Things I’ve been seeing have urged me

apple tree  one side sun-fired

which seemed itself like an oracle

how the copper rooster turns

to face the wind reliably on its one leg

a slender wavering light like a minnow 

head down on a candle

how by their action magnets were thought to have a soul  

and how we are known to be tender with the past

removing the earth using small brushes

and long hours to recover a single mandible  a tooth

Each action has hidden implications

So I will mention no dreams before breakfast

to soften the morning

I will resist pruning the azaleas and pittosporum

till blooming and nesting have occurred

I will no longer resent the moon

taking more of the tide than usual

And since it was said if one carries eggs over running water

there will be no chicks in them  I will not

American Poetry Journal 2008   American Poet Prize