the shape of what you lived

And you wait. You wait for the one thing
that will change your life,
make it more than it is—
something wonderful, exceptional,
stones awakening, depths opening to you.

In the dusky bookstalls
old books glimmer gold and brown.
You think of lands you journeyed through,
of paintings and a dress once worn
by a woman you never found again.

And suddenly you know: that was enough.
You rise and there appears before you
in all its longings and hesitations
the shape of what you lived.

Rilke

6 thoughts on “the shape of what you lived

  1. a lovely, poignant offering and so hits the spot. so true, we often look for something important, spectacular, something better to happen, to improve or add excitement to our lives. But there it is. What we have and had is always enough. To cherish and savour and have gratitude for just this.

    That Rilke was a clever guy!

    • They are here in numbers never before seen! I had four at the feeders! The ones I love are the evening grosbeaks but rarely see those anymore.

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