Sound of the Ax: Aphorisms and Poems by William Stafford

Note

12 Note straw, feathers, dust— little things but if they all go one way, that’s the way the wind goes. 13 People should help their kids know decisively which way is north, if they know which way north is. Mornings, I have spells of desire to tell the truth. When you write, what you ignore is absent, but what you deny is present. It was in corners of our selves that the world was falling down. Successful people are in a rut. The astounding, continuing variety of routine. It is far too much for me to take in. Aggressive people do not appeal to me; I yield them scorched earth. Those who champion democracy, but also make a fetish of never accepting anything they don’t agree with—what advantage do they see in democracy? 14 I do not want to become good in any way but my own way. Believing our way, we find. People who serve pancakes are always trying to pretty them up—orange juice, applesauce, etc.; but the charm of pancakes is that they are just pancakes. If I stayed true to all my earlier loyalties I’d be overwhelmed right now: we survive by forgetting. Every mountain has that one place when you begin to know it is a mountain. The Sun is thousands of times bigger than Earth; I block it out with my hand. Even if you’re blind, there is still light. ...