Like A Little Stone

Like a little stone, feel the shadow of the great earth;

let distance pierce you till you cling to trees.

That the world may be all the same,

close your eyes till everything is,

and the furthest sand can vote.

Making the world be big by hunting its opposite,

go out gleaning for lost lions

that are terrified by valleys of still lambs,

for hummingbirds that dream before each wingbeat,

for the mole that met the sun.

If time won't let a thing happen, hurry there,

to the little end of the cone that darkness bends.

Any place where you turn but might have gone on,

all possibilities need you there.

The centers of stones need your prayers.

--William Stafford