William Stafford
William Stafford
Prolific American poet and 1970 U.S. Poet Laureate who won the National Book Award for Traveling Through the Dark. His numerous other works include In the Clock of Reason, Brother Wind, Passwords, and Wyoming Circuit.
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionPoet
Date of Birth17 January 1914
CountryUnited States of America
comforts goes good great lost sleep wall
A great snug wall goes around everything, has always been there, will always remain. It is a good world to be lost in. It comforts you. It is all right. And you sleep.
bucket cool memory
Let the bucket of memory down into the well,bring it up. Cool, cool minutes. No onestirring, no plans. Just being there.
evening forest hill path silence touched
Silence on a hill where the path endedand then the forest belowmoving in one long whisperas evening touched the leaves.
curve desert elbows might noon particular
At noon in the desert a panting lizardwaited for history, its elbows tense,watching the curve of a particular roadas if something might happen.
curve desert elbows lizard might noon particular road waited watching
At noon in the desert a panting lizard waited for history, its elbows tense, watching the curve of a particular road as if something might happen.
common heroes locate ourselves time
It is time for all the heroes to go homeif they have any, time for all of us common onesto locate ourselves by the real thingswe live by.
common heroes home locate ourselves time
It is time for all the heroes to go home if they have any, time for all of us common ones to locate ourselves by the real things we live by.
area following god home kindness miss others pattern prevail wrong
If you don't know the kind of person I amand I don't know the kind of person you area pattern that others made may prevail in the worldand following the wrong god home we may miss our star.
happens itself legends second twice
So, the world happens twice -- once what we see it as; second it legends itself deep, the way it is.
breathing bring gift respect
Will you ever bring a better gift for the worldthan the breathing respect that you carrywherever you go right now?
current exactly hold miles river silent stillness turn
You and I can turn and lookat the silent river and wait. We knowthe current is there, hidden; and thereare comings and goings from miles awaythat hold the stillness exactly before us.What the river says, that is what I say.
sun
Well, it was yesterday. And the sun came, Why It came.
anyone greater turn
What can anyone give you greater than now,starting here, right in this room, when you turn around?
caught face gone happy midst pass souls watch
You happy beings, watch every face for thoseyou pass caught in the midst of lifeby some horror, their souls gone dim, cursedor unlucky, exiled under a stone.