Nicole DuPlessis shared this poem from Love Poems From God by Daniel Ladinsky. It claims to be a translation of St Teresa of Avila, but it’s not quite clear if it’s really a translation or a poem inspired by her writings. Ladinsky seems to be a rather controversial poet, and I’ve found several sources who accuse him of playing fast and loose with his source material. Either way, it’s a beautiful poem and I just had to reshare.
Laughter Came From Every Brick
Just these two words He spoke
changed my life,
“Enjoy Me.”
What a burden I thought I was to carry –
a crucifix, as did He.
Love once said to me, “I know a song,
would you like to hear it?”
And laughter came from every brick in the street
and from every pore
in the sky.
After a night of prayer, He
changed my life when
He sang,
“Enjoy Me.”
What a beautiful poem. I’ve never heard of this poet but, whether translated or inspired by, does he give any suggestion as to what writing of St. Teresa’s it is?
No. That’s actually how I came to find out more about the poet. I was trying to track down where in St Teresa it’s from and came up with a lot of criticism about his translations. I’m thinking he might have made it up completely. But as a brief portrait of her loosely inspired by her life, I like it.