was Mary Oliver’s way how about you
what saved your soul refreshing its presence in this world so that you no longer wondered at what life was but went ahead and did this thing every day for days on end what was that for you?
it was my child then children then not
it was color then the wax then the book then not
it was the trip and the risk and the look in a man’s eye that I’d never seen directed at me
before then not it was the letters and kind words and so quickly not it was the award and the applause and the sense of honesty in this achievement and this is still lingering I must say this particular outer acknowledgement but this too even and the long life of relationship with my children and the beauty of the color I get to still create and the one man who sits by my side ‘forever’ now even these durable goods are not my saving
though maybe all of them together who knows I am not sure on any given day that saving is what’s taken place all I can really say with any assurance is that I am still here, so that must be something.