Dawn Revisited

DAWN REVISITED
by Rita Dove from On the Bus with Rosa Parks (W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.)

Imagine you wake up
with a second chance:  The blue jay
hawks his pretty wares
and the oak still stands, spreading
glorious shade.  If you don't look back,

the future never happens.
How good to rise in sunlight,
in the prodigal smell of biscuits--
eggs and sausage on the grill.
The whole sky is yours

to write on, blown open
to a blank page.  Come on,
shake a leg!  You'll never know
who's down there, frying those eggs,
if you don't get up and see.

I like the idea of waking up with a second chance: being present to the sights and sounds of the day at hand, rather than dwelling on what did or didn't happen the day before, or fretting about what may or may not happen a day or two from now. 

And while there are no smells of biscuits or breakfast coming from the kitchen this morning but  there is a blank page waiting for me.

What will you do with your second chance today?