Look, Stop, and Listen
The world is naked before you—
a Bacchanal feast worth exploring.
Listen to the hum of the wings
of a cluster of hungry hummingbirds
at your backyard feeder.
Notice the sluggish crawl of a swollen
caterpillar about to metamorphose
into a Monarch butterfly.
Embrace the buds of chrysanthemums
about to bloom into dazzling whites.
And don’t forget the morning glaze
on a forgotten peanut butter and jelly sandwich
left on a bench at your bus stop.
Can you appreciate the charm of the cracks
on the cement sidewalks you stand upon?
Every stone, leaf, and petal smiles in a silent song and dance—
performed free of charge as long as you pay attention.
Milton P. Ehrlich Ph.D. is an 88-year-old psychologist and a veteran of the Korean War. He has published poems in The Antigonish Review, London Grip, Arc Poetry Magazine, Descant Literary Magazine, Wisconsin Review, Red Wheelbarrow, Christian Science Monitor, and the New York Times.