WHERE WE SEE BEAUTY

In the May/June 2021 issue of Ovation Nation, we printed a “crowdsourced” poem about beauty. Many residents contributed to it, and it was very tough to use only parts of the work that some submitted. We thought you might like to read some of the complete poems that were sent in. We have such talented, beauty-loving folks here. Enjoy!


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Where I See Beauty
By Gina Roen

I see beauty

In the plant thriving on benign neglect on the bathroom ledge,
In the bounty on the shelves of my pantry,
In a dog-eared book ready to fill a lazy afternoon,
In the kindness of strangers.

I see beauty

In the chaos of scent from the spice rack,
In the orderly columns of numbers on my bank statement,
In a tattered frisbee sailing on the breeze,
In watercolor brushes jumbled next to an unfinished painting.

A still lake, a blushing mountain top, a sleeping child:
Symmetry, completion, closure.
A falling tear, a tangled web, a missing puzzle piece:
The imperfect perfect of hope

I see beauty

In moss-covered stumps in the preserve,
In undulating notes on manuscript,
Or the dust gathering on the mantlepiece,
As I take a moment to ponder

Beauty.


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Where I See Beauty
By Kris Sather

Itchy fingers 
Scratch the dirt
Seeking affirmation of 
Spring

Dew drops dangle
Pregnant with promise above the
Anticipating seeds


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Where I See Beauty
By Beth Mooney

A haiku

In mossy forests
birds sing farewell to frost
Daffodils?  It’s Spring!


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Where I See Beauty
By Sue Drummond

I see beauty in the smiles of friends.
I see beauty in the card that says I’ve had my 2nd Covid shot
I see beauty in neighbors who really DO care 
I see beauty in every wrinkle.  I earned every one.


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Where I See Beauty
By Donna Crabbe

So many questions –
Where was he born?
Where has he been?
Where did he work?
What changes has he seen?
Did he raise a family?
What makes him happy?
What makes him sad?
What has he learned from life’s experiences?
Faces of the elderly are so beautiful to me!


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Where I See Beauty
By Sally Grant

In the love of family and friends 
The smile and joy of a child
The care of others in need
The loving eyes of a pet
Sunrises, sunsets, storming clouds 
So many different shades of green
Autumn colors and Spring flowers 
Vast oceans and snow-capped mountains 
A snowflake, a glistening raindrop
Millions of stars on a clear night 
Absolute magic.


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Where I See Beauty
By Miriam Hewitt

Anticipated beauty slides between my gloved fingers 
as I fill the pots and loosen the roots
then gently settle the buds into their new home.
Small Daphne in the too-big pot
will fulfill its promised beauty soon.


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Where I See Beauty
By Nancy Bushore

I see beauty everywhere from skies to earth to sea:
I see it in the friendliness of neighbors close to me,
I see it in the seasons which bring colors of their own,
I see it in the rainbow – the promised hope it’s shown.

I see beauty in the oaks and the variety of evergreens,
And now purple crocus blooming everywhere are seen.
I watch red-orange sunsets as the sun meets the horizon,
And a man delivering packages from a truck labeled Amazon.        

I see yellow daffodils by a hiking trail near me
And a majestic mountain 14,000 feet above the sea.
I see the soft brown color in the eyes of fawn and doe,
And birds flying through the forest, chirping as they go.

I see Japanese maples with their red leaves sprouting soon,
A clear nighttime sky filled with stars and bright moon,
The agility of a Sheltie catching Frisbees in the air,
And neighbors helping neighbors in households everywhere.

Beauty can be colorful or just be something that we share –
It’s in nature, or an art form, or showing others that we care.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder no matter where you go
And it thrives here in Ovation through rain and sun and snow.


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Finally  
By Gayle Wilhelm

Got a call from my son,
 “Mom, I need you to come.”
“Son, is everything okay?”
“Mom, I wish I could say.”
He’s waiting in the drive
watching me arrive.
I step out to my son
And brace for what’s to come.
Says, “This hug’s waited too long
for my vaccinated Mom.”


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Where I See Beauty
By Mel Grieves

When I was young, beauty meant only the skinny girls,
Mostly ones with blonde hair and mascaraed eyes.
It took a special man, sometime in my thirties,
To convince me he saw beauty in character and thick thighs.

I didn’t see it myself, but I was grateful he did.
Sad that kids learn beauty can be claimed by so few.
Girls, especially, short-change themselves
By wasting true beauty to please the mirror’s view.

At some point, if we’re lucky, we come to know
That beauty transcends body and is in all that we see.
Nature’s beauty spills over us, manifesting in love.
Beauty is in the differences; maybe even in me.


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Where I See Beauty
By Mike Grant

Yosemite Valley, viewed from the West,
A spectacle considered among the best.
My mother seated on the viewpoint wall,
A vision of beauty, a sight to enthrall;
Granddaughter held on her knees.
Memories are made in moments like these.

Your newborn
Still wrinkled and wet
Wrapped in a blanket
For its mother to hold
Nothing compares

For some an idyllic land or seascape
Others an artwork or meticulous craft
We can appreciate their beauty
Their dimension and depth
But consider instead a confident smile
That both invites and rewards

Impressionist paintings
A daughter’s passion
Evidenced on her fridge door
Monet, Monet everywhere
A wife’s passion too
For her, Van Gogh
Grateful that he lost an ear not his eye

Is there beauty in a sound?
Surely a child’s laugh
Any laugh come to that
What about Mozart?
No, not his laugh
All the wonderful music
You want to play me some hip-hop?
Sorry, there’s a train going by

That which transports your mind
To a better or more peaceful place
Full of wonder and possibility
Sailing into the heart of Venice
A fiery sunset on a Pacific horizon
Many sights on a cruise vacation
Also, chocolate night on the pool deck

Everywhere you look you can find it
An optimistic state of mind
A kind word, a friendly smile
Strangers helping one another
Children sharing a game
The empathy and loyalty of your dog
Or your cat …. No, wait.

Visions of mountains and water
On a clear sunny day crossing Elliot Bay
Or the narrow road from Fort William to Mallaig
To reach the ferry to the Isle of Skye
The view from the rim of Vesuvius
Nightfall on Mauna Kea, freezing cold
They stir the soul. Yes, a cliché
But if you are there you have to agree
The world is a wonder
Let’s not destroy it