Welcome darkness,
fear and blight,
welcome suffering,
welcome night.

Welcome the beautiful,
desert and seas,
welcome the mountains,
welcome the trees.

Welcome ignorance,
violence and pain,
welcome the homeless,
welcome the rain.

Welcome the thoughtful
giver of gifts,
welcome the lame,
welcome the swift.

Welcome the womb,
the seed and flower,
welcome the timeless,
welcome the hour.

Welcome the grieving,
all who mourn,
welcome the earth,
welcome the dawn.

 

photo by Sandy Brown Jensen

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reading of “Welcome” with music by Paul Cardall

 

 

 

14 Responses

  1. Lovely “cadence” in my head when I read and reread this poem. Seems different from your other work and very delightful for the soul. It raises thoughts of nonjudgmental acceptance of all that is and welcoming it all into one’s life. Its all going to show up anyway, so why not conjur up a welcoming spirit instead of resisting the “bad” stuff like greiving and violence. Very nice!

  2. “To Everything, Turn, Turn, Turn … There is a Season. Turn, Turn, Turn … And a Time for Every Purpose under Heaven …”

  3. The Holy World is watching for the harbinger of purity ,welcoming the full spectrum into the Kingdom.

  4. Don,
    The cadence of this poem felt very nice, along with the messages.
    Very nice! Chris

  5. Gorgeous. Love the perspective and the rhythm. Come to New Zealand to better hear how mourn and dawn rhyme, haha.

  6. “Welcome the thoughtful giver of gifts”
    I welcome you Don, and all the gifts you freely give, here where gather weekly

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *