Claire's Corner: In This Universe of Beauty

Poetry from Claire Sylvan’s book, Turnings

In This Universe of Beauty

Breathe
Pay attention
Let it move
Tell about it.

The children, streaking past the window
On skinny pieces of plastic
Down gleaming new morning snow
Do not say, I do not have a sled.
They throw themselves on the plastic and dive in,
Shrieking wildly toward the soft mound,
Roll out,
Then plod uphill to do it again.

What of my life?
How will it be if my work, my writing, my quilting
Cannot be sorted, made sense of,
When I am dead, or incapable?
If all these precious, darling words,
These works of beauty, love, and art,
These brilliant turns of phrase,
Turn only to smoke and ash.
Will I have lived anyway, enough?

And what of it now? I fling out
Every joyful thought, each glimpse of beauty
That flows through me, unhampered
By wavering consideration
Of where, to whom, or even whether
These morsels may find shelter.

Each day a gift I open
With tender care and gratitude.
Untie the ribbon,
Unfold the painted paper,
Hold this day, this work
To the light, discerning
What is given me to behold
To hold
And then to let go
And that is enough.

About Claire Sylvan

Born within earshot of the Atlantic, on the rugged westernmost coast of Cornwall, England, Claire has a deep affinity for rocks, water, and sacred places on earth.

Claire has lived, worked, and raised a family in Haliburton County amidst good kind friends for 35 years and 8 years in friendly Almonte. She and her partner, Bev, are known as "the Grannies" to an ever increasing population of wondrous children.