Robert Bly, Talking into the Ear of a Donkey

“It's hard to grasp how much generosity
Is involved in letting us go on breathing,
When we contribute nothing valuable but our grief.

Each of us deserves to be forgiven, if only for
Our persistence in keeping our small boat afloat
When so many have gone down in the storm.”
― Robert Bly, Talking into the Ear of a Donkey: Poems