I saw the following quote in the signature of an email that Linda Jones, a great woman and development profesional, sent me:
"Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack, a crack in everything
That's how the light gets in."
(Leonard Cohen, Anthem)
What a powerful piece of poetry! My interpretation from a facilitation perspective:
Use what you have available
Build on top of what is there
It does not matter if it is broken
It does not matter if it does not run smooth
It is yours; perhaps the only thing you have
Offer it with an open heart
Do not worry about the reception
Nothing is perfect
But all is good
Because it is there, in the stain
That the best in us can flourish
Showing posts with label poetry. Show all posts
Showing posts with label poetry. Show all posts
11 March 2011
Bet on the sprout
The following is a poem by Benjamin Gonzalez Buelta (thanks to my friend Rodrigo Quintero for sharing it with me). It makes me think of the spirit on which any sustainable development practice should be based (English translation below):
Apostaremos por lo germinal con toda la verdad
de un amor que se derrama como el agua,
que no pregunta cómo crecerá la planta
ni exige una altura a tiempo fijo,
ni impone una dirección precisa,
ni urge los frutos más temprano
compitiendo,
mirando de soslayo los otros árboles del huerto
que crecen a su lado.
Apostaremos como el agua
que cree en el poder de la semilla,
en el sol que guía el tallo en su estatura,
y en la tierra que la nutre sin descanso
Apostaremos por lo germinal como Tu,
como el agua de la Vida.
_____________________
We will bet on the sprout with all the truth
of a love that overflows like water,
one which does not ask how the plant will grow
nor demands a certain height at a fixed time
nor imposes a precise direction
nor urges to mature the fruits earlier
competing,
comparing it to the other trees in the orchard
growing beside it
We will bet on it like the water
which believes in the power of the seed,
in the sun that guides the stem in its height,
and in the soil that nurtures it restlessly.
We will bet on the sprout like You,
Like the water of life
Apostaremos por lo germinal con toda la verdad
de un amor que se derrama como el agua,
que no pregunta cómo crecerá la planta
ni exige una altura a tiempo fijo,
ni impone una dirección precisa,
ni urge los frutos más temprano
compitiendo,
mirando de soslayo los otros árboles del huerto
que crecen a su lado.
Apostaremos como el agua
que cree en el poder de la semilla,
en el sol que guía el tallo en su estatura,
y en la tierra que la nutre sin descanso
Apostaremos por lo germinal como Tu,
como el agua de la Vida.
_____________________
We will bet on the sprout with all the truth
of a love that overflows like water,
one which does not ask how the plant will grow
nor demands a certain height at a fixed time
nor imposes a precise direction
nor urges to mature the fruits earlier
competing,
comparing it to the other trees in the orchard
growing beside it
We will bet on it like the water
which believes in the power of the seed,
in the sun that guides the stem in its height,
and in the soil that nurtures it restlessly.
We will bet on the sprout like You,
Like the water of life
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