I often find myself writing simple poems in the morning, when the world is quiet still and I am orienting toward the day.

It happens as I’m watching the sunrise, watching the birds, letting my mind wander, with my notebook open. It’s often in these quiet windows of my days that I feel the urge to capture it, the color, the feel, the thought, the weight, knowing it, that moment, will soon be gone. These small poems serve as timestamps of ordinary days that I like to look back on.

Here’s a small prompt to bring to mind in these moments when it feels like life should stand still for a little longer and be remembered, if only in your own mind.

Ask and answer these questions:

What is the color of the moment?
What are you doing in the moment?
How do you feel in the moment?
What do you wish for the moment?
What do you wish for the next one?

Here are my answers from a few mornings ago:

Blue morning, that blue of bitter cold aliveness.
I am waking to my reality.
Bleary eyed, I am awake.
May I be present as light makes its way in.
May light make its way in.

Here’s how I’d respond on this particular night:

Orange glow of the day gone by.
I consider what has come.
Alone, yet held.
To be content.
To be dreaming.

To start your own collection of these tiny moment poems, write those five questions down, carry them around, and ask them until they ring free in your mind from time to time.

Edit your own responses until you’ve arrived at a rhythmic reading that sings of the feeling of your moment. It’s okay if it only makes sense to you.

Poet Mary Oliver said, “To pay attention, this is our endless and proper work.”

May this prompt help us to all pay attention a little better to the moments making up our days.

If you’d like to have your poems considered for an anthology reflecting life in Racine, or if you’d simply like to share your writing, please send your work my way at sklblauren@gmail.com. I look forward to reading.

Best,
L.A. Sklba