A Larger Container
I am delighted to share that my poem, “A Larger Container” has been selected by the North Carolina Bards Association and will be published in their upcoming Anthology in the fall of 2026. I’ve been invited to offer a public reading of this particular poem in several events in the fall. I’ll keep you posted.
There’s no one event, thing or development that inspired a. poem such as this. Rather, this poem came to be as the result of a lot of hard work; sorting out accumulated stuff that got piled up in my heart over the years.
Has there ever been a time or season when you felt a bit—root bound?
A time when you just needed more space to believe, to do what you always wanted to do but haven’t yet?
Let this poem take you where you need to go. See what happens as you read it.
To have such a poem as this selected by a prestigious journal for publication made me realize that I am not the only one that is looking for a larger container to hold their life these days.
Before you read the poem however, I wanted to share a “5 STAR review that Greening received. Greening: Poems in the Unfolding of our Lives is my first book of poetry published last winter.
5 out of 5 stars
An Enriching, Meditative Work
Reviewed in the United States on May 21, 2026
Format: Hardcover
In the recent PBS biography of Henry David Thoreau (put the emphasis on either of the two syllables you desire), the paragon of Transcendentalism, voiced fittingly by Jeff Goldblum, speaks of going to the famous cabin at Walden because, “our life is frittered away by detail! Simplify, simplify, simplify!” Poet and pastor Stephen W. Smith has found a similar inspiration in the mountains of western North Carolina, and he communicates it beautifully in this collection of free verse. If Thoreau’s message could be distilled to “simplify”, however, Smith’s is more along the lines of “awaken”. Repeatedly he exhorts his reader to pay attention, notice the infinite glory in the small, and take nothing for granted.
There is a heavy eastern influence here as well, and several of the sections put the reader in mind of the “Daodejing” or perhaps the nature poetry of Basho in Japan’s 17th century. Indeed, this is a meditative work first and last, best kept on the bedside table and read a small piece at a time either at the beginning or the end of the day. A single one of Smith’s works, such as “A Prayer in Letting Go”, or a personal favorite, “The Last Fireflies of Spring”, can provide thoughtful introspection for an entire morning of gardening or, in my case, an evening of running scales and practicing music.
In sum, “Greening” is the type and caliber of literary work we see all too seldom of late: poetry that simultaneously relaxes and challenges. “Open your eyes, turn off the screens and take as much as you can in”, Smith charges us, but not in fear of, as Thoreau dreaded, coming to die and “discover that I had not lived”, but instead because we are strengthened and brought together in the amazement at what has been wrought for and around us all.
Here’s the link to order a copy of Greening through Amazon but you can also get it wherever you order you books! I hope you will do just that.
Here’s the poem to enjoy!
Stephen
