To look at anything,
If you would know that thing,
You must look at it long:
To look at this green and say
‘I have seen spring in these
Woods,’ will not do—you must
Be the thing that you see:
You must be the dark snakes of
Stems and ferny plumes of leaves,
You must enter in
To the small silences between
The leaves,
You must take your time
And touch the very peace
They issue from.
John Moffitt
This poem is centering and peaceful for work in the garden. That's appropriate for this day when fires rage on the hill above our neighborhood, threatening more homes and gardens. The smoke obscures our view of the hills and changes the colors of the foliage outside my window. It's frightening and makes us realize how delicate and vulnerable all life is.
