People quite often have views of the world and people that are fixed. We become observers and outsiders separate from the life we live in a sense.
William Stafford‘s poem offers another approach. We read our lives as stories to each other and share in the living. This is important in leading, which we are all able to do. In a sense, reading life is leading, learning, and teaching in the world we co-inhabit.
If you don’t know the kind of person I am
and I don’t know the kind of person you are
a pattern that others made may prevail in the world
and following the wrong god home we may miss our star.
For there is many a small betrayal in the mind,
a shrug that lets the fragile sequence break
sending with shouts the horrible errors of childhood
storming out to play through the broken dyke.
And as elephants parade holding each elephant’s tail,
but if one wanders the circus won’t find the park,
I call it cruel and maybe the root of all cruelty
to know what occurs but not recognize the fact.
And so I appeal to a voice, to something shadowy,
a remote important region in all who talk:
though we could fool each other, we should consider–
lest the parade of our mutual life get lost in the dark.
For it is important that awake people be awake,
or a breaking line may discourage them back to sleep;
the signals we give–yes or no, or maybe–
should be clear: the darkness around us is deep.
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About ivonprefontaine
In keeping with bell hooks and Noam Chomsky, I consider myself a public and dissident intellectual. Part of my work is to move beyond (transcend) institutional dogmas that bind me to defend freedom, raising my voice to be heard on behalf of those who seek equity and justice in all their forms.
I completed my PhD in Philosophy of Leadership Studies at Gonzaga University, Spokane, WA. My dissertation and research was how teachers experience becoming teachers and their role as leaders.
I focus on leading, communicating, and innovating in organizations. This includes mindfuful servant-leadership, World Cafe events, Appreciative Inquiry, and expressing one's self through creativity. I offer retreats, workshops, and presentations that can be tailored to your organzations specific needs.
I published peer reviewed articles about schools as learning organizations, currere as an ethical pursuit, and hope as an essential element of adult eductaion. I published three poems and am currently preparing my poetry to publish as an anthology of poetry.
I present on mindful leadership, servant leadership, schools as learning organizations, how teachers experience becoming teachers, assessement, and critical thinking. I facilitate mindfulness, hospitality retreats. and World Cafe Events using Appreciative Inquiry.
I am writing and researching about various forms of leadership, how teachers inform and form their identity as a particular teacher, schools as learning organizations, hope and its anticipatory relationship with the future, and hope as an essential element in learning.
ivonprefontaine
Teacher as Transformer 
Just to let my readers know. I’m having a hard time with a health issue and now I can post nothing on my blog nor can I get any help from WordPress with whatever the problem is. So please pray for me that these issues will be resolved soon. Blessings to all, Natalie 🙂
Praying for you Natalie!!!
Thank you, Skye. 🙂
Take care and be well Natalie. My thoughts are with you.
Thank you so much. Blessings and well being to you too. Natalie 🙂
What a special poem, It has such a fine message, yet even that is not as important as the emotional tugs at the heart it presents. Thanks so much for this sharing. Warm Wishes, Tasha
You are welcome Tasha and thank you for a lovely comment. Take care.
I’ve nominated you for the “Very Inspiring Blogger Award”. You have always been an inspiration to me and I hope you will accept!:) http://lifealight.com/2014/03/25/kintal-thank-you-very-inspiring-blogger-award/
Thank you for the kindness. It is appreciated.
Thanks for sharing this poem Ivon. very helpful in terms of listening to one another.
You are welcome David and thank you.
brilliant words!
Thank you.
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As one breath we breath as one heart in rhythm we beat. A lovely poem.
It is a beautiful poem. Thank you for the lovely comment.