Power. Wealth. Success. Fame.

Redefined by the ways of nature

Here’s a poem I read last Friday at one of the many Poem City events this month in my home city of Montpelier, Vermont. As if April weren’t wonderful enough, Montpelier’s storefront windows are now postered with poetry and our venues are alive with poets reading their work.

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Let’s define power, wealth, success, and fame not by the abuses and exploits of humans, but by the rhythms and harmonies of nature.

Power

We measure power by our capacity for wonder.
Explosions come not from bombs
but from a kinglet’s crown
or a hazelnut’s bloom.
Power is the spider we set free from our home
or the salamander we escort across the road on a rainy night.

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