The author Philip Pullman once said, “Poetry is not a fancy way of giving you information; it’s an incantation. It is actually a magical spell. It changes things; it changes you.“ I came across this beautiful and thought-awakening poem by Ursula Le Guin, and I could not resist sharing it here as a way for me to remember and cherish her work. This poem may not (directly) have anything to do with research, but it is a way of seeing the world that I resonate with. In research, in education, as well as in life, one should not be afraid of recognizing what is different, strange, or “other.” To be open and reflective about what we see, but also what we don’t see. To be daring and courageous, to explore perspectives and experiences beyond what we know. To travel and come back home, looking inward to understand how “new” ideas, information, and ways of seeing and knowing change us so we can grow.

“Please bring strange things.
Please come bringing new things.
Let very old things come into your hands.
Let what you do not know come into your eyes.
Let desert sand harden your feet.
Let the arch of your feet be the mountains.
Let the paths of your fingertips be your maps
And the ways you go be the lines of your palms.
Let there be deep snow in your inbreathing
And your outbreath be the shining of ice.
May your mouth contain the shapes of strange words.
May you smell food cooking you have not eaten.
May the spring of a foreign river be your navel.
May your soul be at home where there are no houses.
Walk carefully, well-loved one,
Walk mindfully, well-loved one,
Walk fearlessly, well-loved one.
Return with us, return to us,
Be always coming home.”

― Ursula K. Le Guin