'Every morning, so far, I’m alive.'
I have reached a plateau on my journey
where I stop awhile and look around,
admiring the long view of the landscapes
I travelled on the way, spread for my gaze.
I can pick out houses where I lived, in
towns or cities or rural retreats; I can see
favourite mountains, rivers, trees … and
certain ocean vistas I thought of as mine.
The unfolding past is populated. I walk
again with old companions, conversing,
sharing adventures; laughing with many,
crying for some. Plenty are still here now.
One person’s life. No-one else can know it
quite the same. In another way, everyone
shares it all – the same drives and necessities,
the ups and the downs, the wild unexpected.
I like the paths my steps have taken,
by and large – having survived the mis-steps
and false directions. Every morning, so far,
I’m alive. I rise, go on, explore further.
Note: The title is a direct quotation from Mary Oliver's poem, 'Landscape'.
This piece was written for Weekly Scribblings #52 at Poets and Storytellers United: Something About Mary, where the prompt is to write something based on a line or phrase from that particular poem.