I am participating in the
Tuesday Slice of Life.
All participants are writing about one moment, one part of their day.
A big thank you to
Two Writing Teachers for providing this unique opportunity
for teacher-writers to share and reflect.
Not too long ago, I was walking in the woods and came upon a very stagnant, murky pond. It was totally encased in some sort of scum or slime. Ugh! I was rather disgusted by it, and hastened to ignore it and keep walking, to find another place to be. But then I had a second thought...a challenge for myself - could I find anything beautiful about this? I stopped and looked closer. Here's what I saw:
1. The murky scum was actually many, many, many very small, teeny, weeny oval-shaped petals - kind of cute, close up. Surprise!
2. There was a shimmering on the surface of the water, a movement, making light - a type of flickering - dragonflies and other bugs jumping, darting. A celebration?
3. There were other medium-shaped petals, bright green, perhaps an inch in diameter, and the recent rain had left translucent drops on these. Magical!
4. The largest plants were the size of cantaloupes - floppy water lilies. These were lovely, with soft edges and a gentle, delicate float. Would I see frogs? I really, really wanted to, but no such luck. Hopeful.
5. I did see bright yellow blooms! Maybe one for every 10-15 water lilies. Beautiful.
6. Look! There are a couple beautiful boulders nestled on the shore line of this forgotten, murky pond. I climbed on one that was a very white rock with red, brown, and black highlights - really, a gorgeous rock! And, here, from this perch, I could see the pond even better. Perspective.
7. Dragonfly! Whoa! From my rock perch, I saw the thinnest, most translucent dragonfly. I needed to be very still to really see or notice it. Quiet!
8. This murky pond is actually not still at all. There is constant movement in the water, an incessant bubbling. What provides this movement, this life? What is the source? Mystery!
9. The water itself was deep brown/black on this very cloudy day...like the water that rinses as I wash out a coffee pot...hmm, thinking about a nice cup of coffee now. Rejuvenate.
10. The smell here...when I paused and inhaled...was actually pretty lovely...my words aren't adequate, but I'll try - fresh with rain, earthy, muddy, woody, with hints of moss, grass, and pine, all wrapped up with a lovely breeze. Reconsider.
11. There were twigs raising up out of the water, all in one section, from a tree that had fallen. The twigs looked like the silhouettes of birds. Wonder.
12. The tall grasses on the edge of the pond have soft, flowering tips...and they move in the breeze. Dancing!
That ol' murky pond looks absolutely beautiful, I realized, as I walked away.
It seems to me - our world is really, really murky right now.
Until we look closer.
We must challenge ourselves to look closer
and find the light, find the good, find the beauty.
We must emphasize this,
magnify this,
share this, and
hold onto the hope of this.
There is a special calling in a “wooden path [that] bends just so.” I have an image of that path through your words. My favorite line is “I am both set and set in motion” and the paradox of this line. Lovely poem. Thank you.
—Glenda
I love the way you lead the reader down your path with “the wooded path bends just so”. I could identify with your moment because it reminds me of the wooded college campus I attended years ago. I also love that this poem is more than just a walk in the woods it is a journey towards knowledge.
Maureen,
I noticed the slant, italics in the title that work so nicely with the “bends.” These lines, I found so magical: “The natural medley of seed/blossom, growth, and wither,/branches stretching and interlacing above” — wow, the movement and even more so the acceptance of movement to be alive and to wither, to stretch and to interlace. Gosh, I wish we could do more mental interlacing in our world (of course the physical interlacing, too, but not yet).
Peace,
Sarah
I like the repeated word at the end, and how it leads us forward on the path with you.
Your title draws us in, and then the path takes over leading us through the poem. I never heard of college woods before. You made me want to be there.
That imagery of the world “bending just so” is wonderfully evocative
Kevin