Words of Wonder #7

Pareidolia, Quotidian, Vespertine, and Limned

Pareidolia

Animals in the clouds. Faces in trees. A crack on the ceiling that has a habit of sometimes looking like a rabbit. A shadow in the night that becomes a terrible monster.

Our visual system sends information to our brain, and our brain creates pictures and stories to go along with it. Are the stories true? Not always. But isn’t that so much more interesting?

Quotidian

When you walk the same way to school or work every day, your surroundings become wallpaper. Your mind glazes over the same tired, familiar scenery. But if you look closely, even the most mundane landscapes are full of interest.

The changing seasons bring new foliage. The changing light paints new colors. Nothing is static: animals skitter about the trees, trees change their leaves, the roots of trees grow and gradually buckle sidewalks.

There is beauty in the ordinary. It just takes an extraordinary effort to notice it.

Vespertine

The day cools. Traffic slows. Streetlights blink on. Windows glow with the warmth of home. Night creatures emerge: bats, possums, raccoons, owls. Stargazers, wake up: it’s almost your time to shine.

Limned

Spring will soon arrive. For a few weeks, at least, the weather will be perfect to go outside. Don’t forget your pen and notebook. Spread a blanket under a tree. Look up!

Clouds pass by, their edges outlined with sunlight. A canopy of leaves becomes a stained glass window: illuminated, translucent panes of green and yellow, glinting and overlapping in the breeze.

Now position your blanket squarely in the shade. Close your eyes and drift into a nap.

You wake to warm sunlight on your face. The earth is turning; the shade has shifted. Take out your notebook. Now is the perfect moment to write a poem.

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An ode to a new pair of shoes. The ABCs of Autumn. An elegy for a fallen oak tree. A lament for a lost bicycle. Find these poems and more in my new book, POETRY COMICS, published by Chronicle Books and available worldwide wherever books are sold.

To receive a signed art print when you pre-order the book, follow this link: https://poetrycomics.chroniclebooks.com

Why pre-order a book? Pre-orders ensure a title will be on shelves on its on-sale date, and they help publishers see a book has an enthusiastic audience so an author can keep making more books. Thank you for your support!

-Grant