A Couplet, List Poem
Photo Credit: David Slotto
Awakening early in the dawn to the sound of birds;
Easing into daylight then sitting without words;
Coffee slipping down my throat–stirring up my senses;
Fragrant sweet peas opening up in rows along our fences;
Dogs that snuggle up to me, waiting for a treat;
Music soaring through my veins, ramping up the beat;
Colors dancing in a field, or posed upon my palette;
Freedom to express my self, to choose, to cast a ballot;
Words that tumble through my mind, ending up on pages;
Touches soft and satiny, that calm when discord rages;
Life is measured out to me in gifts that this day brings;
The blessing of each moment lies in ordinary things.
Photo Credit: D. Slotto
I wrote this poem years ago when I was part of a poetry critique group that formed after a writer’s conference. The assignment was to write a couplet, and this may explain why I’ve never written another one. But for today, I’m using it to respond to my prompt on dVerse Meeting the Bar where the prompt is to write a list poem. Time and muse migration requires me to post this old one. If I come up with something else, you’ll be the first to know. I hope you’ll stop by dVerse and bring a poem of your own and enjoy the work of your fellow pubsters. The doors open 3:00 PM EDT.
Victoria C. Slotto, Author 
Nicely done. It seems to me that the “ordinary things” are quite spectacular when you take the time to notice them…
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Beautiful rich sentient verse with sentiments to match.
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I keep seeing you everywhere today; I am going to talk to you soon.
Love your poem Victoria you are a wonderful person. Love Ya.
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Thanks, Katie…you are so kind.
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Very beautiful, poignant and profound! Beauty in the ordinary things around us knitting life.
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The last two lines are full of hope in a new day..peaceful images come to mind.
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What a wonderful way to start the day, and your final couplet sums it up perfectly.
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I loved it Victoria. It’s so fresh with the goodness of enjoying the anticipation of the day ahead. Filled with the small accents that give texture, grace and pleasure to a life. I think I will borrow it for a gift card to a friend (who unlike me rise each day at dawn). It’s wonderful. Thank you.
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Victoria, this selection sounds for me as your favorite things! love it much! coffee and birds and rhymes too 🙂
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Lovely. Your morning sounds so peaceful, and yes, it is the “ordinary things” that are the heart of each moment. Thank you.
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A gentle reflection on the simple joys of early morning. Lovely.
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I really like the calming affect your words have on me with this poem. My mind is a bit chaotic today so it feels good to read some peace and reminders of the gifts in life.
On another note, my stepmom’s mother is suffering from dementia (diagnosed in the last few years) they are trying to keep her home, her husband is her sole caregiver at the moment. I sent her your article this morning. Thank you for writing it and sharing. It looks like your words will be very comforting and confirming for her.
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It’s beautiful how you show appreciation for the things that most people ignore in this bustling, technological world. Lovely piece.
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So true–blessings are in the everyday things–and the only way to receive those blessings is to see, notice, and appreciate wide-eyed and heart-opened.
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Muse migration was agreat line – nejoyd the poem also.
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A very sweet poem that reads like a prayer to be learned readily by heart. K.
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so love the ordinary things of the day… they keep us rooted in life.
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Victoria I like this better aand better each time I read it.>KB
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the quotidian things are the memorandum monopolies of a life well lived… beautiful blessings in couplets.
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I really like the form you chose for this list–rhyming too can be seen as ordinary, and here, particularly beautiful and graceful . The details you’ve picked mean a lot to me. Simple Gifts.
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This one proves why you should, with all your might, make your muse happy so that s/he may bless you with more… great one. 🙂
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Victoria there is serenity in your words – peacefull, precious moments of our day that we forget at times. Lovely.
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Delightful, how precious the ordinary things are…loved how you expressed it so beautifully. Brings peace and a smile 🙂
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Beautiful poem in rhyming couplets. The last two lines, perfection! Recognizing our gifts and blessings in the simple things, something we all should try to do a little bit more of!
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This has the gentle lyric feeling of a prayer or a hymn…old or no, it worked well.
http://leapingelephantenterprizes.blogspot.ca/2013/07/pages-of-sorrow_25.html
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“Life is measured out to me in gifts that this day brings;
The blessing of each moment lies in ordinary things.”
That is so true. Serene reading experience. The rhythm and the rhymes along with the calm and gentle words make this creation an appealing read.
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I wish we’d bring out more old to revisit. Poems are static but organic. I wonder how many treasures we leave buried when there is so much life and breath in them. I like the form and enjoyed revisiting an old draft of my own. Thank you.
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Your piece has such a warm, comfortable feel– I really needed that on this cold, wet, dreary day. Thanks for the reminder of life’s simple pleasures. Jason
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I so agree with you, Victoria. The best gifts in life are in the ordinary things…. Coffee, dogs, words..what more could a person ask?
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I’m feeling this tired this evening, but your words have brought out a nice sigh of relaxation in me 😊
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Oh so clever to combine couplet and list poem; really enjoyed the languid ease, the tiny beauties, the taken-for-granted joys that needed to be illuminated; a great illustration, a lead dog for the dVerse prompt sled, most def.
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I love dogs, coffee, sweet peas and your poem…it sounds, tastes, smells, and feels like my house. 🙂
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A delight, a joy to read, and that last line= amaretto whipped cream with cherry on top !! Thanks for the cool prompt !
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Beautiful and so true, if only we can notice each little gift the day brings x What a beautiful list poem!
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Love the early morning scenery ~ This part is my favorite:
Colors dancing in a field, or posed upon my palette;
Freedom to express my self, to choose, to cast a ballot;
What an exciting time to be ~
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ah nice list of the gifts that life brings us…the coffee…he that is the gift that keeps on giving to me…as much as words…smiles..this morning i had a hummingbird that kept hovering right off me…i think he wanted to see what i was writing…
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a beautiful and peaceful capture victoria – and i so agree – it’s so often the small and ordinary things that make us happy and touch our heart…
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I so agree with that sentiment!
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