Life Distilled

“Poetry is life distilled.”
― Gwendolyn Brooks

“Say to them,
say to the down-keepers,
the sun-slappers,
the self-soilers,
the harmony-hushers,
“Even if you are not ready for day
it cannot always be night.”
You will be right.
For that is the hard home-run.

Live not for battles won.
Live not for the-end-of-the-song.
Live in the along.”
― Gwendolyn Brooks, Selected Poems

To what will you pay attention to this day?
What thoughts will shadow or light the way?
Who will you listen to?
The past, others, self-doubt?
The utility and necessity to guide and direct what we can.
Our thoughts first and foremost.
May enthusiasm, hope, gratitude, laughter, optimism, color, beauty and joy be your guides.
To live fully in the along.

“This is the urgency: Live!
And have your blooming in the noise of the whirlwind.”
― Gwendolyn Brooks, The World of Gwendolyn Brooks