To The New Year: WS 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



W. S. Merwin

Winter Sun at Lazonby, by Stuart St John (licensed by Creative Commons)

Happy New Year everyone -  hope yours is as peaceful and hopeful as this.  I will be high in the sky courtesy of Singapore Airlines, bound for Cambodia.  Once there I will not have wifi most of the time so may only be in touch intermittently.  Good wishes to everyone for 2017.
Kathleen