Book of the week

I've been reading a lot of poetry of late.  Poetry fits the growing busyness of this month as assignments are coming due, events are being held, and the cold weather is creeping in.  I find myself snatching a poem or two in between meetings or classes.  What I love about reading poetry like this is the foothold it seems to give me to the world beyond my daily tasks.  Each day provides us with a myriad of things to start, things to finish, calls to return, messages to send, and on and on.  A poem gives a moment, a glimpse into a feeling, a thought, another life.  It takes little from us and still manages to give us pause and a breath.  For me, it is that moment that allows me to breathe.  It gives me space to stop and look around, to see something in the world about that is not of myself and to appreciate it.  The book that I want to feature this week is an amazing, fairly new book of poetry by former United States Poet Laureate, Kay Ryan.  The Best of It is filled with poems which will give pause to the day, a smile, a laugh, and that moment we are all seeking to breathe.  The Best of It won the Pulitzer Prize winner for poetry this year and I can see why.  It's our feature book and it comes highly recommended!
Here's a poem from Kay Ryan's book that I wanted to share with you.
Backward Miracle

Every once in a while
we need a
backward miracle
that will strip language,
make it hold for
a minute: just the
vessel with the
wine in it--
a sacramental
refusal to multiply,
reclaiming the
single loaf
and the single
fish thereby.

Take a moment today for yourself and enjoy the world around you.