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ry nourishes my soul and teaches me to see the world differently.</p><h2 id="4a28">Spiritual Practice</h2><p id="e304">Writing for me is a spiritual practice. I did not realize this until I read an essay several years ago in which Mark Vonnegut talks about his father, Kurt, one of my favorite authors. This quote opened for me a window into why I have spent years writing without fame or fortune.</p><blockquote id="defe"><p>“Writing was a spiritual exercise for my father, the only thing he really believed in.” — Mark Vonnegut</p></blockquote><p id="748d">When I rejected organized religion and experienced a spiritual crisis at the age of 18, writing became the spiritual path I walked. Writing gave my soul the courage and strength necessary to face the traumas of this world. I was called to be a preacher but I could not preach until I first cleansed my soul and made it strong through writing.</p><p id="dfaa">The writing is what makes me whole, gives meaning to my life, and keeps me believing even when I feel there is nothing left to live for. Writing is my spiritual path, my meditation, and my gift of prayer.</p><figure id="7a36"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fi

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t:800/1*ioTqe9MUrZHb70XVvUNprw.jpeg"><figcaption></figcaption></figure><h2 id="aeef">Give a Creative Gift</h2><p id="f164">This week give away a poem, a painting, or a song to a stranger, a friend or even a family member. Ask for nothing in return. Share a small piece of yourself.</p><p id="b88c">Here is my gift to you.</p><figure id="63b1"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*HhHlfFnSBz1MPKoxY8BaMg.jpeg"><figcaption></figcaption></figure><p id="17f4">Copyright © 2023 by Harley King</p><p id="cc89">If you like this article, you might also enjoy <b><i>The Anatomy of A Poet</i></b>.</p><div id="3d76" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/the-anatomy-of-a-poet-98c80fcbc63f"> <div> <div> <h2>The Anatomy of A Poet</h2> <div><h3>Insights into How My Writing Has Evolved</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/1*Vu1kvZHGShxo0PCqontN3Q.jpeg)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div></article></body>

Writing: A Spiritual Practice

Making Gifts

Harley King in his office

“Music was his life, it was not his livelihood And it made him feel so happy, it made him feel so good And he sang from his heart and he sang from his soul And he did not know how well he sang, it just made him whole” — Harry Chapin (Mr. Tanner)

The Writing Life

During the last fifty years, I have written thousands of poems—some poems are hundreds of lines long and some as short as three lines. Only a few hundred have been published. Some years I write four to five hundred poems. In other years I write fifty or sixty poems.

To paraphrase singer and songwriter, Harry Chapin, poetry is my life, not my livelihood.

Writing has helped me to stay sane in a crazy world. The joy of creation has brought me pleasure in indescribable ways. Writing poetry has helped to heal my soul and fill me with hope.

Reading poetry nourishes my soul and teaches me to see the world differently.

Spiritual Practice

Writing for me is a spiritual practice. I did not realize this until I read an essay several years ago in which Mark Vonnegut talks about his father, Kurt, one of my favorite authors. This quote opened for me a window into why I have spent years writing without fame or fortune.

“Writing was a spiritual exercise for my father, the only thing he really believed in.” — Mark Vonnegut

When I rejected organized religion and experienced a spiritual crisis at the age of 18, writing became the spiritual path I walked. Writing gave my soul the courage and strength necessary to face the traumas of this world. I was called to be a preacher but I could not preach until I first cleansed my soul and made it strong through writing.

The writing is what makes me whole, gives meaning to my life, and keeps me believing even when I feel there is nothing left to live for. Writing is my spiritual path, my meditation, and my gift of prayer.

Give a Creative Gift

This week give away a poem, a painting, or a song to a stranger, a friend or even a family member. Ask for nothing in return. Share a small piece of yourself.

Here is my gift to you.

Copyright © 2023 by Harley King

If you like this article, you might also enjoy The Anatomy of A Poet.

Spirituality
God
Writing
Poetry
Money
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