I was stuck one day... The World Peace Poetry Postcard February Project requires 28-30 new poems. I was half way through the month and couldn't think of what to write about. I'd gone on a garden tour and been inspired. I'd gone for walks in the forest and been inspired. I'd written about my sweet sister cats. Sometimes peaceful images came spontaneously. But this day I didn't have any ideas.
What I did have was a list of fifty things that make me smile, from my own Happy Book. So I looked at some of the possibilities:
A surprisingly vibrant sunset
Moonlight on snow, magical light sparkling in the dark
Watching wind bend the trees and lightning making a light show during a storm
A warm smile, reaching up to crinkly eyes, just for me
Cuddling with my cats, stroking their soft fur and hearing them purr
Hugs from my children and grandchildren
Swimming in a cool lake on a hot summer day
Watching someone read one of my books
Croissants and cafe au lait at a sidewalk cafe
Moonlight on the water
The sound of ocean surf, pounding the shore
The feel of soft, warm sand under my feet
Being rocked to sleep on a boat
Hearing birds sing in the forest and smelling the scent of evergreens
I could see the beginnings of poetry, words that sung in my head and slipped onto the pages. Here are some of the poems inspired by my happy list:
Baby giggles of grandsons
entranced with life,
making play from ordinary things
and giving peanut butter hugs.
Returning to my fireplace-warmed gingerbread house
to a reward of hot lemon-ginger tea
in a mug designed with memories.
Snuggling with a velvet-furred cat,
purring on my lap,
while I lose myself
in yet another adventure
within the pages of a book.
Gentle rain tapping on my roof,
drops sliding down my window,
gathering in puddles in quiet places.
Moonlight on water,
steamy creamy clam chowder
in a paper cup.
I think that maybe I'll put the best ones in a book someday, but for now I'm just happy to have them read. I hope that there were some that inspired joy and peace for you.
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