Breaking the Fast by Naomi Shihab Nye
There’s no point in saving this to post in the morning because I never seem to get the PotD up in the morning. I’ll read NSN’s poetry any time of day, though! My favorite line is Remember your deepest name.
Breaking the Fast
By Naomi Shihab Nye
1.
Japanese teacher says:
At first light, rise.
Don’t hover between
sleep and waking,
this makes you heavy,
puts a stone inside your heart.
The minute you drift back to shore,
anchor. Breathe.
Remember your deepest name.
2.
Sometimes objects stun me,
bamboo strainer, gray mug,
sitting exactly where
they were left.
They have not slept
or dreamt of lost faces.
I touch them carefully,
saying, tell me what you know.
3.
Cup of waves,
strawberry balanced
in a seashell.
In morning the water seems
clear to the bottom.
No fish blocks my view.
