Happy Birthday, WS

It is the 109th birthday of Kansas and Oregon poet, William Stafford. Probably 10 years ago, I received in the mail from his son Kim, a mockup of the cover of a collection of 100 “essential” William Stafford poems. I always considered this quite a gift from Kim, who would later become one of Oregon’s poet laureates.

Of the 100 poems here to choose from, and there are so many excellent ones, I chose this one because it reminds me of the way I begin my mornings. Happy birthday, Mr. Stafford.

Just Thinking

Got up on a cool morning. Leaned out a window. No cloud, no wind. Air that flowers held for a while. Some dove somewhere.

Been on probation most of my life. And
the rest of my life been condemned. So these moments count for a lot — peace, you know.

Let the bucket of memory down into the well, bring it up. Cool, cool minutes. No one stirring, no plans. Just being there.

This is what the whole thing is about.