Hi Wonderful readers,
I don’t usually do writing exercises or memes, because I never think I have much to say. How do you write about the ebb and flow of a day with tears and poop and defiance? But someone recently asked me something that kind of rattled me and made me stop. She said, “what moves you?” Sadly, it took me a while to answer. My brain is full of grot and dust. But if you have time and a mind to share, I’d love to know what moves you. Thanks for being here, for reading in this space.
Moves Me Poem
skin like parchment
crackled
crossed with lines, almost
viciously
a reminder
of age or beauty, now
fading like ripples
on still water.
Those hands move me
long distances
twist me show me
a landscape of a life
snapshots
blazing technicolor
in scar and stain and callus.
What secrets have hands
like that known?
Could they spin me a story
a rhyme
a parable
leave me gasping
like all fine teachers can.
{ 51 comments… read them below or add one }
I think I had the same reaction to that question as you did. Now, to try and unfreeze my brain from it’s arctic stupor. I love your poem. Wonderful words, they are truly inspirational. For what moves me… Music, my husband’s voice after a long day at work, the smell of Fall and burnt leaves, the first sip of freshly brewed tea and finally, undeserved & random acts of kindness. :)
LOVE that poem. It’s simply beautiful!
What moves me? My kids: laughter, tears, I-love-you-Mommy. The ocean on a hot day, or really, any day. Beautiful prose. The smell of baking cookies. Old people walking hand-in hand. A sky full of stars. The mountains behind my house turning pink and purple with sunset. A loud, funky beat.
Beautiful words… so evocative.
What moves me… my boy’s snuggles and hugs, the kisses he gives first, when he tries to give me a backrub, hearing from an old and dear friend, a hot latte on a cold day with good company, a great book… I guess I could go on and on and on. Surprising, really, because I’m a grinch with a heart 2 sizes too small.
Lovely, as always.
I’m moved by sudden understandings and revelations. Things I’ve spent time searching for suddenly appearing (mentally or physically). Especially when it comes to my family and God.
Thank you for the look into you, I love when you put it all out there. Beautiful Poem! Poetry is not my strong suit really. Some of the things that move me… Mr Mad sis a drawing of us together. Miss Lu’s laugh. Miss El’s phone calls, MS Rs creativity. The small of the house while baking, the serenity of my kitchen. My beautiful wife who still buys an over sized boy a toy once in a while.
Jeez, I really fat fingered that reply let me try again…
Thank you for the look into you, I love when you put it all out there. Beautiful Poem! Poetry is not my strong suit really. Some of the things that move me… Mr Man did a drawing of us together. Miss Lu’s laugh. Miss El’s phone calls, MS R.s creativity. The smell of the house while baking, the serenity of my kitchen. My beautiful wife who still buys an over sized boy a toy once in a while.
I guess it should go coffee THEN blogging, not the other way around :~)
I think they could [spin you a story]; I think they have.
I am moved by my son’s questions and his resourcefulness (anything is a power drill, a guitar / a delight); by my husband’s coffee-brewing; by my father weaving me a basket; by the weaving of stories – reading and writing and sharing.
What a beautiful poem. I have always loved hands and feel that they hold so many stories.
I am moved by passionate debate about the world around us, being alone and surrounded by nothing but nature, the tremor of a voice in full song, a simple “I love you” expressed every morning and night, the sight of another life growing.
My goodness, the soul in this. So lovely!
Right now it’s quiet, and the rustle of leaves. For some reason it always brings me to tears.
Grot moves me. :) Apt word.
Enjoyed the poem. Nice change of pace from the (wonderful) recipes.
Bravo…you’ve inspired me to try to come up with my own what moves me. This piece is absolutely beautiful…thank you for sharing it with us.
Lovely poem. :)
Smiles so genuine from my kids that I can see their eyes sparkle.
Very beautiful. There is no doubt that you are an amazing writer.
I think there is more in life that moves me than things that don’t. Passion, creativity, compassion, brilliant thoughts, and boundless energy is what drives my life. It sometimes makes me scared.
Right now though, coffee and a DVR queue full of Drop Dead Diva is moving me the most.
First of all, Happy 10th anniversary! What a lovely photo…..
I think as you get older, you have a longer list of things to be grateful for and moved by. So my list is pretty long. :)
This was such a lovely poem. Thanks for the wonderful post!
What moves me . . .
-A good book
-Looking out the window on a rainy day (with a cup of coffe in my hand)
-A beautiful song
-Singing a beautiful song with other musicians (there’s something about making music with other people that is incomparable to anything else)
-A tender word or touch from my husband
-Nature . . . the sky
-Corny advertisements on TV with piano music and people walking on the beach
-I am moved when somebody else is moved–I can’t be in the presence of tears without crying myself, for example
-Being in church
-Old photo albums
-A vulnerable friend
Thanks for making me stop and think about this!
Beautiful poem. Simple and heartfelt.
A lovely departure from you here, Kitch. Thanks for this delicious little treat on a Friday morning. A pleasure to read.
Such a beautiful poem. Love, love, love it.
What moves me? Gosh, I don’t know anymore. My kids. The smell of my youngest’s blanket. Relationships. Pumpkins. Christmas smells. Water. Laughter. Saturday mornings.
KW, just lovely.
What moves me? Great words in books, blogs, magazines, fiction & nonfiction. My daughter’s laugh. My mom’s hugs. My husband’s touch. The quiet of a 5:00 a.m. run. Chai latte’s and Bannana nut bread. Music blaring from my car. Newspapers. The smell of new books. I could go on and on.
Thanks for this post.
