The Empty Boat

by Michael Sowder

In finely wrought image-driven poems, 'The Empty Boat' explores the spiritual and aesthetic dimensions of the human relationship to the natural world, asking how nature speaks to us and what wisdom and solace it may offer the tragic aspects of our lives. From haunting poems that give rise to losses - of spouse, father, companions -- and seek redemption in wilderness, to those that celebrate ecstatic moments of mystical vision, the book's trajectory moves ever toward Taoist landscapes of thought. The book concludes with the return of love and re-imaginings of the relationship of presence and emptiness in our lives.

Genres: Poetry

76 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2004

About the author

“One of our finest spiritual poets,” Michael Sowder, poet and essayist, writes about wilderness, fatherhood, Buddhism, and spirituality. He is a professor of English and an adjunct professor of religious studies at Utah State University.

website: www.michaelsowder.org.

facebook author page: https://www.facebook.com/mike.sowder2...


A long-time meditation teacher and student of the world’s contemplative traditions, Michael Sowder is the founder of the Amrita Sangha for Integral Spirituality, a nonprofit organization dedicated to exploring and teaching the contemplative practices of the world’s wisdom traditions, including teaching meditation and creative writing in jails and prisons.
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He is available for talks, poetry readings, workshops, and leading retreats focused on meditation, spirituality, poetry, and writing. Please contact at: michael.sowder@usu.edu.


Praise for "House Under the Moon"


“Through transcendent, lyric verse, these poems explore the spiritual struggle for harmony between the contemporary and contemplative life.”

Although these powerful poems are poems of the world, they are also poems of the spirit. Michael Sowder is a rarity among the poets of his generation—indeed, among the poets of any generation. He is a seeker, a searcher after meaning, a yearner for consequence. He knows that the secret message of poetry is connection, and he knows that to turn inward and find the spirit is also to discover the spirit moving through the world. These graceful and stirring poems make those magical connections. Sowder has matured into one of our finest spiritual poets. This is a book of deep and lasting beauty. – David Bottoms

House Under the Moon is available now from Truman State University Press and Amazon.com.

Reviews

[Taylor Franson-Thiel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful collection as well. Very tight focus on nature. Really strong creative and unique images. So smart.

[John Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found it fascinating that many of Michael Sowder’s poems in The Empty Boat contained crows—whether in the title as the main subject of the poem or as a sidelined player to the story. Curiously, while most mythologies paint crows as the spawn of evil, there are some that portray crows as wise beings that bring change; representing transformation from one state to another. Poems are a perfect place to showcase this idea, brought to life by Sowder’s lines in "Fallen Crow" and "Killing a Crow". This book also has one of my favorite lines of all poetry: contained in The Lost Verse (after all, talking about a Hypostomus plecostomus sucking algae and eating scum is a wonderful piece of imagery that rooted itself in my head like a hilarious cartoon). "At the Edge of a Field" caught my eye; it links nicely to the continuing crow symbolism. It marks a border, a place where I can imagine a person looking out on the horizon pondering deeper mysteries. I found the poems in this book a bit whimsical—in the best way—and thought-provoking as I considered the implications of change and transformation across a lifetime of experience—as people leave, what is left? As we grow older and look back, what is left? As we learn the painful lessons, what is left? Sowder’s book is a wonder to partake of in the same sense that it is a wonder to partake of life and let it partake of you.

I would highly recommend it.

[Deborah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! A professor at USU recommended the book of poetry to me, and then I had the privilege of being taught by Michael Sowder himself. I love the images he provides in each one of his poems. Great poems in here!

[Isaac Timm · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book by one of my professors at USU. I liked the raven poems

[Ian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Clean and clear and hovering near the world. But somehow not for me.