Happy Poetry Friday! Thank you for visiting the ridge. This week, Tricia is hosting the round-up at her space, The Miss Rumphius Effect. You can find more poetry offerings there!
As a writer, I try to live a wide-awake life. When I do, I notice how much it improves my life and my interactions with everything around me. There is something extraordinary that happens when the lens of attention begins to focus and sharpen. There is an immediate connection between myself and whatever I have stopped to acknowledge has come into my frame. And whatever it may be, it is worthy of my attention. It becomes the center of everything. Through this simple act of noticing, I learn something more about this life. "The dream of my life Is to lie down by a slow river And stare at the light in the trees- To learn something by being nothing A little while but the rich Lens of attention." -Mary Oliver from her poem, Entering the Kingdom Mary Oliver was a true master of the art of noticing. Her wise words will continually inspire me to live with a lens of attention. There is so much in this world to delight in. 
Listen to my poem-Invitation to Write:
Noticing often leads to learning. We can learn so much about ourselves and others through the simple act of noticing. Try practicing the art of noticing to see what comes of it. Pay close attention to details and ask yourself questions to lead to reflection.
Where are spaces in your day that you are building a habit of writing and reflecting? What are you noticing and learning about yourself as a result? If you try out the art of noticing, I invite you to share your learning reflections with the #TeacherMyth followers on Twitter. This group is also thinking deeply about reflective practices and the power of noticing. There is so much to learn about ourselves and the world around us through a careful lens of attention !
15 Comments
Tabatha
1/18/2019 06:29:09 am
Sweet to picture the birds all having delightful epiphanies :-) I like "There is an immediate connection between myself and whatever I have stopped to acknowledge has come into my frame. And whatever it may be, it is worthy of my attention. It becomes the center of everything." 1/18/2019 07:53:55 am
To 'sit by the window a while more' is a wonderful thing, Kiesha. Thank you for your poem & for the special words from Mary Oliver. 1/19/2019 12:55:20 am
I took that moment today, watching a butterfly flit about... and eventually I noticed - a white pearl, left behind on a leaf. So then I stopped and watched some more (admittedly, sometimes behind the lens of my camera) and watched what I now know is an orange lacewing, stringing pearls. Loved the moment. (You can guess what inspired today's #MoPoetry2019. 🙃) 1/19/2019 02:46:17 am
The world does offer so much that deserves our "lens of attention." I often train mine on the birds that visit my feeder, too. I love your image of them "play[ing] in the rain..." Thank you for sharing this rich post! 1/19/2019 02:53:12 am
This is such a beautiful post and I found myself nodding along in agreement with your reflections on "the art of attention" and the "lens of noticing." Your words capture so much of what I think and so much of what drives me to photograph and to write. Both of those practices focus my lens. Your poem is lovely and I agree with Jone, I really like the specificity of your opening line, "On the second day of the year." Thanks for sharing.
Mary Lee
1/19/2019 05:37:48 am
I love this line so much: "So I will sit at the window awhile more." That's what it's all about, right? Wide awake living. 1/19/2019 04:12:58 pm
This snippet from "Entering the Kingdom" is spot-on, Keisha. I enjoyed hearing your read your own poem today! 1/19/2019 09:48:20 pm
Lovely connecting with-nature poem Kiesha, I enjoyed hearing you recite it, and like the lines about "phoebes" having "epiphanies" –delightful! Thanks for the gorgeous poem by Mary Oliver too.
Heidi Mordhorst
1/20/2019 03:47:57 am
Noticing and wondering, notice, wonder, write, good instructions indeed. Consider the lilies. The way that nature does as nature is and not the other way around. Way to watch them birds and not get distracted by all the Twitter, Kiesha!
Kay Jernigan McGriff
1/20/2019 08:08:57 am
There is so much I love in this post. The quote from Mary Oliver is such an important reminder to take time to notice. And your poem is lovely. I'm taking the time during my commute to reflect and notice and reflect. I sometimes find myself composing a poem to jot down as soon as I arrive at home (or work). 1/20/2019 11:08:44 am
Kiesha, you found a beautiful entry by Mary Oliver. Noticing is so important in the inquiry process. We notice, wonder, explore, and discover and for us who love the creative process and poetry, we create. Your last 4 lines are full of the wonder of noticing. I have been doing quite a bit of that lately. Thanks for reminding me of its importance. 1/20/2019 12:39:35 pm
Kiesha, noticing is such an important part of life. I think the Mary Oliver quote you chose fits wonderfully as an inspiration for your thoughts and poem. I am going to share the Oliver poem with a group of reading specialists that I will be working with in February with hopes that they will notice, wonder, and create. The last 4 lines of your poem are going to stick with me this afternoon as I notice more deeply. 1/21/2019 12:14:31 am
I love the epiphany you share with those birds - reveling in the now and reminding the reader of the joy of just sitting by the window. Lovely.
Linda Mitchell
1/21/2019 04:51:12 am
You have noticed well, my friend...the birds are so worthwhile for noticing and learning. The epiphanies are perfect. I think this is one of your best. Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWelcome! I'm Kiesha Shepard, and I have a love for writing and the teaching of writing. Whispers From the Ridge is a place where I can share my words and ideas for teaching writing. It's also a place for you to find inspiration for writing the words inside of you. I invite you into my world of writing as I capture the whispers from the ridge. 
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Schedule of Round Up:
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2 Laura at Laura Shovan 9 Margaret at Reflections on the Teche 16 Molly at Nix the Comfort Zone 23 Kat at Kathryn Apel 30 Becky at Sloth Reads August 6 Mary Lee at A(nother) Year of Reading 13 Christie at Wondering and Wandering 20 Carol at The Apples in My Orchard 27 Elisabeth at Unexpected Intersections September 3 Heidi at my juicy little universe 10 Tricia at The Miss Rumphius Effect 17 Denise at Dare to Care 24 Laura at Laura Purdie Salas October 1 Catherine at Reading to the Core 8 Irene at Live Your Poem 15 Bridget at wee words for wee ones 22 Jama at Jama's Alphabet Soup 29 Linda at TeacherDance November 5 Tabatha at The Opposite of Indifference 12 Matt at Radio, Rhythm & Rhyme 19 Carol at Beyond LiteracyLink 26 Ruth at there is no such thing as a God-forsaken town December 3 Michelle at Michelle Kogan 10 Cathy at Merely Day by Day 17 Jone at Jone Rush MacCulloch 24 Buffy at Buffy Silverman 31 Carol at Carol's Corner |
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Photos used under Creative Commons from Kristine Paulus, Ryan Hodnett, Marie Hale, gurdonark, btrentler, Kelly Colgan Azar, jeffreyw, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service - Midwest Region
