Be careful...

Report from a Far Place

Making these word things to
step on across the world, I
could call them snowshoes.

They creak, sag, bend, but
hold, over the great deep cold,
and they turn up at the toes.

In war or city or camp
they could save your life;
you can muse them by the fire.

Be careful, though: they
burn, or don't burn, in their own
strange way, when you say them.

– William Stafford

*

Stafford is a strong influence on/in my work, but is more influential to my thoughts about poetry and the nature of teaching.

Warning: The longer you live with this poem, the larger your life.