Poetry Tuesday

The Waking
I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow.
I feel my fate in what I cannot fear.
I learn by going where I have to go.
We think by feeling. What is there to know?
I hear my being dance from ear to ear.
I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow.

Of those so close beside me, which are you?
God bless the Ground! I shall walk softly there,
And learn by going where I have to go.

Light takes the Tree; but who can tell us how?
The lowly worm climbs up a winding stair;
I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow.

Great Nature has another thing to do
To you and me, so take the lively air,
And, lovely, learn by going where to go.

This shaking keeps me steady. I should know.
What falls away is always. And is near.
I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow.
I learn by going where I have to go.
~ Roethke

I was snooping around the blogisphere yesterday, specifically the Alaskan Blogs I read. I have a few Alaskan blog friends who have written about Sarah Palin, and I’m always interested to hear what they have to say about her. (Short answer, none of them love her, none of them hate her, and some of them support her more than others do. Hope I got that right.) Anyway, I followed a comment from one blog to another, one that I hadn’t visited before, titled Stress Management and Other Things. There I found a lovely poem amongst the Palin etc. that was there. I was struck by the lovely images of this poem, and truth be told, in a way it reminded me of Ted and Maya. They both take their waking slow, preferring to lay in bed awhile and think of whatever slower waking people think about in the morning. Me, I wake up, and I start thinking of what I’m going to get done that day, and I have to get up and start doing it. Sigh. What about you? Do you take your waking slow, or get up and start your day right away?