I was recently introduced to this great poem… and wanted to share it with you.

I rarely read poetry (usually just when someone shares something with me), but I found this to speak to me on a number of different levels.

So I offer it to you…

The Wind, One Brilliant Day (by Antonio Machado)

The wind, one brilliant day called to my soul
with the fragrance of jasmine.
The wind said: “In return for the fragrance of my jasmine,
I’d like all the fragrance of your roses.”
My soul replied, “I have no roses —
all the flowers in my garden are dead.”

“Well then,” said the wind, “I’ll take the withered petals
and the yellow leaves
and all the waters of the fountain.”

And with them, the wind left. And I wept.
And I said to myself: “What have you done
with the garden that was entrusted to you?”

As a total novice when it comes to poetry, I’m quite sure that there are layers here I’m missing. Possibly things I’m not quite ready for…

But I do hear within this poem some important questions for me (and maybe for you)… about the health of my soul and those things that have been entrusted to me.

And I also hear some important questions for our students.

Learning to tend to our souls is an important part of the work God has given us. And it’s a work we must teach our students about.

What do you hear in the poem?