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Poetry Sunday: The Moment by Margaret Atwood

I love this poem by Margaret Atwood. It is a timely reminder that we truly "own" nothing here. We are visitors only and Earth will surely continue when we are gone. And it is incumbent on us to do what we can to preserve what is here for those who follow us.

The Moment

by Margaret Atwood

The moment when, after many years
of hard work and a long voyage
you stand in the centre of your room,
house, half-acre, square mile, island, country,
knowing at last how you got there,
and say, I own this,

is the same moment when the trees unloose
their soft arms from around you,
the birds take back their language,
the cliffs fissure and collapse,
the air moves back from you like a wave
and you can't breathe.

No, they whisper. You own nothing.
You were a visitor, time after time
climbing the hill, planting the flag, proclaiming.
We never belonged to you.
You never found us.
It was always the other way round.

Comments

  1. David M. Gascoigne,March 23, 2025 at 4:38 AM

    Wonderful poem. And so spot on. We don’t own it and we certainly don’t take care of it. Why have we always resisted the wisdom of indigenous people? Bravo, Margaret Atwood, my distinguished fellow Canadian.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dorothy BordersMarch 23, 2025 at 11:03 AM

      She is a treasure that Canada has given the world.

      Delete
  2. jabblogMarch 23, 2025 at 8:48 AM

    I appreciate Margaret Atwood's words, in novels, in poetry, and this poem speaks truth so eloquently. We are visitors, passing this way but once.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dorothy BordersMarch 23, 2025 at 11:06 AM

      If everyone understood that, I wonder if it would change behavior.

      Delete
  3. AlanaMarch 23, 2025 at 9:05 AM

    Oh, if only all of us understood this, what a different world this would have been.

    ReplyDelete
  4. thecuecardMarch 23, 2025 at 4:41 PM

    Hear Hear. Nice one. Perhaps we need more Atwood poetry. :-) thanks for this one.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dorothy BordersMarch 23, 2025 at 9:49 PM

      There's no such thing as too much Atwood poetry!

      Delete

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