I told yesterday that these Poetry Conversations could just as easily be titled Poetry Connections, because it has allowed me to connect personally with people over poetry. The chance to see how differently (or similarly) someone else’s takeaway is from a certain poem is a gift. It’s the "oh, we see that the same way" or "oh, I never thought about it that way" that hits you right at heart level. It’s like being in elementary school all over again and making a new friend because you both like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. (Or because you like ham and cheese and she likes pb&j and so you always switch when your mom sends the wrong one.)

And so today I’ve had the chance to deepen a friendship with a smart, expressive 9 year old, Laura. Laura is the daughter of one of my best friends (who is also a writer, so it’s not hard for me to imagine why Laura is so expressive). Our conversation over Hoberman’s "Mayfly" made me wish I could chat with Laura more often.

MAYFLY

by Mary Ann Hoberman

Think how fast a year flies by
A month flies by
A week flies by
Think how fast a day flies by
A Mayfly’s life lasts but a day

Read the rest here.

Laura said she likes to read romantic and pretty poems but that she thought it was really cool that the poem was about a bug. She said people don’t normally write about bugs because they might be scared of them.

Laura loved this part below because it was "pretty and quiet":

A Mayfly flies a single day
The daylight dies and darkness grows
A single day
How fast it flies
A Mayfly’s life
How fast it goes

Laura said the poem made her feel "silent, watching the scenery go by, like [she] was in a car, feeling hopeful for a new day, when a new Mayfly is born…"

Be still my beating heart! "Silent, watching the scenery go by…" Isn’t that a lovely way to express how poetry can make you feel? Like you’re watching the scenery and yet part of it at the same time?

Laura was kind enough to share an original poem of her own with me and gave me permission to share it with you.

Movement

by Laura (Lastnamehere)

Up or down,
side to side,
back and forth,
It’s all
movement.

Laura, you’ve moved your way right into our hearts! Thank you for sharing your thoughts about "Mayfly" and your own beautiful poem about movement.