<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div dir="auto" style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><span style="color: rgb(24, 24, 24); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">How to be a Poet (to remind myself)</span><br style="color: rgb(24, 24, 24);" class=""><br style="color: rgb(24, 24, 24);" class=""><span style="color: rgb(24, 24, 24); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">Make a place to sit down. </span><br style="color: rgb(24, 24, 24);" class=""><span style="color: rgb(24, 24, 24); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">Sit down. Be quiet. </span><br style="color: rgb(24, 24, 24);" class=""><span style="color: rgb(24, 24, 24); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">You must depend upon </span><br style="color: rgb(24, 24, 24);" class=""><span style="color: rgb(24, 24, 24); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">affection, reading, knowledge, </span><br style="color: rgb(24, 24, 24);" class=""><span style="color: rgb(24, 24, 24); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">skill—more of each </span><br style="color: rgb(24, 24, 24);" class=""><span style="color: rgb(24, 24, 24); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">than you have—inspiration </span><br style="color: rgb(24, 24, 24);" class=""><span style="color: rgb(24, 24, 24); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">work, growing older, patience, </span><br style="color: rgb(24, 24, 24);" class=""><span style="color: rgb(24, 24, 24); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">for patience joins time </span><br style="color: rgb(24, 24, 24);" class=""><span style="color: rgb(24, 24, 24); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">to eternity… </span><br style="color: rgb(24, 24, 24);" class=""><br style="color: rgb(24, 24, 24);" class=""><span style="color: rgb(24, 24, 24); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">Breathe with unconditional breath </span><br style="color: rgb(24, 24, 24);" class=""><span style="color: rgb(24, 24, 24); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">the unconditioned air. </span><br style="color: rgb(24, 24, 24);" class=""><span style="color: rgb(24, 24, 24); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">Shun electric wire. </span><br style="color: rgb(24, 24, 24);" class=""><span style="color: rgb(24, 24, 24); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">Communicate slowly. Live </span><br style="color: rgb(24, 24, 24);" class=""><span style="color: rgb(24, 24, 24); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">a three-dimensional life; </span><br style="color: rgb(24, 24, 24);" class=""><span style="color: rgb(24, 24, 24); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">stay away from screens. </span><br style="color: rgb(24, 24, 24);" class=""><span style="color: rgb(24, 24, 24); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">Stay away from anything </span><br style="color: rgb(24, 24, 24);" class=""><span style="color: rgb(24, 24, 24); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">that obscures the place it is in. </span><br style="color: rgb(24, 24, 24);" class=""><span style="color: rgb(24, 24, 24); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">There are no unsacred places; </span><br style="color: rgb(24, 24, 24);" class=""><span style="color: rgb(24, 24, 24); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">there are only sacred places </span><br style="color: rgb(24, 24, 24);" class=""><span style="color: rgb(24, 24, 24); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">and desecrated places. </span><br style="color: rgb(24, 24, 24);" class=""><br style="color: rgb(24, 24, 24);" class=""><span style="color: rgb(24, 24, 24); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">Accept what comes from silence. </span><br style="color: rgb(24, 24, 24);" class=""><span style="color: rgb(24, 24, 24); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">Make the best you can of it. </span><br style="color: rgb(24, 24, 24);" class=""><span style="color: rgb(24, 24, 24); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">Of the little words that come </span><br style="color: rgb(24, 24, 24);" class=""><span style="color: rgb(24, 24, 24); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">out of the silence, like prayers </span><br style="color: rgb(24, 24, 24);" class=""><span style="color: rgb(24, 24, 24); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">prayed back to the one who prays, </span><br style="color: rgb(24, 24, 24);" class=""><span style="color: rgb(24, 24, 24); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">make a poem that does not disturb </span><br style="color: rgb(24, 24, 24);" class=""><span style="color: rgb(24, 24, 24); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">the silence from which it came.</span><div class=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class=""><br style="color: rgb(24, 24, 24);" class=""></span><span style="color: rgb(24, 24, 24); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class=""><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>- </span><a class="authorOrTitle" href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8567.Wendell_Berry" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); text-decoration: none;">Wendell Berry</a><br class=""></div></div></body></html>