attention

attention is the beginning of devotion—Mary Oliver

not furrowed
concentration,
rather wide-open
attending invites
astonishment

the big field exposes
the unexpected—
startled
by the slantwise,
surprised by the clue

it came through me
was unknown to me—
now stripped away
what was in the way
and revealed
devotion’s spore

claim no ownership
plant the spore deep
it is not mine, yet
it’s mine to tend,
nurture and unfold
my task alone

2023 ©Amrita Skye Blaine
I’m writing a poem a day. These are drafts—not final versions.