That Particular Sky
Jessica Kantrowtiz
You can't always have views of the sunset from your house.
For example, sometimes you live in a duplex
where the western side is entirely blocked by the other house
or sometimes there are bigger houses all around you
Or, like now, where trees block the view in the summer
and the porch is too cold to sit on when the trees are bare
But if you stand in your pantry and lean toward the fading light
you can see a corner of it.
You can't always have views of the sunset from your house,
but please don't think that you are doing something wrong
with your life, your work, your love
Because even those with great jobs
handsome lovers, and the best 401Ks
sometimes don't have views
of fiery reds and oranges
or every pastel in the palette
against the sharp outline of bare tree branches
the gentle sorrow with the promise of morning joy
Or, even if they do, they're not always wise enough
to find the room where it happens
especially if it's the lowly pantry
and to lean the certain way you have to lean
in that particular house, toward that particular sky
in that particular way that only you have
of seeing, and being seen.
~from Blessings for the Long Night: Poems and Meditations to Help You through Depression