Karen Schindler’s most recent poem to appear here was Autumn’s Child (June 2012).
Believing in Gravity
By Karen Schindler
skipping along the paths
hugging trees
greeting chipmunks
with cheery high fives
— roman salutes to squirrels
of course —
smiling, just smiling, soaking
in the abundant green
drawing life with every
heart-felt breath
every time, and every time …
for twenty years and more
from the moment
my feet touch
this sacred place
I have to make a conscious
effort to remember
to believe in gravity
Delightful, vibrant, joy-filled. It does a heart good to read this.
But, Karen’s words are the stuff of joy…of poetry.
Such a joyous poem! The rhythm tumbles forward with such energy, allowing the “roman salutes” and “every time” stanzas to feel like conscious moments of gravity. The “every time” stanza really deepens the poem, too, making the speaker’s reaction not just a brief bit of forest-inspired awe, but a habit of love for nature.
And this poem just made me feel happy, so there’s that 🙂
Yes, I agree, very upbeat! And I like the reminder in the last stanza.
One would think believing in gravity would come easier. I like how you’ve explored this, such a beautiful poem!