Living is a form of not being sure,
not knowing what next or how.
The moment you know how, you begin to die a little.
The artist never entirely knows.
We guess.
We may be wrong,
but we take leap after leap into the dark.
--Agnes de Mille
Living is a Form of Not Being Sure
There are all kinds of dark.
You close your eyes in fear, exhaustion, or prayer
and dark is there.
The sun sets, the clouds roll in, you step into shade
and dark is there.
Your mind fills with unmarked roads, closed doors, gaping chasms
and dark is there.
There are all kinds of light.
You open your eyes in hope, anticipation, or gratitude
and light is there.
The sun rises, the clouds roll on, you step into sunshine
and light is there.
Your mind takes leap after leap into the dark, guessing, risking
and light is always there.
©Mary Lee Hahn, 2020 (with help from Agnes de Mille)
I had only ever found that fragment of a quote that begins, "The artist never knows- " and hadn't followed up to find the whole piece. I really like what you've done with this, and thanks for sharing the whole thought.
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