Vox Populi
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James Crews: Hello, Little Sun
Hello, Little Sun
On the rusty tin roof of a red barn
in rural Quebec, someone has carved
the words, Bonjour, petit-soleil—
Hello, little sun—and I read them
while passing by as if this message is
meant for me, as if I need reminding
that delight gives off its own brightness
and heat inside the body, like a tiny
star we carry with us wherever we go,
whether driving home under the soft,
blue dome of the northern sky, or standing
in line at a market in the city center,
an old man counting out coins to pay
for his cup of black coffee on the counter,
then saying goodbye to the cashier
in such slow and careful French,
I can feel the warmth of every word.
-~
Stay Like Clay
How we want hard things to soften
and change right away, for frost
to lift off stiff blades of grass
before the summer green can fade,
and for a gentle rain to prevail over
sleet that coats each leaf left
clinging to gleaming black branches.
For the furrowed brow of a loved one
to smooth back into a smile,
and for every clenched fist to unfurl
into a small bowl, ready to hold
whatever soft things fall inside.
Maybe the trick is never to harden
in the first place, to stay like clay
outside of the kiln, willing to be
molded, reshaped by the rough
and tender hands of this world.
James Crews’s recent books include a poetry anthology The Wonder of Small Things, a collection of prose Kindness Will Save the World: Stories of Compassion and Connection, and a collection of his own poems and prose Unlocking the Heart. As a professional speaker, reader, and workshop leader, he has touched audiences all over the world with his message of healing and hope through the power of writing.
Copyright 2024 James Crews
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Thank you again, James, for two exquisite poems. “I can feel the warmth of very word.” And who among us doesn’t need that these days?
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Exquisite, how his poems can touch every part of me.
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Me too. Especially the joyful parts.
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A James Crews’ poem is:
“like a tiny
star we carry with us wherever we go”
Always offering a gleam of hope, the light of love, and the beauty of the natural world.
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Yes!
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The power of kindness.
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Exactly.
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I am always heartened and my day improved when I spend some time with James Crews. ❤️❤️🙏
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Thank you for the beauty and hope of these poems–a needed balm for these frightful times.
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yes!
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Bonjour bonjour
bonjour petit soleil
Ha Ha Ha
Bonjour petit soleil
Merci merci merci
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Merci, Owen!
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…delight gives off its own brightness
and heat inside the body, like a tiny
star we carry with us wherever we go,…
willing to be
molded, reshaped by the rough
and tender hands of this world.
James Crews
Words from two glorious poems.
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Thanks, Jim!
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James is a poet worth knowing for his own work, as well as his curated anthologies that bring us poems of kindness, of the wonder of small things, and more. He reminds me daily to look for the light. Bonjour petit soleil indeed!
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I agree, Jan. James is an inspired poet and a wonderful editor.
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“for every clenched fist to unfurl
into a small bowl, ready to hold
whatever soft things fall inside.”
Amen.
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Amen.
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I agree with Marc — a lovely way to start the day! Bonjour petit Samedi!
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Thanks, Laure-Anne!
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Did I discover James Crews through Vox Populi? I love his work. These will hep me get up and most likely will be read again today as an antidote.
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James has published a number of poems in VP, so you may have discovered his work here. I think of his poems as a balm for these wounded times.
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Every morning I sit with my coffee and read Vox Populi, taking my time, sipping the warmth of both coffee and poetry. This morning, however, I read and sipped, read and sipped until I my cup was empty and I had read these two poem I don’t know how many times. My goodness, what a way to start today with two such wonderful poems. James Crews, you rock!
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Thanks, Marc!
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