How often do we go down rabbit holes in search of one thing, only to come out on the other side with something else altogether? Maybe not as often as we should.
This week I’m reading Lyanda Lynn Haupt’s captivating book, Mozart’s Starling. (Little, Brown, 2017). At one point, she quotes French poet Paul Éluard: “There is another world, but it is in this one.” This idea launches Haupt into a rumination on wonder. Did you know the root of “wonder” is an Old English word, wundrian that means “to be affected by one’s own astonishment”? Isn’t that lovely? Haupt ends this brief passage with this: “For us, the song of the world so often rises in places we had not thought to look.” These are the words of a poet.
Curious about her, I discovered that Haupt “is a naturalist, eco-philosopher, and speaker whose writing is at the forefront of the movement to connect people with nature in their everyday lives.”
But no poetry.
Back to Paul Éluard. The Poetry Foundation has two of Éluard’s poems, but neither of them really appealed to me. What did catch me eye was the poem of the day by Linda Pastan. Pastan is a favorite, so I clicked on the link to find this:
“At the Air and Space Museum”
by Linda Pastan
When I was
nearly six my
father
opened his magic
doctor bag:
two
tongue depressors fastened by
a rubber
band:
one flick
Read the rest here.
Even before I finished reading, I could feel my own poem taking shape. The ideas in this poem had been floating around my brain for the last month or so, but hadn’t settled on a form.
“Metamorphosis”
When I was
nearly ten
I taught myself
to embroider:
clutched a needle threaded
with magenta yarn
looped chains of stitches
tentative and uneven
until a form emerged:
butterfly wings.
© Catherine Flynn, 2017
Thank you for following me down the rabbit hole! Please be sure to visit my friend and critique group partner, Linda Mitchell, at A Word Edgewise for the Poetry Friday Roundup.
Reading to the Core 
So many possibilities as a mentor. I feel my own poem forming. Thank you.
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Charming! Such a wonderful visual. It goes nicely with Mary Lee’s poem (and JoAnn’s monarchs).
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Beautiful adventure down that ‘rabbit hole’, Catherine. I do love Pastan’s poem, but yours touches me too, that simple memory of learning “how to do” is special.
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I can relate so much to this post. Those rabbit holes have invited me in all summer long. I will miss them. This one brought you to a wonderful poem. I like it more than Pastan’s but maybe because I just love you and this poem is a part of you now.
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Your poem brought back memories of learning to embroider, including those looped chains. I remember daisies, vines, & leaves. I love the butterfly surprise!
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I like what you’ve done with Pastan’s poem, Catherine. I remember embroidering (badly) also.
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Oh, my gosh,……..I LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE Linda Pastan. I really think she lured me into poetry as much as any other writer. Thank you for sharing her today! I have taken this line from your post as a future prompt: to be affected by one’s own astonishment”
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Thank you for sharing your explorations. Now I have many rabbit holes to explore on my own! I wonder where I will end up.
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I love the glimpses of how you go about writing a Poetry Friday post – it’s so similar to my own meandering process! Ruth, thereisnosuchthingasagodforsakentown.blogspot.com
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Great post, Catherine! I loved the Linda Pastan poem when I read it earlier this week and I love how it inspired your own wonderful poem. Thanks for sharing your rich trip down the rabbit hole!
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Beautiful Catherine, I love the element of surprise in both of these poems! I was just at Irene’s blog and she was talking about “what makes good poetry?” Surprise was part of her response, and I love this element in both poetry and stories, thanks!
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Boy, do I ever love these quotes about wonder and word roots and seeing and traveling the rabbit holes in our lives! Fantastic! I’m about to do a speaking engagement. I feel like I will have to work this stuff in. Thanks for sharing your poem as well. So happy!
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Linda Pastan was one of my first favorite poets. I embroidered (and cross stitched) my way through my early teens. I love rabbit holes, but I love wonder (“to be affected by one’s own astonishment”) even more.
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I am going to check out this poet. I enjoyed reading your poem. I embroidered clothes as well.
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[…] my home for an early morning bird walk. Then I finished Mozart’s Starling (which I wrote about here). I really loved this book. Haupt ends by deftly weaving the threads of her starling Carmen, […]
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