Poetry from Daily Life: Exploring the world through a poet’s eyes, finding hidden wonders

Beneath the rocks lived crayfish — these secretive creatures dwelling in the muck and the dark were a mystery to me. Hours slipped by as I gently lifted up rocks and peered beneath them, searching for the hiding crayfish. If I found one, I scooped it into a jar of water and gazed at it: its huge claws, its black beady eyes perched on delicate stalks. Sometimes it would turn to meet my stare, as if it too were curious about me and the world beyond the creek. It sometimes seemed like an extraterrestrial visitor with which I felt a shared connection.

Even after I released the crayfish back into the creek, it left a mark on my heart. The creek and those crayfish opened up the world of poetry and curiosity — they made me love those creatures, those things in the world, that lay hidden beneath the surface. At first, they might seem strange, but on closer look, bring us a kind of tenderness and love for all that is wild in the world.

I wrote a praise poem for my new children’s book, “Welcome to the Wonder House,” in gratitude to these wild creatures — especially those that frighten us and are often misunderstood, like the crayfish I spent my childhood observing.  Although, this poem doesn’t mention crayfish per se, they’re there in spirit.

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Bristling centipede,

Blue-bubbled man-o’-war,

Spitting spittlebug.

Hail to the

hair-raising,

hideous,

weird,

and wild.

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If you want to write poetry, grab a notebook, go for a walk, slow down, jot down what you notice, and see the world with the wonder of a child.