being astonished.
telling about it.
Astonishing:
the quantity of chocolate hazelnut spread on a three-year-old’s face this morning.
the cavernous cracks in winter heels.
the layer of dust beneath a dresser.
the length of a child’s toenails.
the number of Akedos in a first-grader’s backpack.
the disappearance of socks.
the volume of laundry.
the cost of an oat milk latte.
the time spent on an invisalign subreddit.
the cruelty of a comment section.
the thousands of dead and dying.
the inability to do anything about it.
the slope of my childrens’ noses.
the freckles on their chests.
rainbows formed from sunlight through crystal.
ice on rose bushes.
the sun setting
and rising again.
*An ode, of course, to Mary Oliver, master of astonishment.
courage, creativity, compassion: life skills to combat cruelty
Beautiful