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Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Mark Nepo: "The Appointment"















What if, on the first sunny day,
on your way to work, a colorful bird
sweeps in front of you down a
street you’ve never heard of.

You might pause and smile,
a sweet beginning to your day.

Or you might step into that street
and realize there are many ways to work.

You might sense the bird knows some-
thing you don’t and wander after.

You might hesitate when the bird
turns down an alley. For now
there is a tension: Is what the
bird knows worth being late?

You might go another block or two,
thinking you can have it both ways.
But soon you arrive at the edge
of all your plans.

The bird circles back for you
and you must decide which
appointment you were
born to keep.



"The Appointment" by Mark Nepo. Published online at poet's website.

Photography credit: "Soar Above" by Rob Cartwright, 2010 (originally black and white).

 

2 comments :

  1. Is there a way to subscribe to this site?

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    1. Thanks for your interest, Jan, but this project came to an end years ago. I've left it up so you can continue to browse the archives (many people like to start at the beginning and read one poem a day). This site also gave rise to the award-winning POETRY OF PRESENCE: AN ANTHOLOGY OF MINDFULNESS POEMS (https://poetryofpresencebook.com). My co-editor and I are now working on a second volume. Perhaps you'd find the anthology a good resource as well. Keep reading (and writing?)! Deep peace.

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