All That’s Required of You by James Pearson
Did you know
there will be poppies
again this year?
It’s true. I’ve seen
their muted green fractals
stockpiling sunlight,
distilling it down
to its purest essence
before igniting
into slow motion fireworks.
In the end, isn’t this all
that’s required of you?
To drink in what you love,
to concentrate it
in the crucible of your body,
and, finally, to bloom.
There’s something in this one about letting your body does what it does, all that’s required of us, to let what we love really enter us fully, become us whatever it was, the distillation of all our experiences coming to light. All the three steps are needed - the drinking in, the alchemy of concentration, and then at last, to bloom.
James A. Pearson is a contemporary American writer, retreat leader, and contemplative teacher whose work circulates primarily through his Substack, his retreat practice, and his published collection The Wilderness That Bears Your Name.
