Testimonial
Back when the earth was new
and heaven just a whisper,
back when the names of things
hadn’t had time to stick;
back when the smallest breezes
melted summer into autumn,
when all the poplars quivered
sweetly in rank and file . . .
the world called, and I answered.
Each glance ignited to a gaze.
I caught my breath and called that life,
swooned between spoonfuls of lemon sorbet.
I was pirouette and flourish,
I was filigree and flame.
How could I count my blessings
when I didn’t know their names?
Back when everything was still to come,
luck leaked out everywhere.
I gave my promise to the world,
and the world followed me here.
—Rita Dove
From Collected Poems 1974-2004, W. W. Norton & Company, Copyright © 2017. Used by permission of Rita Dove. Photo by zaphad1, Creative Commons, via Flickr.
always, Rita Dove.
"back when the names of things
hadn’t had time to stick"
love this.