November 3rd, 2008
In honor of All Souls Day, also known as All Saints Day and Dia de los Muertes, I heard this poignant poem. It was written by Jane Kenyon while her husband was enduring cancer treatment. A few years after writing this, Ms. Kenyon died from her own bout with the disease, while her husband was living a life in remission.
Here’s the poem:
I got out of bed
on two strong legs.
It might have been
otherwise. I ate
cereal, sweet
milk, ripe, flawless
peach. It might
have been otherwise.
I took the dog uphill
to the birch wood.
All morning I did
the work I love.
At noon I lay down
with my mate. It might
have been otherwise.
We ate dinner together
at a table with silver
candlesticks. It might
have been otherwise.
I slept in a bed
in a room with paintings
on the walls, and
planned another day
just like this day.
But one day, I know,
it will be otherwise.
from Otherwise, 1996
Graywolf Press, St. Paul, Minn.
Copyright 1996 by the Estate of Jane Kenyon.
All rights reserved.
To me, this speaks of both the beauty and uncertainty of life. We live in the unknown. This moment is the only guarantee. Tomorrow is a gift. Gratitude is essential. So is mourning and remembering our losses. Let us honor it all.