THE ONLY WAY I KNOW TO LOVE THE WORLD
It is not just a cup of coffee
but the warm hum of hello,
an invitation to wake, to sip,
to say thank you
for another chance to dance
with another new day.
It's not just a ceramic mug,
but the one she
shaped with her own 16-year-old hands, for me. For me.
It is not just one heart held open to another, or a kiss blown in the mirror,
not just the soft circle of smile,
but a nod of—I see you. You are not alone.
Not just life. But your life. Your very temporary life.
It isn't just the earth you stand on but the giver of every single thing, a
reason
to get down on humbled, human knees and say thank you thank you thank you.
It is not just another moment but a door flung open, a flooded-with-light
entrance to every real thing
not just a poem but a prayer whispered from one listening ear to another. The
only way I know to love the world.
©Julia Fehrenbacher
www.juliafehrenbacher.com
Hello friends.
I was very taken with this poem, and thought it might
make an interesting jumping-off point for a prompt. I am a tea drinker, so I
substituted the beverage. Smiles. This poem is such a good example of how the
simplest thing can inspire us to think bigger: from a cup of tea or
coffee to loving the whole world. I love the gratitude.
The Baleek china in the photo reminds me of my Grandma's tea parties, and her Baleek tea service which reflected her Irish roots. (The ladies arrived in hats and gloves and sat at card tables set up for bridge in the cottage's tiny front room. Dresses, of course; my grandma never wore pants in her life, other than when she was riding her horse. Astride, very avant garde, at the turn of the century.)
This week, as always, write whatever comes to you from
the prompt or the poem. Repeating a line or phrase is one cool way to make a poem
cohesive.
It’s not the way…
It’s not just…
It’s not this, it’s not that……..
It is sort of a call and response that works really well in the example poem. But you might prefer to just write whatever comes to you from reading the poem, and that’s fine too. (I am also thinking of the phrase "not my cup of tea," which can apply to just about everything that is happening globally at the moment, and could head you in an entirely different direction. You need not use the cliche, just the idea, if you wish.)
So, fellow poets, let’s get busy! Link your poem, and visit your fellow linkers. I’m looking forward to reading each poem the way I sip my cup of tea – with appreciation. Smiles.
