Shabbat Poetry Project
“…poetry is not a luxury. It is a vital necessity of our existence. It forms the quality of the light within which we predicate our hopes and dreams toward survival and change, first made into language, then into idea, then into more tangible action. Poetry is the way we help give name to the nameless so it can be thought.” — Audre Lorde, On Poetry
Sometimes it’s hard to find the right words. Fortunately, there is so much beautiful poetry in the world that can help us express how we are feeling and can help us set the tone for our Shabbat experiences.
From elevating your dinner description, to inspiring a gathering, to opening or closing your dinner with intention, here are some of our favorite poems to deepen your Shabbat practice. We hope you find one that feels right for you.
For when you’re Solo Shabbat-ing…
“Put down the weight of your aloneness and ease into the
conversation. The kettle is singing
even as it pours you a drink”
– Everything is Waiting for You, David Whyte
Keep exploring…
The Sound of One Fork, Minnie Bruce Pratt
You Reading This, Be Ready, William Stafford
I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud, William Wordsworth
For when you need hope or reassurance…
“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.”
– The Peace of Wild Things, Wendell Berry
Keep exploring…
Holding the Light, Stuart Kestenbaum
Still I Rise, Maya Angelou
For when you’re sharing with a friend…
“may you
open your eyes to water
water waving forever
and may you in your innocence
sail through this to that.”
– blessing the boats, Lucielle Clifton
Keep exploring…
In Defense of Our Overgrown Garden, Matthea Harvey
You Reading This, Be Ready, William Stafford
For when you desire a walk in the woods…
“a creek babbling childishly over pebbles,
a small bridge with rough-hewn railings—
this is my little park.”
– Today is Forever, Malka Heifetz Tussman
Keep exploring…
Worms, Carl Dennis
Just as the Calendar Began to Say Summer, Mary Oliver
Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening, Robert Frost
For when you want to elevate your dining experience…
“The world begins at a kitchen table. No matter what, we must eat to live…”
– Perhaps the World Ends Here, Joy Harjo
Keep exploring…
From Blossoms, Li Young-Lee
Onions, William Matthews
My Species, Jane Hirshfield
For when you’re dreaming of justice…
“When you inhale and when you exhale
breathe the possibility of another world
into the 37.2 trillion cells of your body
until it shines with hope.
Then imagine more.”
– V’ahavta, Aurora Levins Morales
Keep exploring…
The African Burial Ground, Yusef Komunyakaa
An Old Story, Tracy K. Smith
For when it’s a holiday…
Rosh HaShana — The birthday of the world, Marge Piercy
Yom Kippur — The Real Work, Wendell Berry, and Wild Geese, Mary Oliver (Thank you to OneTable host, Clove, for suggesting this one.)
Sukkot — September Tomatoes, Karina Borowicz, and In Harvest, Sophie Jewett
Simchat Torah — Poem for Torah on Simchat Torah, Rabbi Jill Hausman
Hanukkah — Season of Skinny Candles, Marge Piercy
Thanksgiving — America, Richard Blanco
Birthday — On the Eve of a Birthday, Timothy Steele
This poetry project was written in collaboration by Natalie Bergner, Colorado Field Manager, and Annie Prusky, DMV Field Manager.