What have I done to earn this dawn,
The dew still shining on the lawn?
And yet it comes, as though for me\u2014
A little light, a world to see.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Before I have a word to say,
My breath has welcomed in the day;
Before I count what I must do,
The sky has let its blue come through.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I thank the floor beneath my feet,
The morning cup, its simple heat;
The window with its patch of sun,
That warms me before work\u2019s begun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I thank the tree that lets me stand
Beneath its shade, with empty hand;
It does not ask what I have made,
Or weigh my worth before its shade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And all the people who make room
For both my laughter and my gloom\u2014
Who let a silence settle in,
Then leave me space to start again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
How often have I tried to earn
The right to rest at every turn?
As though my place upon this earth
Required a daily proof of worth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yet here I am, with much undone,
Still given warmth by this old sun;
Still free to pause beside a flower
And spend, quite uselessly, an hour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For all the years I got things wrong,
And took the road that ran too long\u2014
I thank the world for room to stray,
And room to find another way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dear God, before I ask for more,
Let me sit quietly at this door;
The sparrows have begun their song\u2014
I need not sing to still belong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And if this thanks can find its way
Into the small things of my day,
May I give others room to grow,
Beyond the little that I know.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tonight, whatever comes of me,
Whatever I have failed to be,
I\u2019ll thank this world, so wide and deep,
And lay no trophies down to sleep.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For being here\u2014for being me,
Still learning what that self may be\u2014
My thanks, as simple as can be:
For life, and for just letting me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
–Mani<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" What have I done to earn this dawn,The dew still shining on the lawn?And yet it comes, as though for me\u2014A little light, a world to see. Before I have a word to say,My breath has welcomed in the day;Before … Continue reading