I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud

*** Revised Common Lectionary *** Lectionary Reading: Lamentations 1:1-6 CLASSIC POEM: I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud William Wordsworth I wandered lonely as a cloud That floats on high o’er vales and hills, When all at once I saw a crowd, A host, of golden daffodils; Beside the lake, beneath the trees, Fluttering and dancing in the breeze. Continuous as the stars that shine And twinkle on the milky way, They stretched in never-ending line Along the margin of a bay: Ten thousand saw I at a glance, Tossing their heads in sprightly dance. The waves beside them danced; but they Out-did the sparkling waves in glee: A poet could not but be gay, In such a jocund company: I gazed—and gazed—but little thought What wealth the show to me had brought: For oft, when on my couch I lie In vacant or in pensive mood, They flash upon that inward eye Which is the bliss of solitude; And then my heart with pleasure fills, And dances with the daffodils. *** This poem is in the public domain, and may be read in a live-streamed worship service. CONTEMPORARY POEM: Loneliness Fanny Howe SNIPPET: Loneliness is not an accident or a choice. It’s an uninvited and uncreated companion. It slips in beside you when you are not aware that a choice you are making will have consequences. … [ READ THE FULL POEM ]