Ten Poems to Change Your Life by Roger Housden (ISBN:0609609017)

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		Ten Poems to Change Your Life
	
				(8 reviews)			
(76 Readers)

			Roger Housden		
	
This is a dangerous book. Great poetry calls into question not less than everything. It dares us to break free from the safe strategies of the...more
 This is a dangerous book. Great poetry calls into question not less than everything. It dares us to break free from the safe strategies of the cautious mind. It opens us to pain and joy and delight. It amazes, startles, pierces, and transforms us. It can lead to communion and grace.Through the voices of ten inspiring poets and his own reflections, the author of Sacred America shows how poetry illuminates the eternal feelings and desires that stir the human heart and soul. These poems explore such universal themes as the awakening of wonder, the longing for love, the wisdom of dreams, and the courage required to live an authentic life. In thoughtful commentary on each work, Housden offers glimpses into his personal spiritual journey and invites readers to contemplate the significance of the poet's message in their own lives. In Ten Poems to Change Your Life, Roger Housden shows how these astonishing poems can inspire you to live what you always knew in your bones but never had the words for."The Journey" by Mary Oliver"Last Night as I Was Sleeping" by Antonio Machado"Song of Myself" by Walt Whitman"Zero Circle" by Rumi"The Time Before Death" by Kabir"Ode to My Socks" by Pablo Neruda"Last Gods" by Galway Kinnell"For the Anniversary of My Death" by W. S. Merwin"Love After Love" by Derek Walcott"The Dark Night" by St. John of the Cross   less

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							A Reader
						
							few weeks ago						
Talk about being surprised by poetry -- a good surprise. These poets use words so powerfully to say so much in so few words.

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							A Reader
						
							few weeks ago						
Roger Housden is passionate about poetry. He's also very good at sharing with us his understanding of poetry. Poetry is a wonderful way to learn, evolve and grow. I Love this collection of books. I read them over and over again.

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							A Reader
						
							few weeks ago						
A wonderful collection of poetry that focuses on the importance of the spiritual in our lives.

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							A Reader
						
							few weeks ago						
Marvelous.  A great read, opens you up to new ideas and perspectives.

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							A Reader
						
							few weeks ago						
I read this immediately after reading his "Ten Poems to Set You Free".  Roger's love of poetry guides us through their meaning with his insight.  This is a book you can re-read again and again.

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							John
						
							few weeks ago						
Poems are meant to savor, so a book full of nothing but poems needs time to be aborbed. This one was a wonderful introduction to someone like me who doesn't mind savoring words, but who is more used to the pace of reading prose. By highlighting each poem with a thoughtful reflection on it, you get to linger over the poetry for a while and then roll through the equally engaging insights of someone...more
 Poems are meant to savor, so a book full of nothing but poems needs time to be aborbed. This one was a wonderful introduction to someone like me who doesn't mind savoring words, but who is more used to the pace of reading prose. By highlighting each poem with a thoughtful reflection on it, you get to linger over the poetry for a while and then roll through the equally engaging insights of someone who has spent time studying it. It isn't so much a replacement for your own thinking about the poetry piece, as it is a guide to aspects of it that you may not have noticed. It's also like having someone else to corroborate our feelings about it - "yes, that line was powerful to me too!"

The book is also like a sampler of the variety of poetry out in the world, by no means comprehensive providing a newbie like me a light on the possibilities out there.   hide

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							A Reader
						
							few weeks ago						
Fantastic!  Sometimes, when we find ourselves deep in thought and gloom and need time to meditate, all we need to make sense of the world again is to indulge in good poetry.  If you're having qualms as to what direction life is taking you, this book will lighten your spirits.

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							A Reader
						
							few weeks ago						
What a great, great book. Better than any self-help book, this set of poems reminds you of the beauty, of the power, of the wonder, and of the reality of life and love. From the Introduction, through each poem and its related essay discussing the poem, all the way through the Epilogue, just a fantastic look at life. As Housden suggests, reading these poems every morning is not out of the...more
 What a great, great book. Better than any self-help book, this set of poems reminds you of the beauty, of the power, of the wonder, and of the reality of life and love. From the Introduction, through each poem and its related essay discussing the poem, all the way through the Epilogue, just a fantastic look at life. As Housden suggests, reading these poems every morning is not out of the realm of possibility. If I can be allowed to quote from his Epilogue: "Above all, they weave in and out of the two great themes: being awake and being love. Every one of of these ten poems calls us in its own way to open our eyes to the wonder of what is around us; to the wonder of what is deep inside the human heart; and above all, to be awake to the presence, the sensation, of our own being, in the midst of all of it. Every one of them calls us to love: to dive into the fiery furnace that life really is...."   hide

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							A Reader
						
							few weeks ago						
The title might be just a touch extreme, but as a rule is correct.  An excellent collection that mainly highlights more contemporary poets.

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