Rilke Poem For Today
Du, Nachbar Gott, wenn ich dich manchesmal
You, God, who live next door–
If at times, through the long night, I trouble you
with my urgent knocking–
this is why: I hear you breathe so seldom.
I know you’re all alone in that room.
If you should be thirsty, there’s no one
to get you a glass of water.
I wait listening, always. Just give me a sign!
I’m right here.
As it happens, the wall between us
is very thin. Why couldn’t a cry
from one of us
break it down? It would crumble
easily,
it would barely make a sound.
From Rilke’s Book of Hours: Love Poems to God, translated by Anita Barrows and Joanna Macy
And for those of you interested, I’m a guest blogger at Magpie Girl–on how art and spirituality are inextricably linked for me. Check it out!