Using works by poets ranging from Antonio Machado and Pablo Neruda to Galway Kinnell and Franz Kafka, Roger Housden presents each poem as a catalyst, then creates a text upon which the reader is invited to reflect more deeply.
Great poetry calls into question everything. It dares us to break free from the safe strategies of the cautious mind. It opens us to pain and joy and delight. It amazes, startles, pierces, and transforms us. It can lead to communion and grace.

Through the voices of ten inspiring poets and his own reflections, the author of Sacred America shows how poetry illuminates the eternal feelings and desires that stir the human heart and soul. These poems explore such universal themes as the awakening of wonder, the longing for love, the wisdom of dreams, and the courage required to live an authentic life. In thoughtful commentary on each work, Housden offers glimpses into his personal spiritual journey and invites readers to contemplate the significance of the poet's message in their own lives.

In Ten Poems to Change Your Life, Roger Housden shows how these astonishing poems can inspire you to live what you always knew in your bones but never had the words for.

The Journey by Mary Oliver
Last Night as I Was Sleeping by Antonio Machado
Song of Myself by Walt Whitman
Zero Circle by Rumi
The Time Before Death by Kabir
Ode to My Socks by Pablo Neruda
Last Gods by Galway Kinnell
For the Anniversary of My Death by W. S. Merwin
Love After Love by Derek Walcott
The Dark Night by St. John of the Cross