Tree

Last week I went to a poetry workshop taught by Judy Halebsky. Judy is director of the MFA Creative Writing program at Dominican University and author of three poetry collections. She did an amazing job making all of us non-poets feel both empowered and inspired. She gave us several very different poems by famous poets as writing prompts.

This was my favorite:

Tree

By Jane Hirshfield

It is foolish
to let a young redwood
grow next to a house.

Even in this
one lifetime,
you will have to choose.

That great calm being,
This clutter of soup pots and books-

Already the first branch-tips brush at the window.
Softly, calmly, immensity taps at your life.

Read it twice and feel that last line.