I’ve been trying to read (and write) more poetry during April. Mostly I’ve been concentrating on my go-to Mary Oliver whose eloquent words I carry around in my head and heart all day. But I’ve also been reading a lot from Billy Collins. Two of his poems from the collection Aimless Love, “Poetry” and “Monday,” recently inspired me. In these poems, Collins discusses the difference among novelists, playwrights, and poets. Poets do not need lengthy descriptions or plots or to think about moving characters on and off stage, they just have to concentrate on what they see or feel and translate it into words. He also talks about the importance of windows in a poet’s life – the looking and noticing that is so important in capturing an image. So last week as I ventured out on my errands one day, I decided to look for images that I could capture and translate into words, a small moment in time that would serve as a virtual snapshot.
From the card store:
Hallmark
I stared in
silence
at the rack of cards,
carefully choosing
one
where images and words combined into
perfection
across the aisle there was
music
a young boy
begging for each card to be opened
a new tune
a new dance
all perfect
Imagine the Possibilities 
Since I became a librarian 4 years ago I have finally started enjoying poetry. It took me awhile to jump on the poetry train.
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The “perfect” card…ah, yes. A moment we can all identify with. The young boy who sees perfection in everything. The life we lead is somewhere in between, I think.
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I’ve spent time in Hallmark stores looking for the perfect card. Love this, Rose. I can picture the boy opening the cards. Perfect.
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Love your poem, Rose. I am often at card stores for awhile trying to find the perfect card.
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That young boy is all of us, looking for perfection in a card, knowing that words convey our meaning. Fabulous poem, Rose!
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How choosing a card has developed over the years into something fraught with indecision because there are so so many to choose from now.
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How choosing a card has developed over the years into something fraught with indecision because there are so so many to choose from now.
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The perfect capturing of a small moment!
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