Had I not been awake I would have missed it,
A wind that rose and whirled until the roof
Pattered with quick leaves off the sycamore
And got me up, the whole of me a-patter,
Heaney wrote this poem about his first poetic inspiration after a stroke, a spark of genius that led to this poem. This feeling was dependent on his being conscious and alert; his recovery brought a new wave of creativity.
Had I not been awake I would have missed it