A Highlight From the National Book Festival in Washington, DC

Whenever I can, I try to make the annual literary pilgrimage to attend the National Book Festival in DC. In the past, I’ve tried to bring along my nieces & nephews, in an effort to foster their love of reading & have even introduced them to authors (one of whom became a pen pal to my 7 year old niece).

Mostly, I attend readings by poets, nonfiction writers, literary critics, or cultural figures I admire. A highlight from the DC Book Festival was hearing American poet, Jane Hirshfield, recite these stirring words from a poem of hers, For What Binds Us

And see how the flesh grows back
across a wound, with a great vehemence,
more strong
than the simple, untested surface before.
There's a name for it on horses,
when it comes back darker and raised: proud flesh,

as all flesh,
is proud of its wounds, wears them
as honors given out after battle,
small triumphs pinned to the chest—

And when two people have loved each other
see how it is like a
scar between their bodies,
stronger, darker, and proud;
how the black cord makes of them a single fabric
that nothing can tear or mend.

For the full poem, please, see

Before reading the poem from memory, Jane spoke of the very interesting, special life of this piece and how, for example, during her trip to Syria, her poem was printed on flyers and handed out as a kind of peace offering (I see why).

For those of you who might be interested in further reading from this fine poet, I recommend The Enlightened Heart, an anthology of spiritual poetry, edited by the great Stephen Mitchell, and featuring (fairly obscure) Eastern mysticism translated by Jane.

Image of Horse, by Kent Burgess