The everyday extraordinary
Abounds.
As it ever did.
Biding its time until we stop,
Until we notice.
The tiny unheralded jewels nested within our daily lives
That we rushed past, cavalier,
Oblivious.
With no time for the smaller movement,
The goal-less.
We were hell bent on destinations.
Headed to the best seller, the top ten.
There were judgments to render, texts to send.
None of which we remembered
Five minutes after.
Now,
Pause to discover
It is not only the peony in delicious full bloom
That deserves our attention.
Bend down and inspect the tightly wrapped, sleeping bud
Just as it is,
Soon to swarm with the manic aphids that will allow it to be
All it can be.
Watch the dog watching the squirrel.
How the clouds above change shape even as we look away.
The sad supermarket cashier who will remember your smile.
It’s not the goal, it’s the journey.
Once trite, now wise.
Did you know Margaret Atwood also wrote poetry?
A sequence of my poems has been published in a hardcover book entitled The Music of Leaving Poems by Tricia McCallum
3 Responses
Tricia, I have noticed this shift in myself. Taking a more leisurely pace when hanging the washing on the line and staying to watch it flutter. Not just glancing but really taking in the fresh beauty of the morning glories at the kitchen door, relishing the blue sky and taking time to watch the sun playing with the water. Thank you for this. Eileen
What a lovely pause in this time of uncertainty for all of us and fear for some. Each day, many rise to feelings of looking and feeling there is nothing beyond the horizon. This poem offers great solace, that if we stop to really take in the world around us, put away our city eyes, open up our imagination, we may learn to travel to the horizon and see that the world is not ending but is richer than before. Great poem Tricia, very timely
I like this Trish!
Its true we were all to busy the important things in life before
all of us were thrown into a place by the Virus 🦠
We now do important things and see things so different
I believe our lives will be forever changed
We will be different people noticing
the things around us and hopefully loving each other more !