Ode

The ever-inspiring Jennifer McCormick recently introduced me to “Ode” by Arthur O’Shaughnessy, published in 1873. Here’s the first stanza:

We are the music makers,
 And we are the dreamers of dreams;
Wandering by lone sea-breakers,
 And sitting by desolate streams;
World-losers and world-forsakers
 On whom the pale moon gleams:
Yet we are the movers and shakers
 Of the world for ever, it seems.

The entire poem is only nine stanzas long and deserves a slow read. It’s powerful and moving and relevant to creators of all kinds.

I think it’s an inspiring starting point for the new year and hope you do too.