Poetry / November 2007 (Issue 1)


What We Are Given

by Cyril Wong

We did not ask for what we had already received: Time,
desire, guilt and loss. What we know about the self

is what we have promised ourselves to believe, before doubt
sets in. Eyes take apart each other’s faces to find the parts

that mirror us. Look at the woman at the far table. Or the man
peering out a window without loneliness. How unlike are we

on the inside? Here you are, happiness parked somewhere
on the way here. Why not now? Why not bring that coffee

to your lips this instant for a sip, this moment all you may
ever own, followed by the next, and then the moment

after that? Save its heat in the cup of your hands. Smile
a little to yourself for what you have not lost. Love your life.
 
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All poems, stories and other contributions copyright to their respective authors unless otherwise noted.