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1st Wednesdays Open Circle at Grace, 7pm in the Sanctuary

Rumi says . . .

Come, come, whoever you are
Wonderer, worshiper, lover of leaving.
It doesn't matter.
Ours is not a caravan of despair.
Come, even if you have broken your vow
a thousand times
Come, yet again, come, come.

Ours is an evening of stories and poems and song, with a little dark chocolate or cookie on the side--or both or neither, in the upper room of the sanctuary at Grace North Church in Berkeley, at the corner of Cedar and Walnut Streets at 7:00PM on the first Wednesday of each month...So mark that down in your heart and bring that heart with you and a story or a poem or a song or bunches of all three and lay them upon us as if you were the Holy Spirit--not to get too carried away, or anything--what fun we will have sharing or just listening, what fun our poetic conversation. What surprises are in store? Come find out for yourself . . . if you are able. I'll get us started . . .

Poems

A poem is only a poem,

a story is only story,

which is not to diminish in any way

the power of either but simply to say

neither is ideological

any more than, say, a loaf of bread,

fresh from the oven,

smelling the way it does

or a casseolet, laid with love

upon the table before us,

smelling the way it does, is ideological--

for ideology has nothing to do with . . .

with the way things smell,

with the making and breaking of bread,

with the human heart, with love,

the way stories and poems

and bread and casseolets do,

bringing us together.

Bill Denham, 5/11/08

Check out the calendar to confirm.

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1st Wednesdays Open Circle at Grace, 7pm in the Sanctuary

2138 cedar street, berkeley, ca 94709 | 510.548.2153 | email us!