Poem

Widening Circles

 I live my life in widening circles
 that reach out across the world.
 I may not complete this last one
 but I give myself to it.

 I circle around God, around the primordial tower.
 I’ve been circling for thousands of years
 and I still don’t know: am I a falcon,
 a storm, or a great song?

Rilke, The Book of Hours I, 2 

Joanna Macy read this poem while being interviewed by Krista Tippett, On Being. She was profoundly awakened in Germany by Rilke.