Just about a year ago I wrote a blog post in which I quoted one of my favorite poems—“Keeping Things Whole,” by the Canadian-American poet Mark Strand. I have always loved contemporary American poetry, and Strand was one of the best. Just prior to leaving for my back-to-back trips to Mexico and Vietnam (from where I am writing this now), Strand passed away at the age of 80. Poet Laureate and the Pulitzer prize were just two of his many honors. I read “Keeping Things Whole” before I had any awareness of a desire to fly, but it struck a chord in me that continues to this day. So, in honor of one of the greats, here it is again:
In a field
I am the absence
of field.
This is
always the case.
Wherever I am
I am what is missing.
When I walk
I part the air
and always
the air moves in
to fill the spaces
where my body’s been.
We all have
reasons for moving.
I move
to keep things whole.