Distracted by the Light
I’ve been wanting to share something cheerier and this morning someone I follow on Substack posted a note that she was feeling the February gloomies and asked for some nature poems to brighten her mood. Unfortunately, I can’t remember who the post or note was from, but I will share the poem I found here for everyone instead. It was written during a haiku workshop at the local library. The workshop leader was playing the bowls which, along with a burst of sun from the window, distracted me from my writing assignment. I wrote this poem instead and, no, it is not a haiku though it did retain the three line stanza. The benefit of having set it aside for nearly a year is that today it declared its title and I found the proper ending. (As usual, I had written past the end and I had to edit out the last several lines.)
Called to Worship
by Laura L. Hansen
From the library window I see
the top of the old Episcopal Church,
its roof line holding up the sky.
Straddling the peak is a stout steeple
clad in faded cedar shakes.
At the farthest edge
a simple wooden cross and,
nearer the middle, a mallard duck
poised like a weathervane.
It is early spring and the world
is drab and grey,
but for this one duck,
his neck ringed in a glory of teal,
the only living breathing thing
shining light on the day.
I hope whoever needed this poem will find it! By the way, the workshop was facilitated by Tracy Ritmueller
All the best,
Laura Hansen