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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!

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