Life Poetry

Ryokan (1758–1831) is, along with Dogen and Hakuin, one of the three giants of Zen in Japan. But unlike his two renowned colleagues, Ryokan was a societal dropout, living mostly as a hermit and a beggar. He was never head of a monastery or temple. He liked playing with children. He had no dharma heir. Even so, people recognized the depth of his realization, and he was sought out by people of all walks of life for the teaching to be experienced in just being around him.

Hailed as one of “Oprah’s Ultimate Favorite Things,” Mark Nepo’s bestselling “thinking person’s devotional” of inspirational stories and essays is now available from S&S Audio. In this work, Mark Nepo invites listeners to explore their own inner core through the stories of ordinary...

Rumi has been described as "the most popular poet" in the United States. Rumi's popularity has gone beyond national and ethnic borders. He is considered to be one of the greatest classical poets, by the speakers of Persian language in Iran, Afghanistan, and Tajikistan. His poetry is still read worldwide today and has been translated into a wide variety of languages including Turkish, Persian, Russian, Asian, English, and Spanish languages.

A love letter to the healing power of collaboration and feeling seen, The People's Purge: Words of a Goat Princess Vol II is a must-read for anyone looking to rid themselves of the guilt of existing and get lost in the razor sharp mind of Jessie Reyez. Born from a popular long-running series on...

Sometimes the silent whispers in our heads get so loud we start to believe the noise is real. I have been there, and the whispers almost convinced me that I should not be alive. In that darkness, I took to writing poetry and little positive notes to find light and hope. I had to convince my mind that it gets better. Nothing remains forever, not even the bad days and the sad moments. In this book, I try to make sense of my emotions and navigate the darkness through words. If you find yourself today in the same dark spot, may these poems and little notes give you a reason each day to live, ...

A 6-Week Artist’s Way Program Julia Cameron has been teaching the world about creativity since her seminal book, The Artist’s Way, first broke open the conversation around art. Now, in Write for Life, she turns to one of the subjects closest to her heart: the art and practice of writing...

A book of dark poems written by R.M. Spears in times of despair and sadness. Sadness and darkness are natural cousins. Since ancient times, people have worn black to express their grief. The poems in The Darker Side of Life may seek to romanticize sadness and depression.

"Cousins has given us a compelling biography of Keats' short and tragic life." MENSA Bulletin It is difficult; To get the news from poems; Yet men die miserably every day; For lack; Of what is found there. William Carlos Williams John Keats composed the most glorious jewels in the crown of English poetry. His are the most perfect poems in English. His letters are also considered a great literary achievement where he developed his ideas and concepts on art and life. The ability to transcend self by emotionally merging with nature's beauty became an essential credo for John Keats. His ...

From the founding member of Sonic Youth, a passionate memoir tracing the author's life and art—from his teen years as a music obsessive in small-town Connecticut, to the formation of his legendary rock group, to thirty years of creation, experimentation, and wonder "Downtown scientists rejoice!...

“Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary, Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore, While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping, As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door. "'Tis some visitor," I muttered, "tapping at my chamber door - Only this, and nothing more." Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December, And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor. Eagerly I wished the morrow; vainly I had tried to borrow From my books surcease of sorrow - sorrow for the lost Lenore - For the rare and ...

A dazzling debut collection of raw and explosive poems about growing up in a sexist, sensationalized world, from a thrilling new feminist voice. i’m a good girl, bad girl, dream girl, sad girl girl next door sunbathing in the driveway i wanna be them all at once, i wanna be all the girls...

A curated compendium of poetry and prose from the award-winning poet Mary Oliver, including the book-length masterpiece The Leaf and the Cloud, the collection What Do We Know, andessays from Long Life—with a foreword by fellow Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Postcolonial Love...

Echoes of Love is a companion for those hardest days and quietest nights. It is a collection of 100 short reflections for the grieving heart: honest, raw, and quietly real. Each reflection offers a soft moment of recognition, something to hold onto when you're not sure what you feel or how to move through it. Some parts may comfort you. Others may bring tears. All were written to meet you where you are.

There are times when one wants to be alone, or in the company of the chosen few. Poetry is the perfect companion of that person who wants his or her spirit to be lifted up. Soul stirring poetry is rare and it is a great companion of a sensitive soul. A great poet or poetess brings out a worldly experience in such a positive manner that the reader get submerged in that blissful world that poet creates. Here is a small attempt to collect the sensitive poetry that would bring cheer to the sensitive soul who wants to experience the bliss that can be only generated by the calmed emotions of ...

From the coziness of lifelong friendship to the aching intensity of lost love, Loves of Our Lives is a poetic journey through the heartfelt relationships that make us human. In her highly anticipated second collection, social media sensation Josie Balka masterfully puts words to the indescribable, weaving her signature blend of raw emotion and vivid imagery into poems that speak straight to the soul.

An evocative portrait of the beloved and acclaimed poet, whose late-in-life success took the literary world by storm. With the publication of her first book of poems in her sixty-third year, Amy Clampitt rose meteorically to fame, launching herself from obscurity to the upper ranks of American...

Gather the Pieces is a Book pf Poetry, Journals & Short stories for the healing heart. This book was written when I was getting through a heart break that led to my break through. What I thought would be the death of me, turned out to be the very thing that birthed a new identity. Gather the pieces not only tells how I was able to rebuild myself, but it also shows how in a terrible experience, great things can still be born. I hope this book will help someone find a breakthrough of their own after reading how I was able to find mine.

Whether writing fiction or poetry, our best creations burst forth when love escapes the prison of our critical minds and reluctant hearts… when an unplanned thought, word, or action flashes across the author’s mindscape having emerged from our hitherto muted, creative depths. Both flash writing and poetry tap into that instinctive, unexpected inspiration that cries out for expression. Random thoughts give way to random words, till that moment—unspoken, undreamt—bubbles to life inside the author, who wonders, “Where did that come from?” Who knows where it came from? Who cares? ...

“A moving and revealing story of a troubled country’s past.”- Kirkus Review After fulfilling his lifelong dream of becoming a doctor working at a prestigious hospital in Kabul, Afghanistan, Dr. Mehdi Mostamand believed he had it all. But then, on one cold, snowy day in 1965, he saw an image that changed his life forever: a picture of a twelve-year-old blind boy in the newspaper rekindled old memories and reminded him of why he chose to become a doctor in the first place. Driven by his desire to help ailing children in remote Afghan villages, Dr. Mostamand gave up his comfortable job ...

🕯 “If you want eternal love, give it to me, give it to me, give it to me…” 🕯 In the 1800s, a grieving poet made a deal with the devil. In exchange for one last glimpse of the woman he lost, he was given immortality — and cursed to feed on longing itself. Through beautiful, tragic poems whispered across generations, he lives on… sustained by those who read his words and ache for something more. One poem in particular became legend: "Give It to Me" — a haunting love verse that, when spoken aloud three times, seals the soul to the curse. Now, in a modern high school English ...