March 31 - A Poem You Remember
Anything David Whyte writes is memorable.
Write about a poem you’ve always remembered.
Start Close In — A poem by David Whyte
Anything David Whyte writes is memorable. It’s his reading of the poems that really sticks with me. My yoga instructor always used read some of his work as we started or finished class and he did a good job of mimicking his style.
I love the first line which also happens to be the last line.
Start close in,
don’t take the second step
or the third,
start with the first
thing
close in,
the step
you don’t want to take.
This poem came to me as I was getting sober and beginning, of all things, the 12-steps. And the step I didn’t want to take was that first step. Admitting I had a problem.
Start with
the ground
you know,
the pale ground
beneath your feet,
your own
way of starting
the conversation.
In AA they always say Step 1 is also the only step you have to do perfectly. Don’t drink or use no matter what. But over the years this poem has unfolded in my heart. Starting with my own questions were the words of empowerment I didn’t know I needed.
Start with your own
question,
give up on other
people’s questions,
don’t let them
smother something
simple.
Asking the right questions and then, listening to my inner voice.
To find
another’s voice,
follow
your own voice,
wait until
that voice
becomes a
private ear
listening
to another.
Be humble and focused.
Start right now
take a small step
you can call your own
don’t follow
someone else’s
heroics, be humble
and focused,
start close in,
don’t mistake
that other
for your own.
Start close in. Next right action. What can you do, that is right in front of you? Since hearing this poem I’m always asking myself—what is the step I don’t want to take?
Start close in,
don’t take
the second step
or the third,
start with the first
thing
close in,
the step
you don’t want to take.
For Want of a Nail
"For want of a nail the shoe was lost.
For want of a shoe the horse was lost.
For want of a horse the rider was lost.
For want of a rider the battle was lost.
For want of a battle the kingdom was lost.
And all for the want of a nail."
I read this poem in a comic book when I was around 13 and thought, "This writer is legendary! Comics are so profound!" Only years later did I discover the truth.
The Tyger by William Blake
“Tyger Tyger, burning bright,
In the forests of the night;
What immortal hand or eye,
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?
In what distant deeps or skies.
Burnt the fire of thine eyes?
On what wings dare he aspire?
What the hand, dare seize the fire?
And what shoulder, & what art,
Could twist the sinews of thy heart?
And when thy heart began to beat.
What dread hand? & what dread feet?
What the hammer? what the chain,
In what furnace was thy brain?
What the anvil? what dread grasp.
Dare its deadly terrors clasp?
When the stars threw down their spears
And water'd heaven with their tears:
Did he smile his work to see?
Did he who made the Lamb make thee?
Tyger Tyger burning bright,
In the forests of the night:
What immortal hand or eye,
Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?”
This poem is used in a favorite show of mine. Two, actually. The Mentalist and BONES; both aired on different networks and were semi-competitive with each other. My best friend and I bonded over our love of these shows. The Mentalist also heavily quoted this poem as a plot device for our antagonist, because it was supposed to represent him.
This poem brings back so many memories for me and how I ended up bonding with my best friend. As it became more than just a TV show for me - it became a lifelong friendship. So, this poem reminds me of the friendship that I have to this day.