the archivist November 3, 2023
mirror with words on it

Seeing for a Moment

Denise Levertov

I thought I was growing wings—
it was a cocoon.
I thought, now is the time to step
into the fire—
it was deep water.
Eschatology is a word I learned
as a child: the study of Last Things;
facing my mirror—no longer young,
       the news—always of death,
       the dogs—rising from sleep and clamoring
            and howling, howling,
nevertheless
I see for a moment
that’s not it: it is
the First Things.
Word after word
floats through the glass.
Towards me.
Oblique Prayers book cover
Appears in Oblique Prayers amzn | lib