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Inspiration for the Spirit

A lovely place to wander for poetry and inspiration to soothe the soul

A Familiar Taste

by Carrie Ryman

Your body warm, pressed against mine, a sweetness oozes into me. Its intensity is almost painful. It swells within me. I want to drown in it. Your ... Read more

Filed under love, sex & sexuality.

A Father Remembered

by Patty Davis

Months before the ex-president's death, his daughter shared these memories . . . What was once my father's office is now his bedroom. On ... Read more

Filed under father, illness.

A Heart’s Breath

by Anne Lamott

For my birthday this year, God gave me the gift of grace. If our lives are made up of a string of a thousand moments, at some of those moments we ... Read more

Filed under birthday, grace.

Baseball Love

by Carrie Ryman

baseball love

The muscles in my legs work hard to carry me to the end where the field meets the trees. I hear dried leaves crunch beneath my weight before I soar ... Read more

Filed under love.

Breaking the Surface

by Anne Lamott

I think you should get to have your true authentic healed whole self and buns of steel, but redemption just doesn't work that way. I love the heady ... Read more

Filed under Christianity, death, grace.

Cats

by Dennis Janke

Cat eyes looking out at the world ready to pounce galvanize into action by a single motion until they balance thought into perfect contentment and ... Read more

Filed under cats.

Conscripted!

by Laryalee Fraser

Hup two, three, four! Okay, words—now hit the floor! Fifty push-ups, each of you— no one leaves until we're through! Adjectives, line up in rows . . ... Read more

Filed under poetry & writing.

Deliberate

by David J. Humphreys

Love, it's such a funny word It means so many things Confusing in its simple way The thought of hope it brings It cradles you in gently arms And ... Read more

Filed under friends & friendship.

Didgeridoo

by Anne Lamott

A new member of the big, comfy underpants set ponders why women are ostracized for "letting themselves go." I used to go to parties quite often, for ... Read more

Filed under being female, cancer, loving yourself, weight & diet.

Dreamtime

by Dennis Janke

The smell of victory reeked in the delivery room. The crackpot, Rachet Man, followed his dream at the Institute of Grace while waiting to be born. It ... Read more

Filed under people.

Exhaust the Little Moment

by Anna Quindlen

The year my mother died, I learned something enduring about life: that it is glorious, and we have no business taking it for granted. I was 19 years ... Read more

Filed under cancer, death, life & living.

Eye of the Reporter, Heart of the Novelist

by Anna Quindlen

I always wanted to write fiction . . . I only went into the newspaper business to pay the rent. There's always a notebook in my purse. I ... Read more

Filed under poetry & writing.

First Communion

by Dorothy Doyle Mienko

I remember kneeling in my borrowed dress and veil, the bone and blood of Christ against the pink flesh of my tongue and the image of my ... Read more

Filed under father.

Flown Away, Left Behind

by Anna Quindlen

The empty nest is emptier than ever; after all, at its center was something so enormous that a good deal had to be sacrificed for it. I was ... Read more

Filed under empty nest.

Goodbye, Dr. Spock

by Anna Quindlen

I was bound and determined to learn from the experts. It just took me a while to figure out who the experts were. If not for the photographs I might ... Read more

Filed under making mistakes, motherhood.

Goodnight Kiss

by Carrie Ryman

Here is a good night kiss for you, my love, my heart. Only a blue ribbon of moonlight divides us but you seem so far away. Your lips that part to ... Read more

Filed under love.

Heart’s Path

by Francine Pucillo

This path will lead you to my door With heart so plain to see Welcome strangers to my soul Your spirit blends with me I offer you a way to peace To ... Read more

Filed under friends & friendship.

Home Still Exists

by Carrie Ryman

home

Such a comfort there is in knowing that home still exists. Where the attic is filled with my toys and the aspen trees are inscribed with the name of ... Read more

Filed under home.

How to Make a Woman Fall in Love

by Carrie Ryman

A man will win and keep the heart of a woman if he follows one simple set of principles. It is called the PEACH method of dating and the results will ... Read more

Filed under love, relationships.

Is That All There Is?

by Anne Lamott

How do you explain mortality to a kid who insists he wants to be cryogenically frozen—while he's still alive? Late one night 36 years ago, my friend ... Read more

Filed under children, death.

Jealousy

by Terry Stephen Driscoll

jealousy

Try not to question my love, For I have sought deep within me Cussed at me Cursed and been Cruel to me Do not lay blame on my heart For yesterday’s ... Read more

Filed under love.

Let Us Commence

by Anne Lamott

The secret to success is simple—ignore your parents expectations, give money to the ACLU, and find out the truth about who you are. This must be a ... Read more

Filed under learning & growth, life & living.

Letting It Rise

by Anne Lamott

Learning to bake a good loaf of bread is not an easy thing, especially when you have a broken bread machine. My friend Barbie gave me a bread ... Read more

Filed under friends & friendship, illness.

Love Is

by Dennis Janke

a rose is a rose

Love is a rose and it rose and rose . . . how far it goes no one knows . . . but it got beyond my nose . . . and tried to slip between my toes . . ... Read more

Filed under love.

