Start Close In
~ by David Whyte
Start close in, don’t take the second step, or the third,
start with the first thing close in,
the step you don’t want to take.
Start with the ground you know,
the pale ground beneath your feet,
your own way to begin the conversation.
Start with your own question,
give up on other people’s questions,
don’t let them smother something simple.
To hear another’s voice,
follow your own voice,
wait until that voice
becomes an intimate private ear
that can really listen to another.
Start right now, take a small step
you can call your own,
don’t follow someone else’s heroics,
be humble and focused,
start close in, don’t mistake
that other for your own.
Start close in, don’t take the second step or the third,
start with the first thing close in,
the step you don’t want to take.
START CLOSE IN ~ David Whyte : Essentials
Many Rivers Press © David Whyte
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