modern mindfulness

Let Love Go On ~ A Poem by Carl Sandburg

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The Timeless Struggle of Love vs. Time: A Reflection on Carl Sandburg’s “Let Love Go On”

In a world governed by strict schedules and endless digital distractions, Carl Sandburg’s “Let Love Go On” arrives like a thunderbolt, reminding us of the one force capable of defying the relentless ticking of the clock.

Let Love Go On

Carl Sandburg

LET it go on; let the love of this hour be poured out till all the answers are made, the last dollar spent and the last blood gone.
 
Time runs with an ax and a hammer, time slides down the hallways with a pass-key and a master-key, and time gets by, time wins.
 
Let the love of this hour go on; let all the oaths and children and people of this love be clean as a washed stone under a waterfall in the sun.
 
Time is a young man with ballplayer legs, time runs a winning race against life and the clocks, time tickles with rust and spots.
 
Let love go on; the heartbeats are measured out with a measuring glass, so many apiece to gamble with, to use and spend and reckon; let love go on.

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Reflection

Carl Sandburg’s “Let Love Go On” is a fierce, uncompromising manifesto for the human heart. Sandburg paints time not as a gentle stream, but as a relentless predator—armed with an “ax and a hammer,” sliding through life with a master-key. Time always wins the physical race, leaving rust, spots, and spent heartbeats in its wake.

Yet, instead of surrendering to despair, the poem issues a radical command: love anyway. Sandburg urges us to pour out the love of this hour until the “last blood [is] gone.”

In our contemporary lives, we often hoard our emotional energy. We ration our vulnerability, waiting for the “perfect” moment or fearing the inevitable end. Sandburg challenges this modern caution. He invites us to gamble our measured heartbeats on deep connection, striving for a love that remains as “clean as a washed stone under a waterfall in the sun.” In an era of transient digital bonds and hyper-efficiency, “Let Love Go On” is a call to rebellion. It reminds us that while we cannot defeat time, we can transfigure it by loving fiercely, extravagantly, and without reservation in the present moment.

As you read this poem, ask yourself:

In what ways are you holding back your emotional energy out of fear of the future, and how can you choose to “let love go on” in your life today?

it is at moments after i have dreamed ~ A Poem by e. e. cummings

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Finding Truth in the Afterglow: Decoding e. e. cummings’ “it is at moments after i have dreamed”

it is at moments after i have dreamed

e. e. cummings

it is at moments after i have dreamed
of the rare entertainment of your eyes,
when(being fool to fancy)i have deemed

with your peculiar mouth my heart made wise;
at moments when the glassy darkness holds

the genuine apparition of your smile
(it was through tears always)and silence moulds
such strangeness as was mine a little while;

moments when my once more illustrious arms
are filled with fascination,when my breast
wears the intolerant brightness of your charms:

one pierced moment whiter than the rest

-turning from the tremendous lie of sleep
i watch the roses of the day grow deep.

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The “Tremendous Lie”: Finding Reality in a Digital Age

We have all experienced that disorienting shimmer—the moment when a vivid dream dissolves into the cold light of morning. In “it is at moments after i have dreamed,” e. e. cummings captures the exquisite ache of waking from a “tremendous lie” to find the “roses of the day” deepening in their stark reality. Cummings explores the “glassy darkness” of memory, where the image of a lover is perfect but fleeting, held only through the “strangeness” of silence.

In our contemporary society, this poem takes on a profound new dimension. We live in a world of digital echoes—curated feeds and “glassy” screens that offer us the “genuine apparition” of others without their physical presence. Like the speaker’s dream, our digital interactions are often “the rare entertainment” of eyes we cannot touch. Cummings reminds us that while the “intolerant brightness” of a fantasy is seductive, there is a necessary, albeit piercing, beauty in turning away from the illusion. To live fully today is to brave the “pierced moment” of waking up, choosing the raw, deepening colors of the tangible world over the comfortable ghosts of our own making.

As you read this poem, ask yourself: In what ways are you settling for the “tremendous lie” of digital connection rather than facing the “pierced moment” of authentic, physical presence?

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