Whole self

...my whole self
saying and singing what it knew…
—Denise Levertov from “Variations on a Theme By Rilke”

•••

At the end
may my whole self rise

saying and singing
what it knew

after a life in which
I mostly did not know

or did not think I knew
that I could have

lifted out of myself
at any time

or no time
beginning anew

flush with abundance
with the last breath

so full of song
so full of light

Gwydir Castle, Conwy Valley, North Wales / Photo: Judy Corbett