Field Work

The inspiration for this poem…

The only wild life I knew was in the library in the pages of a book. And then I met John Denver (or so I thought). While the library was my sanctuary, the great outdoors was his. Wildlife meant something to him that I had not yet encountered except at the zoo or on TV. He introduced me to a wild life I had never known. I hope I also brought him inside to himself in ways he’d never experienced before. This poem speaks to how opposites attract and then move beyond attraction to understanding and becoming part of a bigger life than your own- or maybe that is what comes after the poem. But, it does speak to appreciating what can be found in the differences between two people. I haven’t written that many love poems but this is definitely one of them!

Writing/Meditation Prompts:

• Sit in a time when you felt out of your comfort zone with someone else. Breathe in the discomfort. Breathe out to the bridge between you.

• Have you ever fallen in love with someone who is the opposite of yourself? How did that go? How did you bridge the gap?

• Poetry allows you to have fun with words like wild life and wildlife. Here are some I have played with: tender/tend her, think about thinking, pitiful vs. pity full, peace vs. pieces. Can you add to that list or find some of your own to play with? Try a list poem (and that is just what it sounds like!) which is all about the words you choose and how you put them together. It’s also a great way to get started…