I wanted to know,
whoever I was, I was
alive
for a little while.

—Mary Oliver
excerpt from “Dogfish,” from Dream Work © 1986, Penguin

•••

One way to know you’re alive
is to use the body you were given—

though you had no say over its original
shape or hair color or internal affairs—

to keep it mobile in the world
for as long as possible. You know

that while the body is a garage
for the soul, these days it also

houses a vintage car, and it’s good
to take her out for a spin,

open ’er up, see what she’s still
got under the hood.

A tune-up’s not a bad idea,
but mostly you want to move

that chassis, feel the engine
thrumming, though, sure, she’s not

as peppy as she used to be.
But listen, there’s still a lot of life

in the old girl—she’s not done yet.
Keep ’er going, honey,

for a little while, or maybe longer.