Mala from Heaven

by Anne Lamott

As the world crumbles, I string together beads of faith. If our lives are made up of a string of a thousand moments, at some of those moments we ... Read more

Filed under children, comfort & compassion, grief & sadness.

May Night

by Sara Teasdale

The spring is fresh and fearless And every leaf is new. The world is brimmed with moonlight. The lilac brimmed with dew. Here in the moving shadows I ... Read more

Filed under spring.

Mount Holyoke Commencement Speech

by Anna Quindlen

The thing that is really hard, and really amazing, is giving up on being perfect and beginning the work of becoming yourself. I look at all of you ... Read more

Filed under loving yourself.

Mountains

by Dennis Janke

mountains

Why do you ride that contraption? When they go up to the mountains, they sing, they dance, they have too much to give. They leave such things ... Read more

Filed under mountains.

My Grandmother

by Melissa Kristen

My grandmother was a remarkable woman. She was tiny and frail, independent and proud. She cooked her own meals, creating curious, crazy concoctions ... Read more

Filed under comfort & compassion, death, grandchildren, illness, regret.

My Miracle Heart

by Patricia Petro

daisy and a heart

When my ex-husband and I parted ways, I was angry. Our marriage had not been good for a lot of reasons. And though I was relieved the ordeal was ... Read more

Filed under anger, divorce, forgiveness, hope & optimism, loving yourself.

Nosing Around

by Laryalee Fraser

Of all the body parts we own, our nose is pointedly the one that doesn’t stay where it belongs. It sniffs prevailing winds and chases rumors—huffs ... Read more

Filed under life & living.

On Aging

by Anne Lamott

I was at a wedding Saturday with a lot of women in their 20s and 30s in sexy dresses, their youthful skin aglow. And even though I was 20 or 30 years ... Read more

Filed under aging, being female, loving yourself.

Outside the Bright Lines

by Anna Quindlen

Jennifer Finney Boylan's new book, "She’s Not There," is a very funny memoir of growing up confused and a very smart consideration of what it means to ... Read more

Filed under LGBTQ.

Poetry in Motion

by Carrie Ryman

I love the speed of poetry. The swift nature of it, read aloud, racing with the blood. Then it surprises with soft fluidity, pausing around the ... Read more

Filed under poetry & writing.

Pretty

by Carrie Ryman

ballerinas

Feeling pretty has never been a priority in my life. Feeling smart, talented, adventurous, capable, interesting, witty, etc., have all taken ... Read more

Filed under being female, loving yourself.

Remembrance

by Laryalee Fraser

In sporadic drifts, memories flutter down, like skeletal leaves in slow motion—fragile whispers torn from the branches of yesterday. Sometimes, your ... Read more

Filed under loneliness.

Sarah Lawrence Commencement Speech

by Anna Quindlen

I have seen your salvation; and it is you, staring back at yourself, your eyes windows to your heart and mind. One night I brought my daughter and ... Read more

Filed under advice & encouragement, loving yourself.

Sincere Meditations

by Anne Lamott

Slick packaging can't hide a disfigured soul or fearful spirit. Just ask the pastor of the Church of 80 Percent Sincerity. A friend said mournfully ... Read more

Filed under illness, life & living, loving yourself.

Storm

by Clementine von Radics

The week after I found another woman's fingerprints all over my home. After the storm of begging and bended knees had passed. a tornado hit the ... Read more

Filed under anger, grief & sadness, love lost.

Stray Cat

by Francis Witham

Oh, what unhappy twist of fate Has brought you homeless to my gate? The gate where once another stood To beg for shelter, warmth, and food. For from ... Read more

Filed under cats.

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 Welcome
Inspiration for the Spirit is all about love—not only romantic love, but also love for our fellow man, loving life and its many wonders and, most importantly, the love of self that comes when you are truly content with the person you are ... Read more
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In the end, only three things matter: how much you loved, how gently you lived, and how gracefully you let go of things not meant for you. —Buddha
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The Poetry Pages

My Poems
Guest Poets
Selected Poems
Classic Poets
Classic Love Poems
Zen Poetry, Haiku, and Wisdom

Most Recent Posts

75 Life Lessons Learned

by Patricia Petro

A Birthday Gift

by Christine Magee

A Familiar Taste

by Carrie Ryman

A Father Remembered

by Patty Davis

A Heart’s Breath

by Anne Lamott

The Simplicity of Tea

When I drink tea, there is only me, and the tea. The rest of the world dissolves. There are no worries about the future. No dwelling on past mistakes. ... Read more

The Language of Flowers

During the Victorian era, people often gave each other flowers and used the "language of flowers" (sometimes called floriography) to express feelings ... Read more

My Miracle Heart: A True Story

daisy and a heart

When my ex-husband and I parted ways, I was angry. Our marriage had not been good for a lot of reasons. And though I was relieved the ordeal was ... Read more

Native American Wisdom

Native American chiefs

We, the great mass of the people, think only of the love we have for our land; we do love the land where we were brought up. We will never let our ... Read more

Beginnings

"Messenger" mandala by Caroline Hofstede It had been a pivotal year for me. A bad breakup early on had left me feeling fragile and fragmented and looking inward for answers ... Read more

Sign My Guestbook

guestook

One of the first things you discover when you put an inspirational website online, is that a lot of people will write to you. ... Read more

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