I wish I were a poet...

I wish I were a poet
     so I could put words together that are as beautiful and evocative as tonight's sunset or as sweet and gentle as the baby bunny I came upon quite unexpectedly this afternoon.

I wish I could write poems
     that inspire people to think lofty thoughts, or to uncover feelings long buried below all the day to day drudgery of our lives.

If I could write one really great poem it would be about
     being a mother when my daughter is singing in her very last concert at college and it feels like my heart will break from pride or sorrow or joy;
          or
     the unexpected pleasures of family life---walks with the dog on beautiful spring afternoons; being the sous chef next to a husband who is creating some delicious concoction for dinner; the camaraderie between me and my married daughter;
         or
     some deep spiritual or theological thought.
       
Poetry can transform ordinary events into almost mystical experiences, and make a moment  in time stand still.
     Ah, to be the poet who could manipulate time and space this way.

I wish I could write a poem
     that activated all your senses so that you could experience the sights, sounds, and smells from my back porch: watching the white cat who thinks she is camouflaged as she sits in a bush in quiet anticipation of catching a bird; hearing the birds in the sweetgum tree cackling at her lack of disguise; smelling the heady almost over-fragrant wisteria blossoms that just bloomed out this week.

Good poetry
    transports and transcends. It gives words to unknowable thoughts. It inspires and it soothes. And like music, it can speak to the heart.

I wish I were a poet.