A Blessing
James Wright
This was one of the first poems I appreciated when I started reading poetry seriously in college. I gasped at the last two lines – in recognition because I had felt that emotion when experiencing special moments, especially in nature; in fact the scene always brings to mind the covered bridge area in Felton (Santa Cruz mountains) where I spent many fun hours on childhood vacations. Since then, the poem continues to give me peace, reminding me to stop and appreciate even the smallest “blossom moments” in life.
Janice Dabney
Documentation Specialist, Stanford Linear Accelerator Center
Mountain View
A Blessing
Just off the highway to Rochester, Minnesota,
Twilight bounds softly forth on the grass.
And the eyes of those two Indian ponies
Darken with kindness.
They have come gladly out of the willows
To welcome my friend and me.
We step over the barbed wire into the pasture
Where they have been grazing all day, alone.
They ripple tensely, they can hardly contain their happiness
That we have come.
They bow shyly as wet swans. They love each other.
There is no loneliness like theirs.
At home once more,
They begin munching the young tufts of spring in the darkness.
I would like to hold the slenderer one in my arms,
For she has walked over to me
And nuzzled my left hand.
She is black and white,
Her mane falls wild on her forehead,
And the light breeze moves me to caress her long ear
That is delicate as the skin over a girl’s wrist.
Suddenly I realize
That if I stepped out of my body I would break
Into blossom.
Santa Clara County Poet Laureate Blog 
This is a truly beautiful poem and a fitting one to end this great journey of “favorites.” Thanks, Sally!
Thanks for saying so, Judy. I did make a boo-boo by saying it’s the last entry, but the announcement had gone out before I caught it. But it IS a good penultimate piece to a wonderful, enriching experience. I agree.