Welcome back to The Daily Poem. I'm David Kern, and today is Monday, July 20th, 2020.

Today's poem is by an English poet named Malcolm Gait. He's a singer-songwriter, Anglican Prez, academic,

and you've heard from him on this podcast a time or two before. He's written many books,

and the poem that I'm going to read today

is from a collection called The Singing Bowl, came out back in 2013, and it's available

wherever you buy books. And it's actually the title poem from that book of poems, that collection.

So here it is. This is Malcolm Gites, the singing bowl.

Begin the song exactly where you are.

Remain within the world of which you're made.

Call nothing common in the earth or air. Accept it all and let it be for good.

Start with the very breath you breathe in now,

this moment's pulse, this rhythm in your blood, and listen to it, ringing soft and low.

Stay with the music. Words will come in time.

Slow down your breathing.

Keep it deep and slow.

Become an open singing bowl

whose chime is richness rising out of emptiness

and timelessness resounding into time.

And when the heart is full of quietness, begin the song exactly where you are.

Some of you who are listening might know that the Sersi Institute, who produces this podcast, did a conference called Steadfast Gratitude.

And it was an online conference to replace the in-person conference that usually happens this time of year.

And our friend Christine Perrin, who you have heard some of her poems on this podcast before, actually, she presented a talk in which she shared

...