A certain day became a presence to me; There it was, confronting me - a sky, air, light: a being. And before it started to descend from the height of noon, it leaned over and struck my shoulder as if with the flat of a sword, granting me honor and a task. The day’s blow rang out, metallic - or it was I, a bell awakened and what i heard was my whole self saying and singing what it new: I can. - Denise Levertov Variation on a Theme by Rilke