Friday, November 25, 2022

On Friday I'm Grateful For ...

... really, there are so many things that I couldn't settle on just one. When my own words fail me, poetry is always there to help. So how about a slightly unexpected poem to express gratitude for one of those "infernal, endless chores"? It helps a bit if I think of dust as infinite and intricate.


Dusting 
Marilyn Nelson


Thank you for these tiny
particles of ocean salt,
pearl-necklace viruses,
winged protozoans:
for the infinite,
intricate shapes
of submicroscopic
living things.

For algae spores
and fungus spores,
bonded by vital
mutual genetic cooperation,
spreading their
inseparable lives
from equator to pole.

My hand, my arm,
make sweeping circles.
Dust climbs the ladder of light.
For this infernal, endless chore,
for these eternal seeds of rain:
Thank you. For dust. 

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Nelson, Marilyn. "Dusting". Magnificat: Louisiana State University Press, 1994. 

You can read more about the poet here

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Thanks for reading and I hope you have a wonderful, relaxing weekend ahead (and maybe even pie for breakfast today).

7 comments:

  1. Thank you, Marilyn Nelson for making dusting feel magical! And thank you for sharing this fun little poem! Happy Pie For Breakfast Day! :)

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  2. It sure is an infernal endless chore! Maybe next time I dust I will appreciate it more. Maybe. LOL

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  3. I'm not sure this makes me like the act of dusting more, but I will certainly look at dust in a new way!

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  4. What a great way to look at dust! A fun poem Bonny.

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  5. What a fun way to reframe dusting, although like Sarah, I am not sure I will like it any better. I love the poets who find a poem in everyday life.

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  6. What a great poem, Bonny! Absolutely perfect . . . for another not-fan of dusting. (That would be me!)

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