Marla, my wife, said that my poems occasionally need to be more uplifting, so the first poem (here) is meant to fulfill that end. The second poem is what was written before her comment.
Poem #1
Here in his hands
is a flowery treasure
with sweet petals and leaves
much joy beyond measure
He is of hopes and images where
as he ascends up in the elevator
flowing fields of smiling imaginary angels
open doors that were dreamt of later
Can we lift a luminous whole
and bring new minds out of below
rise to the top ever so mindfully
in a towering highrise deep in the heart of Chicago?
(Well, elevators are uplifting, aren’t they?)
Poem # 2
There was a pond
and every time a frog jumped into the pond
the pond became a little froggier
a little splashier
There was a grasshopper
and every time he landed upon a weed
the weed became a little leggier
a little jumpier
There was a propagandizing political news-channel
and every time a person watched it
the television became a little duller
and a lot more dim-witted
Leopard Frog, a species that will not survive long in a world filled with crass people who do not act diligently to prevent global warming and who think that “Windmills cause cancer.”. … Photo by Thomas Peace c. 2019
Tom's Nature-up-close Photography and Mindfulness Blog 
Thanks for this :))
Much appreciated, Susan! 🙂
Poem 1 is uplifting with imagery and words open for perspective. Poem 2 has a set perspective. Both include the wonder of nature.
🙂 Yes, the poems do include the wonders of nature; the second poem aims at something unnatural.
Good work, Tom. In the end, it’s up to each self to do its own uplifting. One way is to not watch Fox News.
Exactly, Ken. 🙂 No one can take a person entirely up (in the mindfulness/awareness/spirituality sense); the individual must do it!
Yes, not watch Fox News, that was founded by a fascist Australian…
Both poems paint pictures with words, something at which you excel. One just ends a little more sadly.
Thanks so much, SB! 🙂 Yes, the way human reality now is… is sad… tragic really.
Nice poems!
So glad that you are appreciative of them, Joke! 🙂
They both speak to me Tom….and attest to your ability to write in any direction.
Thanks so much, Sandy! Well, my abilities are limited. There is a “directionless” dimension that defies merely being pointed to, and that is its beauty. We can “kind of” point to it though (in an indirect way) and that will have to be good enough.
Very special to see a Leopard frog, very rare in Alberta.The second poem made me laugh.
One would think that there would be Leopard Frogs there; maybe it is out of their range.
Ah, that second poem! It is funny 🙂 … in a truly tragic kind of way.
Two very different poems – both conveying “pay attention” vibes – one perhaps with more sugary coating. “A little sugar makes the medicine go down” … helps lift the reader mindfully toward the top. But, too, an abrupt slap in the face can startle a reader into recognizing the folly of habits and choices. Curious about the inevitable elevator music in poem #1 … more verses, please. Whereas, poem #2 makes its point so precisely it makes me wince.
I find that surgery/happy poems tend to not (likely) wake people up to any significant extent. More serious — truth-oriented — poems might (to an extent). Therefore i usually prefer the latter.
Ah, that elevator music! It’s not that common these days. If it occurs, of course, it’s no hinderance to real quietness, real meditation. 🙂
Let’s hope nature wins out. A far greyer world without all its wonders.
It brings tears to my eyes, Belinda, the things that are happening to the earth these days.
The endings of both poems made me laugh: the first, in pure delight and amusement, the second a little more ruefully. No matter, laughter is laughter, and as Ralph Waldo Emerson said, even “the earth laughs in flowers.”
I’m glad about the laughter, Linda. 🙂
I am very fond of Emerson, but he was no Walt Whitman (depth-wise).
Things are looking very precarious for our Earth and, at this time, i see it likely going down the drain; my premonitions, as a child, were probably not erroneous. I sure hope that they turn out to be erroneous but, so far, things do not look good.
I liked both poems. First poem is inspiring and the second is thoughtful. 😊
Much appreciated, Harsha! 🙂
What Linda said!
🙂
Loved both poems and the photo!🙂
Glad of that, CI! 🙂
A nice selection of poems for us to read and enjoy Tom and the Leopard Frog – first time I’ve seen one of these guys – ever.
They used to be very common in Illinois and Michigan. They still are to some extent, but i see their numbers dwindling.
Sadly I think all flora and fauna, will be dwindling … it has begun in our lifetime and will continue on.
Great imagery! Thanks for sharing.
Beautiful words. I’m really needing to connect with this type of beauty today and you have helped me.