Vox Populi
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James Crews: Two Poems
The Wonder of Small Things
Make much of something small—
sunlight falling on your feet
tucked beneath a fleece blanket
as you sleep in, the heat
seeping into cloth, into you.
The sound of leaves snapping off
and the slight rustle as they
settle down in their soft,
pre-ordained places on the ground.
Purple and white asters too,
those last flowers to bloom along
the forest path, each cluster
its own constellation glowing
in the dusk that comes much
sooner now. Make much of running
a hand through the dew-tipped,
ripe seed-heads of rye grass,
or catching the flame of a single
maple leaf as it drifts, making
a wish. Open your hand and trust
whatever lands there, however
small it may seem at first.
~~~~
Sea Glass
We keep going back to the rocky beach,
searching for the glint of sea glass—
the white, the green, the rarest blue.
It takes decades to smooth out the sharp
edges of those shards, years of helpless
turning in the tides, so we might then
reach down, slip one into our pocket
and run fingers over the worn surface
when worry takes over a quiet mind.
We too have been tumbled by the waves
of life, and with each passing year, I feel
my own edges buffed and polished so I
might slide more easily through the hours,
stop resisting the pull of whatever ocean
I’m in. Once, I wanted to be the shimmering
bottle, container to hold the whole world
impossibly inside myself, but now I just want
to be the piece of beauty you come upon
in an otherwise calm moment, cradled
by the endless sea crashing at your feet.
~~~~
Copyright 2024 James Crews. From Unlocking the Heart by James Crews (Simon & Schuster, 2024).
James Crews is the recipient of the Prairie Schooner Prize and Cowles Prize. His writing has been featured in The New York Times Magazine, The New Republic, Ploughshares, and Sun Magazine.
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Yes, this little prayer tucked into a lovely poem:
“with each passing year, I feel
my own edges buffed and polished so I
might slide more easily through the hours,
stop resisting the pull of whatever ocean
I’m in.”
Two beauties, James! ❤️
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Glories to be found in small things, including the polished remnants of our selves as we age into a different beauty. Both poems make me feel alive and in touch with wonder, the sensual, and poetry. The line breaks in the Wonder of Small Things are also noteworthy, and had me reading the poem aloud. Praise to Crews.
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James Crews’ poems have a soothing, reassuring voice & wisdom I admire and am grateful for — and always with such perfect and convincing imagery to illustrate his emotional landscapes.
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yes, James creates a holy silence in his poems. I always feel a little more alert after reading him.
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Did I discover James through Vox Populi? I look forward to his poems that really do lift me up. Thank you.
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Both of these are lovely and I could feel myself relaxing into them. Sea Glass especially spoke to me in these lines:
“We too have been tumbled by the waves
of life, and with each passing year, I feel
my own edges buffed and polished so I
might slide more easily through the hours,
stop resisting the pull of whatever ocean
I’m in.”
Thank you
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Yes, I love James’s poems. They circumscribe a space of calm wisdom.
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Oh, what an upper to read these poems. They simply breathe beauty and comfort.
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There is an innocence to James’ poetry that I find immensely comforting – knowing that this innocence that he finds around him is also true.
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