Journal note
Write out Gratitude
in large sprawling letters
whenever you feel well.
Let the start of G be good, curved,
the slight huddle of someone
deep in thought before
springing forward, middle letters
tumbling towards each other
like small acrobats of elation,
welcome them to carry you along
on their strong shoulders, let
the end “e” be your rejoicing.
*
Paulette Laufer’s poems have appeared in Blue Heron Review, Moss Piglet, Bramble Literary Magazine, Island Intersections (celebrating the 50th anniversary of Apostle Islands National Lakeshore through the intersections of science, art, and poetry), and the anthology Halfway to the North Pole: Door County in Poetry. She received an honorable mention from the Wisconsin Academy/Wisconsin People & Ideas 2017 poetry contest; her work has also been seen in several regional art and poetry exhibits. Now living in Sturgeon Bay, WI, she previously worked in theater in the Washington, D.C., area for many years.
I like the clarity, and the tone of Gratitude; also, the image of the human form, about to spring forward, particularizes the poem, underscores the suggestion that to be grateful is to be human. A positive of being human to counter the negatives.