The Way It Is
things that change. But it doesn’t change.
People wonder about what you are pursuing.
You have to explain about the thread.
But it is hard for others to see.
While you hold it you can’t get lost.
Tragedies happen; people get hurt
or die; and you suffer and get old.
Nothing you do can stop time’s unfolding.
You don’t ever let go of the thread.
--William Stafford
Just after my 75th seems a good time to post this poem (together with this scene from my childhood), which expresses a guiding principle of my life and (as it turns out) my lifetime.
