Ascension Mission

Exploring poetry can be an inclusive opportunity for both group and individual reflection. Poetry engages personal experience in a friendly and non judgmental way, opening the heart and mind to a greater understanding of ourselves and others.

Settle in, find a comfortable place, and have a writing utensil and journal nearby.

Something whispered something
that was not even a word.
It was more like a silence
that was understandable.
I was standing
at the edge of the pond.
Nothing living, what we call living,
was in sight.
And yet, the voice entered me,
my body-life,
with so much happiness.
And there was nothing there
but the water, the sky, the grass.

Oliver, Mary. "Who Said This." Red Bird, Beacon Press, 2008, pp. 58.

Writing Prompts

First Reading

• Read the poem slowly and meaningfully, or listen to the audio or video version if available.
• Reflect silently or in your journal on a word or phrase from the poem that stands out to you.

Second Reading

• Read or listen to the poem a second time.
• Reflect silently or in your journal how that word or phrase you named is connected to some experience in your life. 

Third Reading

• Read or listen to the poem a third time.
• Reflect silently or in your journal on what this poem might be calling you to be or to do.