BEING A PERSON BY WILLIAM STAFFORD

Be a person here. Stand by the river, invoke
the owls. Invoke winter, then spring.
Let any season that wants to come here make its own
call. After that sound goes away, wait.

A slow bubble rises through the earth
and begins to include sky, stars, all space,
even the outracing, expanding thought.
Come back and hear the little sound again.

Suddenly this dream you are having matches
everyone's dream, and the result is the world.
If a different call came there wouldn't be any
world, or you, or the river, or the owls calling.

How you stand here is important. How you
listen for the next things to happen. How you breathe.

(C) William Stafford

From Even in Quiet Places: Poems

• Begin a poem with the words, “I stand by the river…” Let any imagery or thoughts that arise flow onto the page.

• In what way is how you stand, listen, and breathe important? What do you take from the poet’s words? Explore your thoughts in your journal.

• What is the dream you have? Does it match others’ dreams? How are we dreaming this world into existence?