To the New Year by W.S. merwin

With what stillness at last

you appear in the valley

your first sunlight reaching down

to touch the tips of a few

high leaves that do not stir

as though they had not noticed

and did not know you at all

then the voice of a dove calls

from far away in itself

to the hush of the morning

so this is the sound of you

here and now whether or not

anyone hears it this is

where we have come with our age

our knowledge such as it is

and our hopes such as they are

invisible before us

untouched and still possible

Begin a poem or reflection on the New Year, with the words, “So this is the sound of you…”
What do you sense about the hopes invisible before you? Don’t overthink the question, simply pick up your pen and write for 5-10 minutes about those yet invisible hopes.
Name what is still possible. Then describe that possibility using all your creative powers to bring it alive on the page.

W. S. Merwin, “To the New Year” from Present Company (Port Townsend, Washington: Copper Canyon Press, 2005).

Source: Present Company (Copper Canyon Press, 2005)

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