Wednesday, November 09, 2016

"International Evening": a poem.

It's a big, big world out there,
I think to myself, and stare,
as I sit in my living room at dusk,
watching a car drive by in a rush
with the radio blaring--
a sign that the schoolkids are out,
out and about, somewhere to go,
and that night magic is inviting,
so exciting, soon to flow.
Meanwhile,
by lamplight I am reading a poetry book,
pausing at times to take a look
at the outdoor activity and approaching evening,
feeling the weight of my baby, on my lap finally sleeping.

Who else is looking out their window,
like, in Rio De Janeiro,
listening to the cars zoom,
and seeing the city lights bloom,
as the sun goes down?
How many other mothers are doing
what I am doing, at just the same time--
a boring, lonely, immobile thing--
bringing camaraderie, secret and sublime?
But only if
their imaginations are also pondering
the same thing as our minds are wandering...
Who really knows, or even cares?
All I know is: it's a big, big world out there.


--Ellen H.

P.S. If you like accessible, contemporary poems, check out one of Billy Collins' collections (former U.S. Poet Laureate): they always inspire some smiles and poetry of my own. :)

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