.

Centaury

The clear night sky spreads wide a tapestry
of beauty in the stars that shimmer all
throughout the cosmic exhibition hall.
In every age mankind has looked to see
and wonder at the might  and mystery
to be discovered there. Wrapped in the thrall
of such majestic beauty, we feel small,
while our thoughts contemplate divinity.

Not all stars occupy the heavens, though.
In sandy, semi-shaded places, right
beneath our feet, bright stars of reddish pink,
a small sun shimmering from their center, wink
and wave and call out to insist the night
sky’s beauty matches well with things below.

.

.

Leaves

Leaves. In the realm of living things, besides
grass, what could be more commonplace? We see
and think of them, observing any tree,
as a plurality. Each leaf elides
with every other into “leaves” such that
it’s only leaves we see. Together, they
lend beauty to their tree. They gently sway
in breezes and define the shape or pat-
tern of the tree, its order. And we take
the leaves for granted, mostly. While we ought
to see God’s glory in them, we do not,
and grumble at them when we have to rake.
_But there are mysteries here and counsel to
_enrich our lives and what we’re called to do.

.

.

T.M. Moore resides in the Champlain Valley of Vermont. He is Principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, and the author of eight books of poetry. He and his wife Susie have collaborated on more than 30 books, which may be found, together with their many other writings and resources, including the daily teaching letter Scriptorium, at www.ailbe.org.

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13 Responses

  1. Roy Eugene Peterson

    Your poems of nature both “elide” to make the heart open wide. You used the perfect word for the perception of “leaves.” Nature sonnets are stimulative to the mind and recollective of being out there.

    Reply
    • T. M.

      I agree with that, friend. Paying careful attention to the creation, with a view to entering its beauty–hard to beat. Thanks.

      Reply
  2. ben grinberg

    super classical and inspiration today! what could be better!?

    Reply
  3. Yael

    These 2 nature poems are both very enjoyable, thank you for sharing.

    Reply
  4. Shamik Banerjee

    Describing the space as “cosmic exhibition hall” draws immediate attention. I like the concept of the first poem: suns above and suns below (centaury flowers). The second poem concludes an important life lesson: the things that don’t look grand or attractive in themselves, may actually be the contributing units in something extremely beautiful and breathtaking. Your poem uses “leaves” as its subject and delivers the message well. Thanks for these!

    Reply
    • T.M.

      Yes. We need to look more closely at the world around us. Beauty and glory are everywhere. Thanks to you both.

      Reply
  5. Paul A. Freeman

    From stars to leaves, your personal views on creation ring out strong, TM.

    Thanks for the reads.

    Reply
  6. Daniel Kemper

    Leaves has me stuck and meditating on how and why it’s so easy to lose sight of God in little things. I like the sense of leaves amassing like moments, the multitude blurring so that each individual is hard to appreciate, individually.

    Any poem that provokes a deeply felt meditation has achieved a success.

    Reply
    • T. M.

      Daniel: Very encouraging. Yes, we too often fail to perceive, observe, and remark on creation’s praise. We’re the poorer for it. T. M.

      Reply
  7. Margaret Coats

    “Centaury” makes a lovely comparison-contrast of large and small, celestial and terrestrial, in the octet and sestet of the sonnet. “Leaves,” as Daniel Kemper says above, can be read as moments of time in motion, but I think as well of leaves like pages in a book, turning to reveal thoughts that may be similar yet distinct, or at least distinctively expressed. And in your poem, T. M., they define the shape of a tree in an orderly manner. Well done!

    Reply

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