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
butterfly discovery embrace emerging experience
I embrace emerging experience.I participate in discovery.I am a butterfly.I am not a butterfly collector.I want the experience of the butterfly.
arrows cloak hidden name touch william
My name is William Tell: when little oppressions touch me arrows hidden in my cloak whisper, "Ready, ready.
contend evidence living
I am a person a dictionary-maker has to contend with. I am a living evidence in the development of language.
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.
developing language occur relation using words
These words that occur to me come out of my relation to the language which is developing even as I am using it.
comforts goes good great wall
A great snug wall goes around everything,has always been there, will alwaysremain. It is a good world to belost in. It comforts you. It isall right. And you sleep.
arrange author prayer time trying
And all the time it's your own story, even when you think -- "It's all just made up, a trick. What is the author trying to do?" Reader, we are in such a story: all of this is trying to arrange a kind of prayer for you. Pray for me.
hidden name touch william
My name is William Tell:when little oppressions touch mearrows hidden in my cloakwhisper, "Ready, ready.
call cruel maybe occurs recognize root
I call it cruel and maybe the root of all crueltyto know what occurs but not recognize the fact.
speaks
The world speaks everything to us. It is our only friend.
half
It's love," they say. You touchthe right one and a whole half of the universewakes up, a new half.
dance children kids
Kids: they dance before they learn there is anything that isn't music.
kindness not-giving-up thoughtful
I have woven a parachute out of everything broken.