by Kaveh Akbar
First published 2023
Kaveh Akbar assembles poetry from across cultures and centuries that discovers the sacred within ordinary experience. His anthology draws from diverse traditions to show how poets transform simple observations into spiritual insight. A penguin's movement through icy waters becomes meditation. Starlight inspires wonder. Temple bells create pause for reflection. The collection explores how universal emotions like love, loss, joy, and sorrow connect us to something larger than ourselves. Akbar's selections demonstrate that spiritual awakening often arrives through the smallest gestures and quietest moments. The book offers readers poetry that reveals how everyday life contains opportunities for transcendence.
Genres: anthologies, poetry, religion, spirituality
Vibes: emotional-atmospheric, intimate, lyrical, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, spiritual-awakening
Period: 21st-century
400 pages · Paperback · Penguin Classics