The Invitation - Poem

This beautiful poem by Oriah Mountain Dreamer speaks to the fearless and unabashed parts of ourselves that long to be in a significant relationship. It points us to those aspects which matter the most and invites us to dare and take risks for what our hearts long for, bringing out the truest and most authentic parts of ourselves.

Transcript

It doesn't interest me what you do for a living.

I want to know what you ache for and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart's longing.

It doesn't interest me how old you are.

I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool for love,

For your dream,

For the adventure of being alive.

It doesn't interest me what planets are squaring your moon.

I want to know if you have touched the center of your own sorrow,

If you have been opened by life's betrayals or have become shriveled and closed from fear of further pain.

I want to know if you can sit with pain,

Mine or your own,

Without moving to hide it or fade it or fix it.

I want to know if you can be with joy,

Mine or your own,

If you can dance with wildness and let the ecstasy fill you to the tips of your fingers and toes without cautioning us to be careful,

Be realistic,

Remember the limitations of being human.

It doesn't interest me if the story you are telling me is true.

I want to know if you can disappoint another to be true to yourself,

If you can bear the accusation of betrayal and not betray your own soul,

If you can be faithless and therefore trustworthy.

I want to know if you can see beauty even when it's not pretty every day,

And if you can source your own life from its presence.

I want to know if you can live with failure,

Yours and mine,

And still stand at the edge of the lake and shout to the silver of the full moon,

Yes.

It doesn't interest me to know where you live or how much money you have.

I want to know if you can get up after the night of grief and despair,

Weary and bruised to the bone and do what needs to be done to feed the children.

It doesn't interest me who you know or how you came to be here.

I want to know if you will stand in the center of the fire with me and not shrink back.

It doesn't interest me where or what or with whom you have studied.

I want to know what sustains you from the inside when all else falls away.

I want to know if you can be alone with yourself and if you truly like the company you keep in the empty moments.

Reviews

Such beautiful and life, capturing Ayles, powerfully portrayed. The music can be a little cheesy, but stunning poem.

Lovely reading of one of my favorite poems. the vibrancy of your voice is giving it life supported by the music in the background makes it shine Thank you 🙏

One of the best poems/meditations I have ever heard! Powerful and though provoking! Omsoghtful and motivating! Thank you!

Ian, having been already smitten with this poem, your passionate and beautifully accompanied interpretation found a new place to settle into my heart.

Spoken to me. Spoken to you. Spoken to us all in an universal way. Much gratitude for finding and sharing these words...

Wow, that was so beautiful 🌄
Thank you, Ian. Just what I needed in this moment 🌱

Such a powerful message
Thank you so much for sharing this with us

Stunning moving poem and beautiful music. Thank you

I will for sure listen to these words more often as a guidance to be more authentic and not forget what life is really about!
And as soon as I would like to find a suitable partner I will remind myself to listen to these beautiful words every day to not forget what true partnership and love is about 😉love it, very true and wise. Thank you for sharing this 🙌🏻☀️🌼💛

Oh. My. Goodness. One of my new favorites, without question! Beautiful and powerful...thank you 🙌

Thank you. I needed to hear this out loud, different from my own voice reading it.

This was delicious, exquisite, and so timely! Thank you for sharing!

I’ve heard this wonderful poem before ,yet I’m glad I found your version . It’s magical . 💫thank you! Bookmarked and recommended! ☮️💜💫
3/20/23 This brought happy tears to my eyes today 💜🌈

Fantastic poem along with music that reaches deep within!!

Powerful. Thought-provoking. A mantra for living, truly living.

Thought provoking questions and worthy endeavors! Thank you.

Wow. What beautiful, honest words that are so important to remember as we decide to love and commit to another. Resonates! Thank you for this.

I want you to know how much I enjoyed listening this..confronting, compassionate & motivating!

Every word expressed the questions my spirit, my soul was feeling but had not yet expressed....as if you were speaking to my heart

This was the crescendo to my orchestra of feelings. Thank you!