Greetings, Poetry People! You know how your TBR stack (physical or virtual) gets so deep you've forgotten what's in it? I went casting around in Audible to see what I had available to read and found AN IMMENSE WORLD by Ed Yong, a book about how animals have sensory "umwelten" that humans have, essentially, only just begun to think of understanding.
This coincides with the arrival home of my college-aged son, who is now a bio/psych major instead of a psych/bio major and who knows just an avalanche of fascinating facts about animal and mycological life. This is a kid whose phone contains, among the various culture memes and plenty of music, a graphic of the life cycle of slime molds, which he describe as like a "Choose Your Own Adventure" book. (MEANWHILE, by Jason Shiga, was a seminal text in our house.)
Meanwhile, I'm trying to write a poem a day this month using quotes and phrases overheard and overread as starting points. Here's the first inspired by AN IMMENSE WORLD:
Thanks to our host today, dear Robyn over at Life on the Deckle Edge! Bonus Mother's Day photo: me, my mom, my daughter.
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| Rehoboth Beach, Nov. 2015 |
Bonus music connection for anyone still reading: "Senses Working Overtime" by XTC.
At least you're wallowing with self-awareness :>)
ReplyDeleteYou've sent me beyond, Heidi. I learned about tragus & that's it's painful to be pierced. I like that you're climbing that what my class used to call "ladder learning", one step at a time. One year we did study slime molds, had lots of luck finding varied forms in our Rocky Mt. forests. I do remember they don't have a brain but nevertheless, scientists observe they work together, somehow! I love reading about you as a "leading learner" - always a good thing. Happy Mother's Day!
ReplyDeleteYou are anything but batty, my friend. And your son sounds amazing. (And you & your mom and daughter look amazing in that photo from a few years back.) I'm hunt-and-pecking my way through AN IMMENSE WORLD after hearing about it a little while back on NPR - wonderful stuff. I do love "wallowing in blossom and beesong." :0)
ReplyDeleteLoving the ordered disorder of eavesdropping- all in service to the humble bat. I recently did a deep dive into the Lesser long-nosed variety and 1) felt bad for it that it is considered "lesser" (than what?) and 2) took offense on their behalf because I didn't think their noses were so bad. -- Me, wallowing! Happy Poetry Friday!
ReplyDeleteooooh. Things overheard is a perfect prompt. I think I'm going to walk around all day with 'orchestra of color.' What a beautiful phrase.
ReplyDeleteThat is lifted directly from the poem of a 2nd grader I'm currently working with, and if I'm not mistaken, THAT is the difference between us and bats and every other animal! I think I'm saying that poetry is what makes us human.
DeleteAnd perhaps, on that note, we should add poetry to our sixth sense. (Adding this author and these books to my Audible TBR!!!)
DeleteI'm listening to AN IMMENSE WORLD right now! And reading I CONTAIN MULTITUDES in print as well. Really loving both!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the book recommendation and the wonderings about bats."wallowing in blossom and beesong" is beautiful.
ReplyDeleteYour creativity knows no bounds, my friend! I love this poem and its inspiration! When "I Contain Multitudes" was published I was lucky enough to hear Ed Yong in conversation with Robert Krulwich (of Radiolab fame) about the book and science writing in general. What an incredible person he is!
ReplyDelete"an orchestra/of color": I love it, Heidi. That could even be the start of another poem. Happy Mother's Day.
ReplyDeleteI'm hoping your next poem is called "Umwelten."
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