“Stagger Onward Rejoicing”: The Power of Poetry to Keep Us Going by Rev. Zenshin Florence Caplow

Stagger onward rejoicing. The poet W,H. Auden penned these words in 1941, when he and other poets were “deeply concerned with the worldwide economic depression, the Spanish Civil War, the rise of Fascism, and the beginnings of the Second World War.” W.H Auden was also part of a gay subculture of a number of the most revered poets and writers of his time. Rev. Florence Caplow reflects on recently seeing these words of Auden’s on a house in her new town of Port Angeles, Washington, and how poets and poetry can inspire us during times of turmoil, personal or political. Micha & Paul will bring their inspiring music to the service.