x "

Over the still world, a bird calls
waking solitary among black boughs.

You wanted to be born; I let you be born.
When has my grief ever gotten
in the way of your pleasure?

Plunging ahead
into the dark and light at the same time
eager for sensation

as though you were some new thing, wanting
to express yourselves

all brilliance, all vivacity

never thinking
this would cost you anything,
never imagining the sound of my voice
as anything but part of you—

you won’t hear it in the other world,
not clearly again,
not in birdcall or human cry,

not the clear sound, only
persistent echoing
in all sound that means good-bye, good-bye—

the one continuous line
that binds us to each other.

"
—

“End of Winter” by Louise Glück

I had this in my drafts folder for ages and felt like posting it now. Even though it’s not the end of Winter yet, today was the first warm day for a long time and it felt very much like Spring.

(Source: poetryfoundation.org)

23rd February 2012
Tags: poetry, lit, Louise Glück, End of Winter, spring, longing for spring, thoughts that breathe,