It is much more difficult than I thought to commit to seeing with new eyes.

The rain still falls and the thermometer drops

and the cities I live tend to be lesser known for sunshine.

I committed a commitment is a commitment

little by little little by little I peel away the grey

and see light in every day

these too soon become part of the tapestry.

Why shouldn’t I be able,

to walk down the street,

under the overhanging trees,

and raise my arms and say

that the rain shaking down from the leaves

is not an inconvenience but a joy?

Tony Hoagland