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.
forward life quiet wherever
All right. I listen. My life sinks a littlefarther, for the pity; from now on I know itwith them. We'll take a stand, wherever the end is.We go forward by this quiet sharing,they one way, I another. I am their promise:no one else is going to know.
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.
ask difference hate help ice love mistakes others river slow strongest time tried whether
Some time when the river is ice ask me mistakes I have made. Ask me whether what I have done is my life. Others have come in their slow way into my thought, and some have tried to help or to hurt: ask me what difference their strongest love or hate has made.
ask hate ice love mistakes river slow strongest time tried
Some time when the river is ice ask memistakes I have made. Ask me whetherwhat I have done is my life. Othershave come in their slow way intomy thought, and some have tried to helpor to hurt: ask me what differencetheir strongest love or hate has made.
encourage good ways
If you have things right in your lifebut do not know why,you are just lucky, and you will not movein the little ways that encourage good fortune.
awake breaking darkness discourage line maybe people signals yes
For it is important that awake people be awake,or a breaking line may discourage them back to sleep;the signals we give -- yes or no, or maybe --should be clear: the darkness around us is deep.