Monday, August 29, 2011

ABC Wednesday
August 31st, 2011

The letter this week is the auGust G

G is for Gratitude

Here is a litany of gratitude written by Anne Porter, poet, born in 1911


In Publishers Weekly David Shapiro observed that 'Porter writes what might best be called plainsong: short, unadorned works that, like gospel or folk music, cut directly to the ambiguous heart of things."

A List of Praises

by Anne Porter

"Give praise with psalms that tell the trees to sing,
Give praise with Gospel choirs in storefront churches,
Mad with the joy of the Sabbath,
Give praise with the babble of infants, who wake with the sun,
Give praise with children chanting their skip-rope rhymes,
A poetry not in books, a vagrant mischievous poetry
living wild on the Streets through generations of children.

Give praise with the sound of the milk-train far away
With its mutter of wheels and long-drawn-out sweet whistle
As it speeds through the fields of sleep at three in the morning,
Give praise with the immense and peaceful sigh
Of the wind in the pinewoods,
At night give praise with starry silences.

Give praise with the skirling of seagulls
And the rattle and flap of sails
And gongs of buoys rocked by the sea-swell
Out in the shipping-lanes beyond the harbor.
Give praise with the humpback whales,
Huge in the ocean they sing to one another.

Give praise with the rasp and sizzle of crickets, katydids and cicadas,
Give praise with hum of bees,
Give praise with the little peepers who live near water.
When they fill the marsh with a shimmer of bell-like cries
We know that the winter is over.

Give praise with mockingbirds, day's nightingales.
Hour by hour they sing in the crepe myrtle
And glossy tulip trees
On quiet side streets in southern towns.

Give praise with the rippling speech
Of the eider-duck and her ducklings
As they paddle their way downstream
In the red-gold morning
On Restiguche, their cold river,
Salmon river,
Wilderness river.

Give praise with the whitethroat sparrow.
Far, far from the cities,
Far even from the towns,
With piercing innocence
He sings in the spruce-tree tops,
Always four notes
And four notes only.

Give praise with water,
With storms of rain and thunder
And the small rains that sparkle as they dry,
And the faint floating ocean roar
That fills the seaside villages,
And the clear brooks that travel down the mountains

And with this poem, a leaf on the vast flood,
And with the angels in that other country."


I follow a friend on Facebook, and each day she lists five things she is grateful for.

What a lovely habit, and one I think we should all cultivate.

Visit here at ABC Wednesday for a wonderful variety
 based on the letter G.


20 comments:

VioletSky said...

I have read this post several in my reader and each time I find something I missed.

Reader Wil said...

I like this poem very much, because it describes an atmosphere of gratitude and happiness. Good idea to write down five things every day to be grateful for.Thanks for sharing!

photowannabe said...

Everything that hath breath Praise the Lord.
This is absolutely magnificent. I must read it again.
I love the plain simple truth of the words.

Kay L. Davies said...

What a beautiful poem. We should all remember what it says.
Thanks for commenting on my blog and reminding me I didn't say when the photos were taken. Yes, our most recent travels, August 2011, in Russia.
Five things a day on my gratitude list — what an excellent idea.
— K

Kay, Alberta, Canada
An Unfittie's Guide to Adventurous Travel

Gigi Ann said...

That is a lovely poem. I so enjoyed reading it. Great choice for "G" day.

Thanks for your visit today.

Carver said...

Great post. I used to keep a gratitude journal as part of a workshop I did and I always felt better after writing in it.

Anna said...

I enjoyed your post. The listing of five things a day is a great idea. Even in the darkest days there can be little happenings that make you smile and be thankful.

Roger Owen Green said...

1. I didn't hit by Hurricane Irene...

Well stated.

ROG, ABC Wednesday team

nonizamboni said...

Thank you for sharing this lovely poem. The images will stay with me, I'm sure, for a long time. it reminded me of this song about praise from Chris Rice:
http://youtu.be/F2bAnLYdHE8
Happy Wednesday!

Kim, USA said...

This is beautiful!! Just to remind me to be grateful of all the things around us. ^_^

ABC Wed

Wanda said...

A very beautiful poem of gratitude. I'm keeping a gratitude list called "One Thousand Gifts" based on the book of the same title.

I'm almost to 300...and there are so many more things to be thankful for.

Chubskulit Rose said...

Great list for gratitude!

jabblog said...

I agree, we should all take time to be grateful for what we have. This is the second ABC Wednesday post I've read about gratitude.

Tumblewords: said...

Gratitude is a great attitude. Nice post!

Leslie: said...

Beautiful...I should do what Wanda is doing and start a daily list. I did gratitude, too.

Leslie
abcw team

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

Beautiful poem and I love that picture. I could have done "G" this week, because I wrote about Gratituide for Tuesday's "our world" meme!

Paula Scott Molokai Girl Studio said...

I shall give praise-tightly infused with gratitude.

Karen @ Pieces of Contentment said...

There is indeed so much to be grateful for in life.

My name is Riet said...

That is a beautiful poem and I love everything you said.

Dimple said...

I am grateful that you posted this, and that you commented on my post so I wouldn't miss it!

It is a wonderful poem!

Blessings on your life in your new home, and hugs to both of you.