This morning I awoke to birds outside my window chanting Lauds. They had already had their caffeine allotment for the day as it was a bit fast. Their song was so full of excitement and delight that my still-stuck-shut eyes smiled. It made me think of Jane Kenyon’s poem Otherwise.

Birds That Want to Be Stars, DJM

Otherwise

I got out of bed
on two strong legs.
It might have been
otherwise. I ate
cereal, sweet
milk, ripe, flawless
peach. It might
have been otherwise.
I took the dog uphill
to the birch wood.
All morning I did
the work I love.

At noon I lay down
with my mate. It might
have been otherwise.
We ate dinner together
at a table with silver
candlesticks. It might
have been otherwise.
I slept in a bed
in a room with paintings
on the walls, and
planned another day
just like this day.
But one day, I know,
it will be otherwise.

Jane Kenyon
From Otherwise: New & Selected Poems

Blessings on your day, friends.
Dan