A Golden Shovel poem inspired by:
“There is only one question. How to love this world?
I think of her rising like a black and leafy ledge
to sharpen her claws against the silence of the trees”
From “Spring” by Mary Oliver
To Live
By Monty Vern
There!
Where?Is?
Not! Only
One
Question.
How
To?
No. Why? Love?
Yes! In this
World?
I
Think.
Of
Her?
Yes. Falling in love? No, rising
In love like
A
Black
Pumpernickel. Slow and heavy? Yes. And?
Sprouting like a leafy
Vegetable in a sunny window garden’s ledge.
To
What end? To sharpen
Life’s knife! To feel her
Claws
Against
My skin. To draw out the
Cries from the silence.
To shake every last leaf off of
The
Trees.
If you appreciated this golden shovel poem and want to give this creative technique a try, don’t miss the “Get Your Golden Shovel” collaborative project that is ongoing. Click here to link to the current prompt. Enjoy.
Be well,
Monty

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Mary Oliver would have loved this I think!
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Thanks so much!
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