Keeping a Journal by william stafford

At night it was easy for me with my little candle
to sit late recording what happened that day. Sometimes
rain breathing in from the dark would begin softly
across the roof and then drum wildly for attention.
The candle flame would hunger after each wafting
of air. My pen inscribed thin shadows that leaned
forward and hurried their lines along the wall.

More important than what was recorded, these evenings
deepened my life: they framed every event
or thought and placed it with care by the others.
As time went on, that scribbled wall--even if
it stayed blank--became where everything
recognized itself and passed into meaning.

• The poet writes late at night by candlelight. Where and when do you tend to write in your journal? How does the time and place impact what flows onto the page? Journal your reflections.

• How has keeping a journal, or how do you imagine keeping a journal, might deepen your life? Explore your answers in your journal!

• What happens when the relationship between disparate events, recorded in a journal, becomes apparent? What threads have you discovered? What themes? What patterns? Begin a poem or prose piece with the words, “I recognize…”