Poetry Pals - Week 19 - the Generosity of the Ordinary

the persistence of invisible everyday joys.

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Hello my wonderful poetry people,

This week over at

Poetry Pals

we have had a guest poet for this week Lucy Beckley. Go check her out. We looked at a poem by Pat Schneider - The Patience of Ordinary Things, found here. So we were looking at poems that embraced ordinary joys, best described by Lucy herself in the prompt.

We’re going to write a poem about the persistence and generosity of ordinary things and invisible joys.

I invite you to take a moment (five to ten minutes) to make a list of all the ordinary, everyday pleasures, those otherwise unexpected things that we so often take for granted or overlook.

Once you’ve compiled your list, see if there are any connections that you can draw and where it takes you, perhaps you could use Schneider’s image of a cup of tea or window as a starting point, or you can just use your own and see where they take you.

I got started immediately as I have some other stuff I’m working on and I didn’t want to get sidetracked for days. I did my list in my head, short and sweet, just by looking around me and taking stock. My husband, the light, the chickens clucking, the softness of the furnishings (my way of saying we were having a lazy morning still in bed, having breakfasted off a tray and were still sipping tea, listening to the radio, and the mattress and quilt were soft - but shhhh - don’t tell anyone. Poets are meant to get up at the crack of dawn spilling musing words out of a bright and breezy body and mood, wafting in their silk dressing gowns, sipping artisan coffee as the sun gently rises: they are there to make the world a better place, not doze away gently snoring (I don’t snore, how very dare you!) until the sun is high), etc. and then looking at my husband - still concentrating on the sport as it’s an important day for his team today. I did exactly this. I smile now just remembering it.

Photo by Georg Bommeli on Unsplash

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A Delightful Fruit!

I only have to reach out in a very particular way, one 
he recognises immediately, my index finger and thumb 
each side of his jaw, resting gently on his stubbly
cheeks, the palm of my hand near his chin, 
the other fingers redundant. A signal given, 

amuse me!

I only have to wait a fraction of a second, no more, 
for him to follow my request; before he begins 
pumping air into his cheeks like a crazed hamster 
pouching oxygen like peanuts until he threatens to burst. 
I get the timing just right and then slowly, steadily, carefully

I push

I only have to press gently, the resounding 
raspberry issuing from his lips, long, and round, 
and deep, cracks me up, laughter spilling from me
like ripe berries splitting their skin,
until the air is all gone and we are both happy and

smiling. 

I only have to silently ask with finger and thumb,
and he always obliges. It never ceases to tickle me, 
this simple child’s entertainment. 
We’ve been playing this game for 34 years, 
And still neither of us tires of it.

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I would love to know if you have any silly irreverences that keep you amused. Comment below, with anything, I love a good virtual chat.

Till next time, peeps.

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