So nice. I can’t do the question justice after your input and some of these others. Just today, though, I was with my two year old – alone – the others at school, and… the fact that she is my last “baby” made me appreciate a couple of things more than I normally would – her Princess pull-ups – watching her eat with her plastic pink fork – hearing her little voice as she lines her toy elephants up on the hallway bench – the sippy cups that I fill with apple juice and a little water. All this will be gone someday. I also noted that my two boys are outgrowing their pants – and such notables choke me up a little – just like the pile of my now 14 year olds artwork in the closet upstairs. Provocative post. Thanks for that :-).
Beautiful.
I read this last night and wanted to meditate on the question of what moves me before leaving a comment. It seems my thoughtful response is not too different from my first reaction:
+ random acts of kindness, whether I simply witness or be on the receiving end
+ parental sacrifice (again, not so much my own but what I see around me)
+ heartfelt dialogue (real or fiction)
+ heroic acts that aren’t necessarily grand (like teachers working their hearts out for very little pay; a big brother being protective of his little siblings)
+ huge sums of philanthropic funds from Buffet, Gates, Soros (I can’t help it as I’m in the grant making business)
on and on…I’m a sucker, what can I say.
This is absolutely gorgeous. I love, love, love your meme post and am so glad you were inspired. And to share it so beautifully. You are one talented lady!
I’d like to share some monumental thing that moves me but when it comes right down to it, it’s the little things – the crummy day and then my husband walks in with flowers just because – or when I’m able to anticipate the needs of one of my kids and they hug me so fiercely and say “I love you Mommy!” as if I’ve just altered their universe in the most profound way – or helping a stranger and getting an unexpected heartfelt thank you – those tiny, seemingly insignificant moments get me every time.
Just lovely!
Goosebumps, Kitch. Your talent is limitless.
What a lovely poem! A post like this is nice every once and a while :)
What moves me? A perfectly sung church hymn, children’s laughter, peoples smiles, the smell of baking cinnamon, listening to others talk about the people they love… thought provoking indeed!
There are tiny moments in every day things that move me, it’s so often not the big things. It’s my Mister singing songs while in the shower, seeing the little girl I nanny in awe of everything around her, the hush of cool mornings when I leave the house for work, having tea with a friend and hearing something I’ve never heard before…
Oh words all strung together. So beautiful. And what moves me, too.
And ripples on still water. Too.
And lines around eyes.
And sweet cheeks.
And quiet skies.
But, mostly, words.
LOVE. THAT. POEM.
This is one that came to mind immediately: Subtle display of affection caught by bystander (i.e. me)
How I miss my grandfather after reading this, his wrinkles, his wisdom, his yarns, and how he would have doted on my children if he had lived to meet them. Imagining that moves me, yes, it does.
Beautiful poem. Sad how difficult that question is to answer. And yet, when you really stop it’s pretty darn easy.
I’m a rather sensitive gal. Things that move me often bring tears to my eyes. A beautiful landscape of mountains or ocean; a new little person who’s innocent view of the world reminds us just how insignificant the mundane is; seeing the littles that I work with achieve something new that they have worked so very hard for; watching my boys grow and mature into the men they will someday be; my friends and my family who love me for me.
What an absolutely beautiful poem. You’re so gifted.
I wish you would do more writing and after reading this I wish you’d do more poems too :-) I really liked this. Funny, but one of the things visually that really moves me is little baby hands. Even my daughter’s at three still do that, so small, soft and somehow terribly innocent looking. So new and unlined.
But aside from my daughter, well being in incredible scenery, out in nature, looking at some amazing view, that gets me every single time.
I have this slightly weird obsession with hands. It started when I was in school learning to become a Respiratory Therapist and being taught to assess my patients. People hide their ages everywhere else in their bodies but often the hands give it away. Maybe my obssession started before then. There are whole lives lived in hands. People talk with their hands, create with their hands, hold with their hands, hurt with their hands, love with their hands. This poem is such an amazing capture of that essence. Thank you for posting it.
Kitch, your poem is beautfully written. I will be writing a post on this…may I tag you?
Sure Maria!
Thanks, everyone, for your kind words and thoughtful responses. It’s warming me up on this cool, rainy morning. You readers are the best.
You are an amazing writer. Whether humorous, recipes, or poetry, every post is so well crafted.
You have plenty to say, lady — and I love listening. This is great; your blog is great; you are great.
I’m not buying for a second that you don’t have much to say. I’ve been reading your blog for a while now and I know that is not true. You are a beautiful story teller and your outlook on life and family and food is one worth spending my time on.
What moves me?
My children’s smiles and smell.
My husbands eyes.
The changing color of the leaves and the cool breeze of fall settling in.
Understanding.
Compassion.
Honesty.
I get stumped by that question too for longer than I’d like. But I do know words like yours move me. Stories that don’t hit me over the head with their humanity but sneak up and under until they’re in me. Those are the ones that make me choke up and remember what it is to feel.
Your poem moves me; also when wound and pain are transformed through productive suffering to forgiveness, compassion, generosity… perhaps epiphany. When moments stop trying to be and simply are.
Happiness on peoples faces move me, flowers in full bloom. Friendships that last a lifetime. Honesty and compassion, especially when it comes out of left field….. Your the queen of putting yourself out there and that moves me x
Wow. I read this this morning and have thought about it all day. Beautiful.
You know I always love it when you share stuff about you. Lovely poem. Hope you’re having a lovely weekend.
What a cool poem! And I’m thinking….
–a baby’s laugh, a toddler’s giggle
–a sincere compliment, heard second-hand
–advice from my older sister
What a beautiful poem. Thank you.
You.
Especially when you write like this.
xo
Your poem brought quiet and meditation into my morning…thank you for sharing such a personal and moving piece of art! I love reading other people’s poetry, and it is evident that you have quite the talent. I hope you have a wonderful Monday, love!
Today, this moves me. Thank you for shaking out the dust and weaving this exquisite ode to wisdom.
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