A Very Mary Variation
A Pantoum poem of expanding lines using the first four lines of Mary Oliver’s “It Was Early”
Awakening
it was early
which has always been my hour
to begin looking
at the world
early has always been my hour
reading, writing, listening, thinking
about the world, awakening
to a new day filled with possibilities
books, pens, ears, mind
changing lenses and filters on the world
new possibilities in the darkroom
watching as images emerge
changing lenses, filters, angles on the world
seeking with open eyes, open arms, open ears, open mind
through eyes not merely mine
it was early – the hour of awakening
Common Threads 