Every time you write a poem it’s apocalyptic. You’re revealing who you really are to yourself.
Li-Young LeeRead
There are days we live_x000D_ as if death were nowhere_x000D_ in the background; from joy _x000D_ to joy to joy, from wing to wing,_x000D_ from blossom to blossom to_x000D_ impossible blossom, to sweet impossible blossom.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects the beauty of living fully in the present moment, embracing joy and the fleeting nature of life.
Li-Young Lee's quote encapsulates the idea that amidst the inevitability of death, there are moments of pure joy that can carry us from one experience to another. It encourages us to appreciate life’s beauty—symbolized here by the imagery of blossoming flowers—while recognizing that these moments are precious and ephemeral.
Themes
LifeJoyBlossomMomentBeauty
In practice
Example use cases
During a graduation speech to encourage students to embrace life fully.
More from Li-Young Lee
All quotes →Brimming. That's what it is, I want to get to a place where my sentences enact brimming.
Li-Young LeeRead
A bruise, blue in the muscle, you impinge upon me. As bone hugs the ache home, so I'm vexed to love you, your body the shape of returns, your hair a torso of light, your heat I must have, your opening I'd eat, each moment of that soft-finned fruit, inverted fountain in which I don't see me.
Li-Young LeeRead
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