UNMIXED ATTENTION is prayer is belief is faith is love is a million unopened fountains is obedience to a mystery is sweet scented stuff when the breeze draws across it is pausing to attend to the goldfinches who have gathered in a field for a musical battle is touching the face of every blossom, not choosing this blossom or that blossom is heeding the call, harsh and exciting, of the wild geese and the world is swimming one day in August is going down to the sea for the deepening and the quieting of the spirit is walking into words that have been waiting for you to enter is listening at his heart—little, less, nothing is grieving over goldengrove unleaving is counting five mountain ranges, one behind the other is thinking of a sheep knitting a sweater is not clenched jaws is not stiffening muscles is not pride is not a miracle just beyond our heavy-headed grasp is not imagining that trees just stand and look like they look when we’re looking when we’re not looking is not walking, on your knees, for a hundred miles through the desert, repenting is not telling one’s name—the livelong June, to an admiring bog is not seeing all spoiled is not praising this but not that, loving this but not that and IS NOT WILL.
This cento includes lines from the following poems and prose:
- Spring and Fall (Gerard Manly Hopkins)
- Nobody (Emily Dickinson)
- Wild Geese (Mary Oliver)
- Swimming, One Day in August (Mary Oliver)
- Invitation (Mary Oliver)
- Out, Out– (Robert Frost)
- Luke (Mary Oliver)
- Can You Imagine? (Mary Oliver)
- Auto-lullaby (Franz Wright)
- The Meadow (Marie Howe)
- Long Life (Mary Oliver)
- “Attention and Will” (Simone Weil)