The Water of the Suns
In craters in the west other suns went down
and by morning no one believed it
no one has to believe it the mountains
aren’t selling anything
some of the suns left gold
many left water for the next time
when you spend that gold you feel the night coming on
and nothing to make a fire
under all the empty mountains
but when you drink that water you begin to wait
you hear your time falling into you out of a stone
you begin to grope through your cold veins calling
like a bird before sunrise
till the morning that needs you
— W.S. Merwin, from Writings to an Unfinished Accompaniment (1973)
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Photo above by Larry Cameron, used with permission, from the book What is a Garden?. It has been cropped from its original size.