top of page
DSCN1031 copy strip.JPG
Search

"A Center", by Ha Jin

Thanks to my dear friend Monica Korde, Poet Laureate of Belmont and a wonderful person, for sharing this poem with me.



A Center



You must hold your quiet center,

where you do what only you can do.

If others call you a maniac or a fool,

just let them wag their tongues.

If some praise your perseverance,

don't feel too happy about it—

only solitude is a lasting friend.


You must hold your distant center.

Don't move even if earth and heaven quake.

If others think you are insignificant,

that's because you haven't held on long enough.

As long as you stay put year after year,

eventually you will find a world

beginning to revolve around you.




Copyright Credit: Ha Jin, "A Center" from A Distant Center. Copyright © 2018 by Ha Jin. Reprinted by permission of Copper Canyon Press, www.coppercanyonpress.org.

Source: A Distant Center



Pigeon Point Lighthouse, California. April 2025
Pigeon Point Lighthouse, California. April 2025


 
 
 

Comments


Join my mailing list
Ilustración_sin_título logo azul corazon

Thanks for subscribing!

Scan My QR Code

Scan My QR code

© 2025 by Susana Laborde-Blaj 

Design & Photography Susana Laborde-Blaj

Additional Photography Santiago Beltran Laborde, Leon Beltran Laborde & Ron Blaj 

  • Facebook
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
bottom of page