Sure You Do

“Remember the person you thought you were?”

—William Stafford, “Sure You Do”

I found his collected poems,The Way It Is,

In one of those Little Free Library boxes.

Yes, I remember them, those people.

Sure I do! I'd never heard of William Stafford,

But I remember him now, too.

Found things have guided my life—

All our lives. There they are waiting for us.

If we don’t pay attention, we miss them.

This poem didn't turn out the way I thought it would.

History didn't either—what we thought we were.

Every day, something new, the way it is,

You get used to it, like the others.

Note: William Stafford (January 17, 1914–August 28, 1993) might be the best poet you've never heard of, too. No, you can't borrow my copy.

 Saturday, November 22, 2025