The Invitation





The Invitation


The Invitation is a prose poem by Oriah Mountain Dreamer. Many years after the poem was written and had become famous, the author wrote a book based on the poem, The Invitation (1999), by Oriah Mountain Dreamer. Oriah is a spiritual counselor and storyteller, among other things. This poem offers an invitation to every single one of us to "show up" in the universe. She reminds us that we do not serve the universe by being small. Rather, we serve the universe by making the most out of our lives...............>




It doesn't interest me
what you do for a living.
I want to know
what you ache for
and if you dare to dream
of meeting your heart's longing.


It doesn't interest me

how old you are.

I want to know
if you will risk
looking like a fool
for love
for your dream
for the adventure of being alive.



It doesnt interest me

what planets are

squaring your moon...
I want to know
if you have touched
the centre of your own sorrow
if you have been opened
by life's betrayals
or have become shrivelled and closed
from fear of further pain.



I want to know

if you can sit with pain

mine or your own
without moving to hide it
or fade it
or fix it.



I want to know

if you can be with joy

mine or your own
if you can dance with wildness
and let the ecstasy fill you
to the tips of your fingers and toes
without cautioning us
to be careful
to be realistic
to remember the limitations
of being human.



It doesn't interest me

if the story you are telling me

is true.
I want to know if you can
disappoint another
to be true to yourself.
If you can bear
the accusation of betrayal
and not betray your own soul.
If you can be faithless
and therefore trustworthy.



I want to know if you can see Beauty

even when it is not pretty

every day.
And if you can source your own life
from its presence.



I want to know

if you can live with failure

yours and mine
and still stand at the edge of the lake
and shout to the silver of the full moon,
"Yes."



It doesn't interest me

to know where you live

or how much money you have.
I want to know if you can get up
after the night of grief and despair
weary and bruised to the bone
and do what needs to be done
to feed the children.



It doesn't interest me

who you know

or how you came to be here.
I want to know if you will stand
in the centre of the fire
with me
and not shrink back.



It doesn't interest me

where or what or with whom

you have studied.
I want to know
what sustains you
from the inside
when all else falls away.



I want to know

if you can be alone

with yourself
and if you truly like
the company you keep
in the empty moments.





Source: https://www.familyfriendpoems.com/