Casting

The drift of coffee before remembering
     You traveled last night
          And this is a hotel
          Not your room at all
A thought of the scent at sunrise

Could be enough
To cast a form for the day:
          Warmth in hand,
          A cup already full.
The idea of the day
          Before the day itself--
The idea of the life
          Before the life itself,
At least as a place to start.

Perhaps the casting of a thought
At dawn, when the fishing is good,
Would draw to the surface something
Muscular, bright, and alive.
Something proud of its fight.
Then, if the hook slips,
And the ripples cease,
And the water smooths,
At least the rest of the day you'll know
Something is there,
And it is muscular, bright, and alive.
          It is there--
You'll cast for it again,
                      and again.
                                                      August, 2004
                                                      Santa Fe