the life-changing poetry of William Stafford

I once chanced upon a Tumblr blog called "You Reading This... Be Ready" and was so taken by its blog name that I googled it to see if it was a reference to something. And what a something the reference turned out to be. It was a poem by William Stafford, an American poet whose works are described as pacifist.

Like many poets, Stafford wrote about a spectrum of themes, including the western US and the environment. But the poems that captured me most are his grand explorations of personal concepts such identity, human potential, and the future. Using everyday words, these poems have built for me wide-open windows into my self, with visions so magnificent, I can't help but be inspired.

Here, my five favorites from William Stafford:

carousel of sacred places

Free-versing to start the year with. >>>

the camouflage man

This is not my poem, but the sentiment in it reflects mine -- and maybe yours.

'street' blog

original post from my Multiply, dated 22january2009

i love walking along divisoria in the afternoon. the diversity of people, the action, the noise -- everything is just so thought-inspiring in a strangely beautiful way. and maybe you might laugh at this, but honestly, it's almost like a spiritual experience for me.

so one afternoon, i got to compose a -- how do you classify this? essay? poem? whatever -- in my head while walking from XU to LC. it's really personal, but i'm posting it here for 'preservation' -- and maybe for future inspiration.
:)