Before jumping, remember
the span of time is long and gracious.
No one perches dangerously on any cliff
till you reply. Is there a pouch of rain

desperately thirsty people wait to drink from
when you say yes or no? I don't think so.

Hold that thought. Hold everything.
When they say "crucial" - well, maybe for them?

Hold your horses and your minutes and
your Hong Kong dollar coins in your pocket,

you are not a corner or a critical turning page.
Wait. I'll think about it.

This pressure you share is a misplaced hinge, a fantasy.
I am exactly where I wanted to be.


About this poem
"We all find ourselves involved in projects or activities that confound us-'When or why did I say I would do this? What was I thinking?' I needed a poem for myself that said, 'Pause longer. Think again.'"
-Naomi Shihab Nye

About Naomi Shihab Nye

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The Academy of American Poets is a nonprofit, mission-driven organization, whose aim is to make poetry available to a wider audience. Email The Academy at poem-a-day[at]poets.org.


(c) 2015 Naomi Shihab Nye. Originally published by the Academy of American Poets, www.poets.org. Distributed by King Features Syndicate