The Sunday Poem
The Sunday Poem: “In the Fourth of July Parade” by Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer
Even in the midst of a ravaging sorrow, joy can arise in us seemingly out of nowhere. And as Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer illustrates so well in this week’s poem, our task then becomes not rejecting the joy, accepting that “key,” we often receive from someone else.
The Sunday Poem: Northern California by Rage Hezekiah
It can be useful, of course, for us to hold onto instants of joy and connection when they happen in the moment. We can pause, truly take them in, and allow them to stay, instead of turning away from those bursts of deeper happiness. Yet it’s also possible, as Rage Hezekiah illustrates so beautifully in her poem, to look back at certain times in our lives and relive the “guiltless” pleasure that we felt then.
The Sunday Poem: Praise by Kelli Russell Agodon
The poet Ross Gay has said: “Gratitude is a grave thing.” Kelli Russell Agodon’s exuberant “Praise” embodies this truth by listing all the seemingly plain things in life that bring her pleasure, in spite of the disappointments and failures that come along with them.
“Home” by Natalie Goldberg
It’s amazing that we can create a singular place on the page—a whole world—as Natalie Goldberg does so well in the wide-ranging and open-armed “Home.”
The Sunday Poem: “All Joys Are Small” by Sharon Corcoran
I love how Sharon Corcoran describes “daily visitations,” the moments of joy “so small they barely register,” unless we prioritize them.
The Sunday Poem: “Archilochus Colubris” by José A. Alcántara
It’s hard not to feel wonder and awe for the migrating birds that finally return to us, “bearing the light” of the faraway places they’ve been. Here, José A. Alcántara, who writes with such deep affection of his connection to the natural world, recounts a moment spent trying to attract the hummingbirds hovering near him.
The Sunday Poem: “Free Breakfast” by Terri Kirby Erickson
It feels refreshing that the attentive speaker of Terri Kirby Erickson’s poem refuses to turn away from this scene of a father lowering his disabled son into a wheelchair.