I Do Not Know Which I Prefer

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I do not know which to prefer,
The beauty of inflections
Or the beauty of innuendoes,
The blackbird whistling
Or just after.

from Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird by Wallace Stevens

I do not know which I prefer,
The perfection before journey begins,
Or the joy that comes from beginning the journey,
The last night of summer
Or the first rehearsal of the year.

There is perfection in the preparations – the dreams are pristine, the plans are flawless. But there is joy in beginning the journey, with all the stumbles, false starts, mistakes, and frustrations that come with it.