Voices Over Water
There are spirits that come back to us
when we have grown into another age
we recognize them just as they leave us
we remember them when we cannot hear them
some of them come from the bodies of birds
some arrive unnoticed like forgetting
they do not recall earlier lives
and there are distant voices still hoping to find us
— W.S. Merwin, from his newest book Garden Time (Copper Canyon Press, 2016). Copyright © 2016 by W. S. Merwin. Used by permission of the publishers, www.coppercanyonpress.org.
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Photo by Murtada al Mousawy is used under Creative Commons Attribution license. The original image can be found here.
Angel Ogden says
Just came back from Honolulu and happened to stop by Halekulani Hotel’s exhibit of Tom Seawell’s tribute to Merwin, liked the photographs, poem and finding it at a hotel. Bravo to all!
Sara Tekula says
Thanks, Angel! So glad you had a chance to experience it! Our partnership with the Halekulani is one that we cherish.