Out There the Daylight

At one point or another, all of the problems in the world — the homelessness, the poverty, the hunger, the injustice, the inequality, the nationalism, the environmental degradation, the violence, the war — I have helped to cause. Now, even though the cause was here before I arrived, it is time for me to be the uncause, to root out the cause in myself, and see that it is not unwittingly, carelessly, selfishly perpetuated and passed along. It is an inheritance I set aside. This does not require hard work or heroism, but gratitude, attention, and love. I am lucky to have lived this long. I might have died disappointed or angry while trying to succeed — a self-made martyr to self-made obstacles, clinging to my bundle of neuroses.

May 2, 2021. Dawn.

Out There the Daylight

Out there the daylight was a narrow little stream,
and we brought it home in our buckets one scoop at a time;
a splash on our stoves for fire; a splash in our mirrors
for eyes; a splash on our floors, and by our back doors,
and a splash to make us wise. The kids brought it in
in their pockets, and their dogs stinky-wet on
their backs — they shook out the splash,
made us all laugh, and now I’m
damn glad I remember it.

Recently Banned Literature, August 27, 2014

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