, it actually made me contemplate how I’m living life. I found the Everyman’s Library Pocket Poets collection to be a wonderful selection of her poetry and I love the small size of these editions.
William Wordsworth ( and don’t forget Dorothy) ~ I love the poems and writings of this brother and sister duo. William’s beautiful poetry centered in life around The Lake District, Cumbria, England really feeds my soul and my faith. He really grasps the touch of God in nature and it is such a testimony to me. I love his poetic storytelling, too. Dorothy’s journals are so simple, domestic, yet so compelling. They both have that artistic eye. ♥️ I loved sharing Wordsworth with our Charlotte Mason co op homeschool group last term.
Gerald Manly Hopkins ~ Wow. Mr. Hopkin’s use of language and metaphor is so gorgeously layered and rich. I will confess I struggle a bit with his writing richness, but if I have a little patience and read just to enjoy each word, I walk away blessed. His wrestling with faith and art is so relatable and real. He’s one of the hardest poets for me to read, but also one of my favorites.
Robert MacFarlane The Lost Spells ~ I would be remiss to not mention this gorgeously illustrated (Jackie Morris) collection of modern nature poetry. MacFarlane is a lover of Hopkin’s wordsmithing and the homeschool co op and I loved looking at both poets together earlier this year. MacFarlane’s wordsmithing, storytelling, and putting himself into the everyday life of animals and plants is just lovely. He is another poet whose work is perfect for those new to poetry!
Kim Piña ~ this is an online friend that I was blessed to “meet” YEARS ago, through blogging. 💗😍♥️ I love Kim’s word play, almost like a songwriter/compelling poem-rap style, and I love how she asks deeper questions tangled with the daily mundanity of life. Her Instagram account is lovely, too!
Robert Frost, Rainer Maria Rilke, and Sara Teasdale ~ I’m extremely new to these three poets and can’t wait to really sink into their work more in the new year. I was familiar with a few famous poems, but I recently got Mirror of the Heart, a Teasdale collection, Rilke’s Everyman’s Library Pocket Poet collection, and The Poetry of Robert Frost, edited by Edward Connery Latham, and am so excited for new words to drink up.
I also asked for two new poetry collections for Christmas and can’t wait to dive into these more!
Lastly, I have two poetry nonfiction books that I’d love to get too, just to keep growing and learning about this life-giving art.
How about you? Do you read poetry? Who are your favorites? ♥️❄️♥️Happiest Winter Beginnings and Christmas 🎄 to you all, friends!
A.M. Pine - Hearth Ridge Reflections 