The Destination: Poem 6 of 30
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| via A Year of Reading see Wikimedia Copyright Info |
THE DESTINATION
Tiny stones
reach across the water,
spaced close enough
to see the possibility
of the unexplored,
yet distanced,
to make the crossing
difficult.
I poise myself
upon the first,
trying desperately
to balance,
extend,
step,
hoping to cross,
safely.
For a time I steady myself
between the two rocks,
finally pushing
to the next,
it wiggles
back and forth,
I am unsure I will stand
strong.
Water rushes,
reminding me to be
cautious,
vigilant,
stone after stone
I slowly cross the water,
until I reach my
destination.
© Cathy L. Mere
If you haven't been following Mary Lee's poetry journey this month at A Year of Reading, you'll want to stop by. Each day she is using an image from Wikimedia Commons to inspire poetry. Other poets are stopping by to share the poem the photograph inspired in them.
I'm also learning a lot about copyright. Like Mary Lee, as a blogger I think a lot about copyright. I want, most importantly, to highlight the work of others in a way that respects their work, but I also hope the same is done for the work I send out into the world.
I've found Mary Lee's spin to celebrate National Poetry Month (#npm2013 and #npm) quite intriguing and informative. I stop by A Year of Reading to view the shared image she is pondering early each morning and begin thinking about it myself. Honestly, they are usually so interesting I have a hard time keeping space in my head for finding my own poem for the day here at Merely Day By Day.
When I saw today's image I was immediately reminded of being a kid and working to cross streams by the small stones that were scattered throughout the water. The trick was always to stay balanced and not fall into the water. The trick was following the stones that would bring you to your destination: a big rock, an interesting creature, or the other shore. Life's a bit like crossing water on small stones so I thought I'd give this a try this morning.
Loved this poem; and yes, it is like our lives..
ReplyDeleteLove. "The trick was always to stay balanced..." ALWAYS.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad that my work this month is feeding your left brain (info) as well as your right brain (creativity). So cool that you are recording your poems, too. Kevin (Kevin's Meandering Mind) is using Vocaroo. Maybe I'll try one or the other...see how we live and learn and pass it along/bring others along. This collaborative creative journey is FASCINATING me.
I forgot to say how much I like the way each stanza of your poem is like the stepping stones IN your poem...
ReplyDeleteI saw this at Mary Lee's site too, Cathy. It says so much about life, hesitancy but persistent all at the same time-our lives! I liked that you used the photo to talk about yourself. Nice journey in there!
ReplyDeleteAhhh...yes the stepping stones...the baby steps that lead to the best undiscovered places! Baby steps...kind of like me tip-toeing my way into the blogging world with you holding my hand so i don't lose my balance? I too am finding daily inspiration for my students from Mary Lee's site. I can still hear the wolves from yesterday and you should see the stuff my kids wrote! So powerful! Thanks for sharing...her site and your own creativity!
ReplyDeleteTrish
Cathy-
DeleteYour poem makes me think of being a little girl and trying to cross a super cold mountain stream at girl scout camp. I felt like I was standing there wiggling back and forth, not quite sure I would make it all the way across. The particular time I am thinking about, I must have fallen in, because I remember wet socks.
And like you, I'm learning tons from Mary Lee's discussion of copyright laws.