Finally, a poem asks for readers, and a day asks for others. Rilke’s Letters to a Young Poet (1903–08) counsels inner sincerity, yet even sincere work matures in communion. We shape our hours in conversation with family, colleagues, and neighbors; their needs and gifts become co-authors of our lines. To share attention, offer help, and receive correction is to let the poem be read and improved. In this way, composing our days becomes a civic art—intended, fearless, and true because it is lived together. [...]
