
The invitation poem is a deep and soulful conversation about what matters in life. It doesn’t care about your job or how old you are. Instead.
It’s curious about your dreams, your heart’s desires, and whether you’re brave enough to chase them.
The poet wants to know if you’ve faced tough times and if you’ve learned from them or let them make you closed and scared.
It’s all about exploring the depths of your emotions—from pain to joy—and whether you can be true to yourself, even if it means disappointing others.
The invitation poem challenges you to see beauty in everyday life, even when it’s not always pretty, and to find strength in the face of failure.
It’s a call to be genuine, to stand tall after nights of sadness, and to understand what truly sustains you from the inside.
In simple terms, this invitation poem is an invitation to open your heart, be real, and embrace the essence of being human.
Let’s break down the poem “The Invitation” by Oriah Mountain Dreamer in simple terms:
The Invitation Poem
It doesn’t interest me what you do for a living. I want to know what you ache for and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart’s longing.
It doesn’t interest me how old you are. I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool for love, for your dream, for the adventure of being alive.
It doesn’t interest me what planets are squaring your moon. I want to know if you have touched the centre of your own sorrow, if you have been opened by life’s betrayals or have become shrivelled and closed from fear of further pain.
I want to know if you can sit with pain, mine or your own, without moving to hide it, or fade it, or fix it.
I want to know if you can be with joy, mine or your own; if you can dance with wildness and let the ecstasy fill you to the tips of your fingers and toes without cautioning us to be careful, be realistic, remember the limitations of being human.
It doesn’t interest me if the story you are telling me is true. I want to know if you can disappoint another to be true to yourself. If you can bear the accusation of betrayal and not betray your own soul. If you can be faithless and therefore trustworthy.
I want to know if you can see Beauty even when it is not pretty every day. And if you can source your own life from its presence.
I want to know if you can live with failure, yours and mine, and still stand at the edge of the lake and shout to the silver of the full moon, ‘Yes.’
It doesn’t interest me to know where you live or how much money you have. I want to know if you can get up after the night of grief and despair, weary and bruised to the bone and do what needs to be done to feed the children.
It doesn’t interest me who you know or how you came to be here. I want to know if you will stand in the centre of the fire with me and not shrink back.
It doesn’t interest me where or what or with whom you have studied. I want to know what sustains you from the inside when all else falls away.
I want to know if you can be alone with yourself and if you truly like the company you keep in the empty moments.
Summary of the poem:
“The Invitation” is a poem that explores deep aspects of human connection and self-discovery. The speaker expresses a curiosity about the essential qualities and experiences that make a person who they are.
The poem focuses on inner emotions, personal strength, and the willingness to embrace both the joys and sorrows of life.
Analysis:
Beyond the superficial details:
The poem starts by stating that the speaker isn’t interested in surface-level information like your job or age. Instead, they want to know what stirs your heart and if you dare to dream about fulfilling your deepest desires.
Courage and vulnerability:
The speaker challenges the reader to consider if they are willing to take risks, even if it means looking foolish. This includes being open to love, pursuing dreams, and embracing the adventure of life.
Facing Life’s Challenges:
The poem touches on life’s difficulties, asking if you have faced sorrow and betrayal and if those experiences have opened you up or closed you off from further pain.
Embracing Pain and Joy:
It explores the ability to sit with both pain and joy without trying to hide or manipulate these emotions. The emphasis is on being authentic and not letting fear dictate one’s reactions.
Truthfulness and trustworthiness:
The speaker values truthfulness, even if it means disappointing others. They appreciate the ability to be faithful to oneself, making a person trustworthy in their eyes.
Appreciating Beauty:
The poem asks if you can recognize and appreciate beauty even when it’s not conventionally pretty, emphasizing the importance of finding beauty in everyday life.
Living with Failure
It challenges the reader to face failure, both their own and others, and still find the strength to stand tall and embrace life with a resounding “yes.”
Resilience and Responsibility:
The poem explores resilience in the face of grief and despair, asking if you can gather the strength to do what needs to be done, especially when it comes to taking care of others.
Inner Sustenance:
It delves into what sustains a person from the inside, beyond external circumstances or relationships. It’s about finding strength within oneself.
Comfort with Solitude:
The poem concludes by asking if you can be comfortable with your own company during quiet moments, indicating a level of self-contentment.
In Essence:
“The Invitation” is a profound exploration of what it means to be truly alive, authentic, and connected to oneself and others. It encourages readers to reflect on their innermost feelings.
Their reactions to life’s challenges and their ability to find beauty and strength within. The poem serves as an invitation to live a genuine and courageous life.
FAQS
“The Invitation” is a declaration of intent, a map into the longing of the soul, the desire to live passionately, face-to-face with ourselves and skin-to-skin with the world around us, to settle for nothing less than what is real.”
“The Invitation” is about finding what we need—the inspiration, the intimacy, the courage, and the commitment to live fully every day.
The Invitation, a poem by Oriah Mountain Dreamer.
She first shared the prose poem “The Invitation” (in 1994) with those who had come to participate in the ceremony with her.
The theme is the underlying message that the writer or artist wants to convey.
Themes: Das explores powerful themes of feminism/equal rights, freedom, and marriage
This is all about the invitation poem.