How It Seems To Me

Ursula K. Le Guin (1929-2018) ↗

In the vast abyss before time, self
is not, and soul commingles
with mist, and rock, and light. In time,
soul brings the misty self to be.
Then slow time hardens self to stone
while ever lightening the soul,
till soul can loose its hold of self
and both are free and can return
to vastness and dissolve in light,
the long light after time.

Notes

Le Guin traces the slow journey of the self, from a misty origin to a hard stone, until time finally lightens the soul enough to let go of its rigid ego. It offers a deeply comforting, spacious lightness for July, framing aging and letting go not as a loss, but as the ultimate release into freedom. By gently unburdening us from the heavy demand to maintain a fixed identity, the poem invites us to dissolve into the long, tranquil light after time. . #poetry #soul #time #life #ursulakleguin

About the author

Ursula K. Le Guin ↗

Ursula Kroeber Le Guin was an American author. She is best known for her works of speculative fiction, including science fiction works set in her Hainish universe, and the Earthsea fantasy series. Her work was first published in 1959, and her literary career spanned nearly sixty years, producing more than twenty novels and more than a hundred short stories, in addition to poetry, literary criticism, translations, and children's books. Frequently described as an author of science fiction, Le Guin has also been called a "major voice in American Letters". Le Guin said that she would prefer to be known as an "American novelist".