Everything Falls Away, poem by Parker Palmer

There’s a line from William Stafford that opens this reflection: “There’s a thread you follow. It goes among things that change. But it doesn’t change.”

That thread—quiet, steady, and enduring—is the heart of Parker Palmer’s poem, “Everything Falls Away.”
Sooner or later, everything falls away. The work you’ve done, the people you’ve known, the bright moments and the dark nights—all of it. Successes and failures, joy and sorrow, even the people who loved you or wished you ill. Nothing lasts. Everything changes. Everything, in time, falls away.

Everything, that is, except the thread.

That thread we follow—unknowingly, often without words or clarity—remains. It’s what strings our life together, sometimes invisibly, until we look back and see that it’s been there all along. It holds the shape of who we truly are, even as the outer things shift and disappearPalmer invites us to follow this thread as far as we can. Not to a neat conclusion, but into the vast mystery of being alive. He reminds us that we’re not solitary travelers, no matter how alone we’ve sometimes felt. Our lives are woven into something greater—a magnificent, intricate tapestry of nature, humanity, and spirit.

In the end, each of our threads joins others. Together they make something eternal.
This poem isn’t just about impermanence—it’s about what endures beneath it. It’s a reminder to trust the quiet knowing within us, even when everything else is falling away.

By the way, if you haven’t read Palmer’s book, The Courage to Teach, it’s a must, even if you’re not employed as a teacher and have no desire to be.

Here’s a link to the full poem: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10157031297237078&id=86750497077&set=a.448150067077