i suppose i should start out by explaining the title

which is the first line of my favorite poem, living, by denise levertov

which i will post in its entirety below:

The fire in leaf and grass
so green it seems
each summer the last summer.

The wind blowing, the leaves
shivering in the sun,
each day the last day.

A red salamander
so cold and so
easy to catch, dreamily

moves his delicate feet
and long tail. I hold
my hand open for him to go.

Each minute the last minute.


do i have to explain what this means to me? it is the quintessential poem of summer... but it is so much more than that. it speaks of the value of the now, of the exquisite and almost painful poignancy of each moment. and commands us not simply to observe, or to regard, but to do these things in the presence of a god.



"Go into yourself. Find out the reason that commands you to write.... Ask yourself in the most silent hour of your night: must I write?" (Ranier Maria Rilke)