Great poetry calls into question everything. It dares us to break free from the safe strategies of the cautious mind. It opens us to pain and joy and delight. It amazes startles pierces and transforms us. It can lead to communion and grace. Through the voices of ten inspiring poets and his own reflections the author of Sacred America shows how poetry illuminates the eternal feelings and desires that stir the human heart and soul. These poems explore such universal themes as the awakening of wonder the longing for love the wisdom of dreams and the courage required to live an authentic life. In thoughtful commentary on each work Housden offers glimpses into his personal spiritual journey and invites readers to contemplate the significance of the poet s message in their own lives. In Ten Poems to Change Your Life Roger Housden shows how these astonishing poems can inspire you to live what you always knew in your bones but never had the words for. The Journey by Mary Oliver Last Night as I Was Sleeping by Antonio Machado Song of Myself by Walt Whitman Zero Circle by Rumi The Time Before Death by Kabir Ode to My Socks by Pablo Neruda Last Gods by Galway Kinnell For the Anniversary of My Death by W. S. Merwin Love After Love by Derek Walcott The Dark Night by St. John of the Cross