I saw the cover of the book
and snorted
and huffed
and rolled my eyes
because
who needs an entire book
to tell them
to look around
in wonder
and awe
at the world around them
who needs 192 pages
on a Kindle
to tell them
to look up at the sky
and then i thought,
uh-oh.
there are people in this world
who need an entire book
to tell them
to watch for signs of spring
so maybe
i should buy them a copy
or better yet
i will find someone
who needs this book
and take their hand
and lead them outside
and grasp their chin
and point it to the stars
Soapbox: The Way I see Things 
Wow. This is a great read, The thinking that progressed from the beginning of the poem to the end was intriguing.
Thank you! This was one of those poems that took me in a different direction than one I had planned. Which, I guess, is kind of fitting when you consider that awe asks us to bend our own will to that of this world…
So many people get focused on just what in right in front of them that they forget to look up or down causing them to miss untold treasures. By all means, instead of reading a book to remind them to look up or down taking them out and adjusting their head will open up new worlds for them.
Very well put.
What a fantastic poem! I loved the twists here and that ending really surprised me yet felt inevitable once I’d read it. I’ll be thinking about this piece for awhile! Thank you!
Thanks! I didn’t even see the ending coming when I started out the poem. One of the many surprise gifts writing always has up its sleeve…
This is beautiful. You can glean so much meaning from this. Some of the themes that came to me whilst reading is , Awareness, Support and Caring. Thanks also for the reminder to soak up what is around us.
Thank you. Funny thing – awareness, support, caring. I’m glad this poem sends that out into this world, especially on a day where I had been in need of all three!
That last stanza is beautiful. The way this went from disbelief to introducing someone to the awe inspiring beauty of the world around them is perfect.
Thank you. Now that I think about it, it’s exactly what this poem did to me – turned me around and pointed me in the direction of wonder. I love that about writing, how it can even surprise me when I’m the one writing it!
Simply rendered yet mighty, Lainie. Although your poem features a book, which generally delights my soul, I can see this as a greater analogy for being caught up with the idea of a thing more than the thing itself … here’s a true story. I never knew how much nature “spoke” to me until I started writing on a regular basis. Then all these deeper connections rose to the surface and the natural word filled me with awe. Still fills me, each day. Part of it is understanding that you’re in the presence of something infinitely larger than you. So yes. The book – a portal for some; let the love of the shadowed thing draw them in to the real.
And of course I love ALL of this, written around my word for the year. ❤
Thank you, Fran. Well, I *did* channel you as I wrote this post, because I remembered that post you had written about it earlier. You also bring up an important point about writing being YOUR portal into wonder, into awe. For me, I guess I’ve never really thought about how or when that connection has come. Might be an interesting thought experiment for me. Although, I’m not sure I can remember a time I wasn’t taken with big ideas or the world around me…could I pinpoint something? That’s worth thinking about.
This is intriguing, one is wondering about the book and the necessity for it and also why people need to be reminded to look out for nature as you say…When the evidence is right there!
Yes! Which makes me sad that there are people for whom that ISN’T a reality…
Lainie, “uh oh,” indeed! I wish I could tag along as you take that person by the hand and help them see the wonders of the natural world around them.
I know! I mean, I know *I* don’t need the book, and that’s what this post wanted to be. But then I thought about the folks this book was actually written for, and my heart broke a little bit.