Ponder.

EVERYDAY LIFE

The great storms

are behind you now.

Back then, you didn’t ask

why you were born, where

you came from, or where you were going–

you were part of the storm,

the fire.

But you can find a way to live

in everyday life as well,

in our ordinary grey days:

plant your potatoes, rake leaves,

clear away the brush.

There is so much to ponder in this world

that one life is not enough.

After you’re done with your tasks,

you can fry up some bacon

and read Chinese poetry.

Old Laërtes hacked back the brambles

and hoed the earth around his fig trees,

letting the heroes battle it out at Troy.

Olav H. Hauge