36 Lines That Will Transform Your Life!
How an old poem touched a young girl.
Desiderata.
In Latin it means “desired things.”
It’s the title of a popular prose poem by Max Ehrmann.
His poem does not rhyme, but is replete with reason.
The original work, written in the early 1920s, was structured in one long stanza.
Ehrmann obtained a US copyright in 1927 with the title,
Go Placidly amid the noise and haste…
He later forfeited this exclusive right by distributing prints of his composition, without copyright.
As a result, the poem was widely circulated, leading to its increased popularity.
I discovered “Desiderata” on a beautifully printed parchment, while browsing an old bookstore in New Hope, PA.
The year was 1974. My junior year of high school.
The yellowed 5" x 7" document was inside a clear plastic sleeve. On the back was a price sticker. It would me cost $1.50.
Captivated by the flowing calligraphy, and its simple directive, Go Placidly, I eagerly read the following 36 lines.
They spoke of peace, kindness, patience and truth.
They encouraged, enlightened, and brought a quiet calm to my being, right there, in the back aisle of The Open Bookshop.
Little did Max Ehrmann know how his words would impact a girl of seventeen, decades after he wrote them.
My parchment copy of Desiderata is now vintage. It has aged well.
Fifty years later, I return to those thirty-six lines from time to time.
I pull the old poem from its place in the bottom drawer of my nightstand.
The words wash over me like a healing rain.
They are like precious stones.
Valuable. Beautiful. Powerful.
They are most certainly…desired things.
Thank you so much for reading.
© 2024 Bernadette E Wallace
