Thursday, March 1, 2012

The Power of Standing Still


(I know it’s a bit of a risk including poetry here; it’s not everyone’s cup of tea.  But bear with me! A few words sometimes pack a powerful punch.)

Robert Frost wrote this poem to celebrate his daughter’s wedding, but to me it also illustrates the wonderful richness of intellectual gifts and the thrill of finding a kindred spirit.   

The Master Speed

No speed of wind or water rushing by
But you have speed far greater.  You can climb
Back up a stream of radiance to the sky,
And back through history up the stream of time.
And you were given this swiftness, not for haste
Nor chiefly that you may go where you will,
But in the rush of everything to waste,
That you may have the power of standing still--
Off any still or moving thing you say.
Two such as you with such a master speed
Cannot be parted nor be swept away
From one another once you are agreed
That life is only life forevermore
Together wing to wing and oar to oar.




Finding a kindred spirit is one of the joys of bringing teens from different schools together to learn about self-advocacy.  As one student wrote:  "I wish that I could stay here forever.  I liked that I didn’t have to lower my vocabulary because everyone was just as smart as me.  This was a great experience because I felt like I have known these people FOREVER!"






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