To the New Year
~ W. S. Merwin
With what stillness at last
you appear in the valley
your first sunlight reaching down
to touch the tips of a few
high leaves that do not stir
as though they had not noticed
and did not know you at all
then the voice of a dove calls
from far away in itself
to the hush of the morning.
So this is the sound of you
here and now whether or not
anyone hears it this is
where we have come with our age
our knowledge such as it is
and our hopes such as they are
invisible before us
untouched and still possible.
***
The world is my oyster. 2013 will be different to 2012 which was in most respects a fraught one. Not the worst by far, but still full of setbacks and disappointments; a bit aimless and reactionary, buffetted by circumstances, too much time spent pacing the days, marking time instead of using it. This year will be more about family and that space between 3-6 on a school day. I'll be working school hours and devoting more time to good habits and early bedtimes. Plus the usual roll call of good intentions like remembering birthdays, returning calls, putting things away, diarising and letting go (ordering those curtains and blinds!)
I especially like the lines: so this is the sound of you, here and now, whether or not anyone hears it which keeps it real and personal.
Photo: From inside the Skyspace viewing chamber at the entrance of the National Gallery of Australia.
Poem: From the Poetry Foundation
