Thought-Full Thursday: Poetry

“The leaves are changing; I feel poetry in the air.”

-Laura Jaworski

And speaking of poetry…I thought I’d share a favorite here today:

The Day Millicent Found The World

Every morning Millicent ventured farther into the woods. At first, she stayed near light, the edge where bushes grew, where her way back appeared in glimpses among dark trunks behind her. Then by farther paths or openings where giant pines had fallen, she explored ever deeper into the dim interior, until one day she stood under a great dome among columns, the heart of the forest, and knew: Lost. She had achieved a mysterious world where any direction would yield only surprise.

And now not only the giant trees were strange but the ground under her feet had a velvet nearness; intricate lines on bark wove messages all around her. Long strokes of golden sunlight shifted over her feet and hands. She felt caught up and breathing in a great powerful embrace. A birdcall wandered forth at leisurely intervals from an opening to her right: “Come away, Come away.” Never before had she let herself realize that she was part of the world and that it would follow wherever she went. She was part of its breath.

Aunt Dolbee called her back that time, a high voice tapering faintly among the farthest trees, “Milli-cent! Milli-cent!” And that time she returned, but slowly, her dress fluttering along pressing back branches, her feet stirring up the dark smell of moss, and her face floating forward, a stranger’s face now, with a new depth in it, into the light.

It was written by William Stafford whom, if you’re unfamiliar, has such a way with words. I ordered today to soak up many more:

While reading the reviews, I loved that one reader described his poems as “stellar, long-term, nutrition” and another described Stafford as “a rare soul who could put the inexpressible mystery of life into words that we can all understand in an experiential way.”

I agree. 🙂

I’m energized by The Day Millicent Found The World because it’s such a creative invitation to venture outside our comfort zones. Past the shallows and into the uncharted tides of our lives.

Stafford suggests that doing so can profoundly affect us and as I travel far away from Alabama this week, during a particularly challenging season that often keeps me “trapped” at home, I can attest that such a trip does provide wellsprings of new experiences and memories. And that it is, indeed, sunshine for the soul.

Layla