One Heart
by Li-Young LeeOriginal Language English
Look at the birds. Even flying
is born
out of nothing. The first sky
is inside you, open
at either end of day.
The work of wings
was always freedom, fastening
one heart to every falling thing.
-- from Book of My Nights, by Li-Young Lee |
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It is Easter this weekend, a time to celebrate liberation, the renewal of life and hope and possibility.
Look at the birds. Even flying
is born
out of nothing.
To take flight, birds launch themselves into apparent emptiness. Of course, successful flight requires an awareness that the sky is not truly empty, but a realm of subtle substance that can support us.
One must cultivate an inner emptiness and lightness in order to let go of the comforting certainty of the earth, to confidently leave it behind and meet that intangible space of open sky, and there dance among its secret currents.
The first sky
is inside you, open
at either end of day.
This, I think, is an important reason why practices such as fasting and other expressions of moderate asceticism are encouraged on occasion by most spiritual traditions. Forget the tormented dogmas of self-denial that tend to lead to hatred of the body -- which should automatically be seen as a spiritual dead end. The real purpose of these sorts of practices is not disdain for the body but, rather, to awaken in our awareness that sense of openness, spaciousness, and inner quiet... while allowing the body to rest and regenerate and become more finely attuned to our higher purposes in life.
If we don't cultivate awareness of the inner sky, the "first sky," we fail to recognize that taking flight in the world around us is our natural expression. Instead, we fear that we will fall.
The work of wings
was always freedom, fastening
one heart to every falling thing.
Perhaps we can think of flight as intentionally falling without ever hitting the ground. We leap into space, letting that inner emptiness lift us up. And perhaps what we thought was fear was in reality the exhilaration of the heart encountering the openness of the living moment while we soar upon nothing.
(This is a poem I have featured more than once, but each time I come across it again, it carries new life, and I think, Oh, I have to share this with the Poetry Chaikhana once more!)
Have a beautiful day!
Recommended Books: Li-Young Lee
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Book of My Nights | Rose | The City in Which I Love You | Behind My Eyes: Poems | |