Seize the Day Poem

Remember to wake early and take your time rising.

Enter the world refreshed by the hope

emitted by each atom of light,

by the bird who must sing at the sight

of the sun. Does he pity us humans,

who can choose not to break into song

at dawn?

Look for small revelations all day.

Let water heal your body. Think of bathing

as a ritual of new beginnings.

Step outside and breathe deeply.

Take in the smells

of life good and foul. Remember

this day is a gift.

Be surprised by nature

that shares your world of giant steps.

The bug that irks you, the yellow butterfly

that catches your eye,

and the furred thing with sharp teeth

that repels you- are all in our moment

of history.

Concentrate on living hour by hour as if

you were feeding coins into a meter

measuring your life.

Here is this hour,

and you have already paid for it.

Love your work, and enjoy your play. Remember

there is little lasting joy in things done

only for gold or fame. Without love

your spirit will be a flower

picked without purpose

and thrown on the ground

to be trampled by anyone.

Have a place and a time

to sit with your thoughts.

Pray before sleep, or read a great poem.

Sacred words will clear your crowded mind.

Remind yourself to speak in Spanish

before you go into the dark.

Greet your ancestors

in our native tongue, let them guide you

to the place of your origin, an island in the sun,

our home now only in our dreams. Say noche,

say amor, say suenos.

Welcome the night. Good sleep

is your body’s mending time. In its sweet release,

the fires of worry and anger will be subdued;

and in dreams you may learn to fly above any blaze

and let your secret self-float free

above a new world

you must imagine and learn to embrace

each and every day.