Unfolding Light

Poetry, like religion, is the practice of wonder—a way of being open, a way of reaching out to touch the hem of the world’s garment. Like the great spiritual teachers, poetry invites us to be radically present, to inhabit the world a little more closely, to attend a little more lovingly, with an awareness beyond the mere mind. The numinous shines right before our eyes, nonchalantly hidden, poorly disguised. The Divine lurks in the shadowy places. The Realm of Grace is at hand, among you, within you. There’s delight and suffering and mystery: everything the heart desires. We’re embedded in it. All we have to do is slow down and pay attention. Poetry is a way of letting the world come to you. These poems are offered to waylay us from the grind of productivity, off into the weeds of the divine. Unfolding Light is a collection of 184 poems gathered from 45 years of writing. They are part of my practice of wonder. They include reflections on daily life, scripture passages, walking in the woods, contemplative prayer, the natural world, dogs, bees, and driving across Montana with a peach. They’re rooted in my observation that the world is a thin place, filled with mystery, the divine presence, tears of every kind, and abundant blessing.