I wake and hearing it raining. <br />Were I dead, what would I give <br />Lazily to lie here, <br />Like this, and live? <br /> <br />Or better yet: birdsong, <br />Brightening and spreading -- <br />How far would I come then <br />To be at the world's wedding? <br /> <br />Now that I lie, though, <br />Listening, living, <br />(Oh, but not forever, <br />Oh, end arriving) <br /> <br />How shall I praise them: <br />All the sweet beings <br />Eternally that outlive <br />Me and my dying? <br /> <br />Mountains, I mean; wind, water, air; <br />Grass, and huge trees; clouds, flowers, <br />And thunder, and night. <br /> <br />Turtles, I mean, and toads; hawks, herons, owls; <br />Graveyards, and towns, and trout; roads, gardens, <br />Red berries, and deer. <br /> <br />Lightning, I mean, and eagles; fences; snow; <br />Sunrise, and ferns; waterfalls, serpents, <br />Green islands, and sleep. <br /> <br />Horses, I mean; butterflies, whales; <br />Mosses, and stars and gravelly <br />Rivers, and fruit. <br /> <br />Oceans, I mean; black valleys; corn; <br />Brambles, and cliffs; rock, dirt, dust, ice; <br />And warnings of flood. <br /> <br />How shall I name them? <br />And in what order? <br />Each would be first. <br />Omission is murder. <br /> <br />Maidens, I mean, and apples; needles; leaves; <br />Worms, and planers, and clover; whirlwinds; dew; <br />Bulls; geese -- <br /> <br />Stop. Lie still. <br />You will never be done. <br />Leave them all there. <br />Old lover. Live on.<br /><br />Mark Van Doren<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/morning-worship/
