A Poet's Prayer

Let my heart grow
with the wonders
of this world.
 
Let me hear 
waves crash
turning rocks and shells
into the soft sand
beneath my feet.
 
May I see
the whale breech,
the albatross
and shearwaters
winging over
the lighthouse.


May I smell 
the sweet spicy scent
of plumeria, orchids
and the pikea.

May I taste
salt air on my tongue,
feel the gentle rain
and the warming sun.


May I see
the bright colors
of a rainbow
arcing over my world
like this poem
I must write.


  Jane Yolen sent a poem today titled Another Writer's Prayer.  I used it as a mentor poem for mine.  Her poem was about all the woodland things she needed to write her stories.  The first time I read her poem, I thought these are all fall things, we need a summer poem for this time of year.  On further reading, I realized it wasn't fall, it was woodland with sycamore trees and gray squirrels.  We don't have squirrels on Kauai.  In fact, as someone pointed out to me recently, there isn't a wide variety of mammals on the Hawaiian islands.  Most of those we do have were imported. 
  So, your poetry challenge for today is to write your own ode, a poem of praise.  Use your five senses and tell what you can see, feel, smell, touch and taste.  Use your locale to share your world with your reader.  Have fun writing your own poem.

  Do you wish to touch the stars?