GOING MARVELING

Go and find me a marvel -- I care not what it is.

Go and let your eye light upon whatever is at hand.

It will glow from your touch.

But let it be simple, so that your touch need not linger;

Pick it up gently, like a daddy longlegs; careful not to mutilate it with too much attention; do not insult it with explanation.

Let it be a surprise; do not hunt it down. Let it rise up suddenly from beyond your attention, catching you unawares: a sad afternoon, seamlessly grey, suddenly ruptured by a rogue shaft of sunshine.

When it chills and frightens you, do not pull away, disappointed. Stay with the roaming beast, at a safe distance, but don't stop looking, asking.

And when at last it stands still, melting into invisibility with its drab constancy, don't be lulled asleep. It watches you through its closed lids, waiting for you to weary and doze. Look closely and you will see its faint breath. Its being is change, and all you have to do is wait and not stop wanting to see.

Ben Feese

9/7/94