“What I want to say is
   that the past is the past,
   and the present is what your life is,
   and you are capable
   of choosing what that will be,
   darling citizen.

   So come to the pond,
   or the river of your imagination,
   or the harbor of your longing,

   and put your lips to the world.
   And live
   your life.”

   From Mornings at Blackwater,
   from “Redbird,” by Mary Oliver.