quiet your mind

BigTime Blogging Challenge, day 17! We've come so far! Today we're trying our hands at poetry. Write a poem, share one of your favorites, share a poetry lesson... the choice is yours, writers!

How often do you stop

in the moments

to listen

to the world around you,

to make that buzzing

in your mind

halt?

How often do you investigate noises

in nature, take in a full breath

of fresh air

away from the noise

of the city?

Here.... there are

no sirens

no fire trucks

no trains rushing overhead.

No one argues

outside your yoga class

where you go

to quiet your mind.

Instead,

huge sticks take up new residence

on the forest floor, and

birds dive

into bushes, and

a baby dogwood reaches

for the sky.

Rocks crunch

under your feet, and

a daddy long legs runs

for cover.

Raindrops unite

in a spider's web, and there

they glisten.

It's so much easier

to quiet your mind,

to be absorbed by your surroundings,

to hear the squirrel chatter,

to catch that pesky mosquito,

to dodge raindrops that

fall from leaves overhead,

without all the distractions

of the big, beautiful, bustling city

that

I

love

so much.

Yesterday I spent the day at Cantigny Park and Gardens. Part of the Illinois Writing Project Summer Leadership Institute involves one day of Marathon Writing, where writers leave their classrooms for places of great inspiration. We write all through the day, building stamina as we progress. This poem was written there.

Get the details for this challenge here!

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