First echo plus Mary Oliver’s Gratitude: Pandemic Thoughts

Everything is either pandemic or pre-pandemic. I’m not sure I can even see many changes in a post pandemic world. My first attempt at echoing Mary Oliver’s poem, Gratitude was focused on the pandemic.

For this second attempt, I thought I’d think about the past year or so of writing. Most of that time has been a solo experience with sporadic online meetings and eventually group meetings in the park. This fall, after an eighteen month absence we will finally return to the library for a six week workshop series.

My meager offering inspired by Mary Oliver:

Writing

What did you notice?
the silence.
the scratch of the pen.
the clickity clack of the keyboard.
the million and one thoughts fighting for space in m y mind.
the empty planner at the first of the month.
everything is a prompt (despite what Benjamin Dryer says)

What did you hear?
see the first stanza.
Plus the birds,
the cars at the stop sign.
the drink order of the person adjacent to me.
a crying child in the parking lot.
a horn honk;
a honking flock of geese.
a siren;
then another.
the church bell.

When did you admire?
at the end of a stream of consciousness.
a perfect thyme;
alliteration.
waking up determined;
knowing the synonym.
when I actually put butt in chair.
when the laptop was charged.

What astonished you?
time.
a follow-up.
multi-part series.
a like.
the blue sky.
the meditation that inspired…
the writing retreat on Zoom.
Zoom.

What would you like to see again?
Canada.
my babies when they were babies.
the perfect notebook;
the perfect pen.
a deadline met.

What was most tender?
saints’ stories.
talisman. talismen? talismans?
a leather embossed journal.
lost in thought and sentence, and the barista brought over my order.
that one compliment.

What was most wonderful?
the like.
the comment.
the last period on the last sentence.
clicking the publish button.
the feedback.
the sweet accolade.

What did you think was happening?
Magic.
Mystery.
Spirituality.
Inspiration and inspirational.
Reflection,
Response,
Writing.