A Cleansing Breath

Today is the birthday of one of our greatest contemporary poets, Jane Kenyon. In one poem, she describes being claimed by melancholia as an infant and she did, in fact, suffer from long depressive bouts throughout her life. In her writing, though, she captured best those intense moments in which we recognize happiness in the minute details of our daily routines. Ten years after her death from leukemia at the age of 47, her voice still radiates its deep appreciation for the joy of living in the world. The Suitor is one of my favorites. I hope you find a quiet moment for poetry. Righteous anger at the state of the world today can deplete energy and stamina. Some days a gal just has to take a deep breath.