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You are here: Home / Poems / “Sight,” by W.S. Merwin

“Sight,” by W.S. Merwin

February 5, 2021 By Merwin Conservancy

The Evergreen State


SIGHT

Once
a single cell
found that it was full of light
and for the first time there was seeing

when
I was a bird
I could see where the stars had turned
and I set out on my journey

high
in the head of a mountain goat
I could see across a valley
under the shining trees something moving

deep
in the green sea
I saw two sides of the water
and swam between them

I
look at you
in the first light of the morning
for as long as I can

— W.S. Merwin, from his book The Rain in the Trees (Knopf, 1988).  Copyright © 1988 by W.S. Merwin.  Used by permission of the publishers.


To browse through our archive of previously posted poems click here.

To support the preservation of W.S. Merwin’s legacy and our efforts to preserve his home and palm forest for future generations, please consider making a tax-deductible donation to The Merwin Conservancy.

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P.O. Box 809 
Haiku, HI 96708 
808-579-8876
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