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Wild Strawberries
by
Timothy McQuade


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I see spreading before me
what seems endless beauty
differing hues of green
and cedars and birches
and blue water with defiant islands
with laughing children
and gulls that share their laughs with them
With hikes in the woods to the shores
with rocks to climb
but there is more
 
almost unnoticed and hiding in the grass
and along the paths near shore
tiny blooms of wild strawberries stand in the sun
nearly buried in the vast beauty around them
and thereby almost missed
beauty requiring a second, closer gaze
and greater than their size
resolute they stand
quietly
joyfully
 
By their stance I am reminded
that beauty often requires a second look
and patience
else we miss seeing it
affirming it
rejoicing in it
 
Beauty is not often so flagrant
as an outstretched sea or meadow
or mountains draped in clouds
but requires a closer, second look
or more with patience
filling everyone
it is sometimes buried behind other things
but it is there
if looked for with patience and a second gaze
like wild strawberries along the path.


© by Timothy McQuade.
Used with the author's permission.



 

Timothy McQuade has occasionally written poems over the years, but finds he is now doing that on a more frequent basis. “Engaging in poetry encourages me to slow down and experience what could easily be missed in a rushed life,” he says. When not writing poetry, Timothy works as an interim pastor, leading congregations through challenging transitions in pastoral leadership. He lives in Cincinnati, Ohio.




Post New Comment:
jamvan:
I love the pairing of patience with beauty. Beautiful!
Posted 06/10/2021 02:06 AM
Arlene Gay Levine:
A moving meditation on mindfulness...
Posted 06/09/2021 05:09 PM
Darrell Arnold:
Way back in the day, I was stationed at Sheppard AFB in North Texas. I spent my spare time taking photographs. At first, it was difficult to find subjects. I was from a mountain town in Colorado, and the abundant beautiful subjects found me. I couldn't have missed them if I tried. It was a lot different in North Texas. But I learned to look closer and look smaller. The beauty was there. It just wasn't "in your face." I have a wonderful collection of photographs from North Texas because I took that "second gaze."
Posted 06/09/2021 10:14 AM
KevinArnold:
Fun. Further proof that not all exciting new voices come from twenty-year-olds.
Posted 06/09/2021 09:41 AM
paradea:
"But it is there". Yes!!! Good poem!
Posted 06/09/2021 09:36 AM
cork:
Oh, there are so many wild strawberries blooming on my walk. I cannot wait to taste them.
Posted 06/09/2021 09:02 AM
michael escoubas:
A second look . . . the time it takes to appreciate what is too often overlooked. I've not overlooked the ripe fruit contained in your poem Tim! Quite nicely done--congratulations.
Posted 06/09/2021 08:38 AM
Larry Schug:
A good reminder to pay attention. We're only here a little while, as you know. Well said, Timothy.
Posted 06/09/2021 07:20 AM
Rob:
Beautiful! Love that idea that beauty "is sometimes buried behind other things/but it is there". Reminds me of Sara Teasdale's "Night": "look for a lovely thing and you will find it, it is not far, it never will be far.
Posted 06/09/2021 06:54 AM


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