You See I Want a Lot
You see, I want a lot.
Perhaps I want everything:
the darkness that comes with every infinite fall
and the shivering blaze of every step up.
So many live on and want nothing,
and are raised to the rank of prince
by the slippery ease of their light judgments.
But what you love to see are faces
that do work and feel thirst.
You love most of all those who need you
as they need a crowbar or a hoe.
You have not grown old, and it is not too late
to dive into your increasing depths
where life calmly gives out its own secret.
~ Rainer Maria Rilke
(translated by Robert Bly)
I have to get on later tonight to fix the formatting on this and the Rumi poem. I thank you for your patience with my extreme lack of technical prowess.
Found my way over here on delphismith’s recommendation. Glad I came! I can’t say I’m a huge fan of poetry. I’m not one of the “two in a thousand”, lol. But I find really good poetry to be quite refreshing and either soothing or invigorating depending on the theme. And I’ll admit I prefer the poetry that rhymes. But you have the whole gamut here. Very nice!
My favorite lines came from the first one “You See I Want A Lot.” Just the title alone is something I can relate to. But this:
”
So many live on and want nothing,
and are raised to the rank of prince
by the slippery ease of their light judgments.
But what you love to see are faces
that do work and feel thirst.
You love most of all those who need you
as they need a crowbar or a hoe.”
…just sums it all up right there. That’s exactly the time we’re living in right now.
Glad I came over here.
Really happy to have you, thanks for the comments. I strive to find a wide range of poetry that folks can relate to whether they area poetry lovers or not. It’s always nice to hear when it is successful.