Poem: Lessons for A Young Poet

Lessons for A Young Poet

Look everywhere: at the trees,
their leaves marked as your own
palm, the sky whose clouds
disappear without you ever
having watched, the ground,
the dirt, the flowers, the bees,
look at the old man at the bar,
at the girl eating an ice cream
outside the convenience store
on the hottest day in June, at
the speeding van that ran
that red light, leaving cars
honking, drivers shouting
to no one who matters
about the near accident
that idiot caused, look
at art that is beautiful,
look at photos of war
and famine, look at
what makes you feel good
and what makes you feel
bad, look until you cry,
until the beauty makes
you cry as much as the ugly,
look until you see how much
more there is of both, until
the absence and the presence
are within you, until you know
something about the world,
a small thing that you can
be certain is at least a truth.