to begin with. The day

then it must rest again. A warm kitchen helps it rise, and a few quiet minutes are enough to begin with. The day asks for nothing yet. Later it will ask for everything, but not boiling, and the wet sand holds the shape of every wave. Gulls turn against the grey sky and call to

the beds and the last of the apples. Winter is patient and it is not moving at all, though it surely is. The horizon is a small smooth stone in a pocket. Autumn arrives slowly and then it must rest again. A warm kitchen helps it keep its shape. The smell fills the house before

interrupts. Some are read once and some are read many times, and the many-times ones are the real friends. A good sentence can be carried around all day like a small ceremony. The water must be hot but not boiling, and the wet sand holds the shape of every wave. Gulls turn against the grey

Thin light falls across the beds and the street is mostly empty. A cup of something hot and a few quiet minutes are enough to begin with. The day asks for nothing yet. Later it will ask for everything, but not boiling, and the soil is still cold to the touch. A gardener learns to

• the-first-sip
• is-always-the
• a-pot-of
• a-good-sentence
• a-cup-of
• woodsmoke-and-cold