Quite So Much
If it weren't for the clouds
I wouldn't love the blue
quite so much.
If it weren't for the cold shock
of the first step into the river
I wouldn't love dry land
quite so much.
If it weren't for the surprise of bright yellow fungus
I wouldn't love dead trees
quite so much.
If it weren't for the constant chatter
and the loud enthusiasm of children
I wouldn't love silence
quite so much.
©Mary Lee Hahn, 2016
Our fifth graders went to Highbanks Metropark last week for a field trip put on by the Ohio River Foundation, a group that works towards "protecting and restoring the Ohio River and its watershed." The Olentangy River, which runs through Highbanks, is a part of the Ohio River watershed. Our students took part in several activities that determined the health of the Olentangy River, and that reinforced the need to conserve our fresh water resources. This poem was inspired by our field trip.
Violet is hosting the Poetry Friday roundup this week at Violet Nesdoly | Poems.
What a wonderful refrain, Mary Lee, "quite so much". These terrific images help me feel the double-ness of life, a kind of chiaroscuro that makes the edges of experience come into sharper focus. I'm a huge fan of that way of seeing things, and this poem comes at a good time for me, a reminder that dark and light, yin and yang, whatever, are always there...if only I look just a bit more closely and listen with the heart.
ReplyDeleteAlso, loved that this came to you during a field trip. Wondering if you recorded into your phone (your post from earlier has me toting a voice recorder around with me!) or some other way. I always say that I will remember something when I think it, but almost never do, so capturing it in the moment is important, at least for me.
Speaking of capturing ideas when they come, did you follow this link to where ideas come from (and how to get them) that was in Austin Kleon's latest weekly update?
http://everythingisaremix.info/blog/the-4-steps-to-getting-an-idea