After Pablo Neruda’s The Poet’s Obligation

To whomever has a shuttered heart
I recommend:

Plucking the snail leaving its silvery trail
on the concrete footpath
slick from the rain,
placing it in the flower bed
and wishing it well;

Reading a child a bedtime story
filled
with starry skies and magical boats
that take them to faraway places
where there are only
tears of joy;

Walking through a forest and listening
to the lyrics in the susurrating
of the leaves
and writing them down
to craft poems
that make your heart sing;

Waiting patiently for the wild animals
to make their presence known.
They are as curious about you as you
are of them;

Watching a herd of cows.
We can learn a lot from the humble cow.
Their lives are not so different from ours.
They love as we do and are loved.