Morning Song

In my rotation of poetry books I read each morning, I have Wild Iris by Louise Gluck.  The collection of poetry focuses on nature, and has a repeating theme of poems called "Matins." At first I thought matins were a type of flower. But finally I looked it up and read that it is a religious litany, a chant perhaps, done in morning or evening.

Today's reading was another matins poem, and since I had forgotten the definition, I looked it up again. This time a second definition caught my eye.

matins 

n (functioning as singular or plural)

1. (Ecclesiastical Terms)

a. chiefly RC Church the first of the seven canonical hours of prayer, originally observed at night but now often recited with lauds at daybreak

b. the service of morning prayer in the Church of England

2. literary a morning song, esp of birds

It is then I realized matins is not always about people.  Others are involved.

For today's poem, the ending line caught my attention:

For me, always/The delight is the surprise

I used it to begin my own poem.  Matins is about creating space in your life to listen and to pray and to notice the changing light.  At this point in my summer, I am noticing changes happening, as I listen to be led to what I am to do next.

And may I add, the one thing I missed on my vacation was hearing the birds sing. They are totally muted in hotels.  It was a welcome sound when I returned, one I didn't even notice I had missed. 

Morning Song

For me, always

the delight is the surprise.

That music

pouring out of me

imperfectly,

surprises me.

Those words

I wake up to

and have to 

write and 

expand, 

surprise me.

The push to

think about

teaching again,

surprises me.

Always the

groundwork

being laid

for the next 

thing.

Always the

next dawn

to hear the

birds sing.