My good friend and neighbor of 20 years, David Douglass, died unexpectedly on November 24 at the age of 64. David was born in Winslow, Arizona and died here in St. Paul. As a young man he was particularly interested in poetry, including that of the American poet Gary Snyder. In honor of David, Sky Spinner Press has invited his wife Martha to include a Snyder poem here on the site. We are glad to have been a friend of David’s, and regret losing him.
“Without,” by Gary Snyder, from his Pulitzer-winning 1975 collection, Turtle Island
the silence
of nature
within,
the power within,
the power
without.
the path is whatever passes–no
end in itself.
the end is,
grace–ease–
healing,
not saving.
singing
the proof
the proof of the power within.