Poems of the Week ~ by Mary, Kerry and Myrna

This week, my friends, we are featuring three lovely poems by Mary, of In the Corner of My Eye, Kerry, of  Skylover: Collected Works, and Myrna, of   Daily Spirit . Each poem is a statement of simple values, resonating with the comfort of those small joys that make up our lives. With the external news so consistently bad, I hope you enjoy these moments of profound simplicity and peace, that recharge our batteries and remind us of all that is good, and immediate, and ours.

GRASS STILL GROWS

The grass still grows

 trees take root

birds warble

and dreams take hold

The wind still whistles

butterflies dance

coyotes howl

and spirits soar

The waterfall still tumbles

penguins dive

monkeys climb

and hearts sing

And life still continues

overcomes disregard

nature perseveres

despite human misdeed

Sherry: I love the reassurance in these lines, Mary, that somehow, no matter what is going on, nature and her cycles continue on, in spite of us.

Mary: I wrote this poem when I was in search of hope, which seems in short supply right now. In order to find hope, I decided the best thing is to contemplate beauty in the sights and sounds of nature and to realize that, despite human failings and foibles, nature will persevere.  And, even in the worst of times, if we look around us we will see that ‘grass still grows.'

Sherry: You succeeded very well, Mary. In much the same vein, Kerry recently wrote a beautiful poem about small daily joys. Let's take a look.

SIMPLICITY

Some days, the best I can hope for is a simple brew

sipped from a rose-patterned cup

in a sunny kitchen

with a dog panting nearby

fresh from rolling on the grass

dusty but sweet-smelling

and the flash of a kingfisher through the window

one that perched long enough for me to tell him,

“Oh, you beauty” before he flew away.

Sherry: Sigh. These are the very best moments of all. 

Kerry: Thanks, Sherry. It is such a little poem, written on the fly, so to speak. I really don't have much to say about the process, except that was pretty much my morning.

Sherry: And a beautiful, peaceful morning it was. It is a joy to read. Thank you for this note of brightness and beauty, my friend.

We have another morning moment from our friend, Myrna, another poet who reminds us often to be grateful for all that is good in our lives, in the middle of so much that is distressing in the larger world.

MORNING MEMORY

The orange moon at dawn

Was like dripping ripe fruit

Which I visually tasted

As I watched it sink 

Into someone else's night

Winking at morning's sun

Becoming bright

Like a salute or a blessing

An intimate au revoir 

Between light and light

How privileged I was

To witness this exchange

A present from the gods of love

Showing me affection

In that tiny drop of eternity

Into which I can still dive

Backstroke swimming through time

In my mind

Sherry: I am so grateful that those gods of love continue giving us such gifts of beauty and wonder, no matter what. There is so much breathtaking beauty, everywhere! Myrna, this is so lovely. 

Myrna: Usually dawn awakens me and I immediately go to the front of the house to watch as the sun brightens my mountains.   But this day I couldn't sleep and I got up earlier.  I went instead to my back yard in time to see sky's beautiful spectacle.  The moon was descending over the valley as the blue of the sky became lighter.  The moon's color was unusually orange.  I was mesmerized.  I didn't even try to photograph the scene, which was as much a vision as it was an almost ecstatic experience.  There I stood, paralyzed, engraving the morning to my memory.  Mother Nature was showing off the power of her beauty.  It was one of those moments one can't fully explain.  I was so totally present.

I tried to paint the scene, but my amateur skills didn't come close to depicting what I saw.  Then I wrote this poem.  My words are insufficient, but I did my best to describe that unforgettable morning treat.

Sherry: You described it so well, we see the scene ourselves as we read. This is just gorgeous, Myrna. I like that you engraved it on your memory rather than trying for a photo. Photos don't always capture the totality of what we are seeing. Thank you so much for this poem.

Our thanks and appreciation to these three fine poets, for lifting our hearts, and for showing us there is still so much beauty, so much to be grateful for, in our lives and in the world.

Do come back, my friends, to see who we talk to next. Who knows? It might be you!