Wild things
National Poetry Month ends soon, so I want to share another wonderful poem with you. This one was recently shared by an author I follow on Substack, and it resonates in so many ways. “The Peace of Wild Things” reminds us to take comfort in the wisdom and beauty of the natural world — no matter what else is unfolding around us. I hope it will inspire you to set aside your phone and other devices while you spend time outdoors this weekend. ~CL
The Peace of Wild Things
By Wendell Berry
When despair for the world grows in me
and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting with their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.
~From The Peace of Wild Things and Other Poems, by Wendell Berry (Penguin; 2018)
Cindy La Ferle
Throughout my career, I've worked as a book production editor, travel magazine editor, features writer, and weekly newspaper columnist. My award-winning lifestyles features and essays have appeared in many national magazines and anthologies, including Newsweek, Reader's Digest, The Christian Science Monitor, Writer's Digest, Victoria, Better Homes & Gardens, Bella Grace, and more. My weekly Sunday "Life Lines" column ran for 14 years in The Daily Tribune (Royal Oak, MI) and won a First Place (Local Columns) award from the Michigan Press Association. My essay collection, Writing Home, includes 93 previously published columns and essays focusing on parenthood and family life.
