The poem “A Dream of Grace” came to me in basically the way you see it here. I was at spending the week at one of Robert Bly’s Great Mother Conferences. Robert Bly is one of the United States best poets. He is perhaps even a better translator. He is one of the people responsible for bringing Neruda, Jimenez, Machado, Rilke, Rumi, Kabir, and so many others to the attention of American intellectuals. These conferences take place in the woods, usually in Church Campgrounds or in conference centers. About one hundred people come and spend the week, take informal classes in all sorts of arts and crafts. At this conference Bly was just finishing his volume called Morning Poems. Continue reading →