WS Merwin
Going too fast for myself I missed
more than I think I can remember
almost everything it seems sometimes
and yet there are chances that come back
that I did not notice when they stood
where I could have reached out and touched them
this morning the black shepherd dog
still young looking up and saying
Are you ready this time
How many times have you felt that? The all-consuming whirl of life and when you finally pause, you think, "What just happened? Where did all of that go?!" Like the narrator mentions, a few flitters of memory return every now and then, but more sift by than are captured.
I love how this poem articulates that feeling. It begins rather generally and without much imagery with the narrator pondering the idea that his life has swirled by without him grasping those moments when they were available, tangible, and happening. Then suddenly it gets visual with the distinct image of a dog, a creature that is basically only capable of living in the moment, and his simple query.
If only we got a do-over to relive those moments we missed when we were caught up and distracted. But maybe we do. Maybe every day is a do-over. Are you ready?
Love the implied second chance
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