“Some Days”
by Philip Terman
Some days you have to turn off the news
and listen to the bird or truck
or the neighbor screaming out her life.
You have to close all the books and open
all the windows so that whatever swirls
inside can leave and whatever flutters
against the glass can enter. Some days
you have to unplug the phone and step
out to the porch and rock all afternoon
and allow the sun to tell you what to do.
…
Read the rest here
I woke feeling pulled in two directions this morning. I yearn to linger in the joys of schedule-free summer days, yet I feel the advent of the school year pulling me toward my classroom, planning, etc. I also feel the weight of those remaining items on that lengthy “To Be Done Over the Summer” list.
Some days, I think, you have to step away from it all and simply read poetry. If you’d like to do so as well, click on the link to head over to the fantastic blog, Reflections on the Teche, where Margaret Simon is hosting this week’s Poetry Friday Roundup.
Nix the comfort zone 
There is much today in the PF posts about nature, lingering, taking those last summer days and squeezing them. I love this, Molly, just right!
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Glad you enjoyed the poem, Linda. I’m hoping to cherish a few more of these days before the start of the school year.
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Thank you for sharing this wise, lovely poem, Molly. Today is one of those days to “allow the sun to tell you what to do.” Good luck with the start of school!
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Wishing you the best with your school start also, Catherine. The days are flying by, aren’t they?!
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Today is the perfect day for me to read this poem–thank you! I love the specific details & “close all the books and open
all the windows so that whatever swirls
inside can leave and whatever flutters
against the glass can enter.” Going back outside now!
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Those are my favorite lines, too, JoAnn! I’m glad this poem met you on the perfect day 🙂 Hope you enjoyed your time outside and were able to let the sun “tell you what to do.”
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Oh yes, somedays…This week has been full of those days where I’ve needed to turn off, unplug and open wide the windows and doors.
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I’m so thankful that I’m able to do so once in a while!
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Great pick, Molly. This poem is worth returning to on a regular basis.
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It’s always a timely reminder, isn’t it?
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SO GOOD. I never “close all the books and open all the windows,” but maybe today’s the time to start. Ruth, thereisnosuchthingasagodforsakentown.blogspot.com
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Hope you enjoyed a day of open windows, Ruth!
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I am missing my summer days. Moving forward. Trying to make this year a good one.
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I’m in pre-mourning here, Margaret. I still have some time before school starts, but I am so aware of the limited number of mellow care-free mornings remaining. Perhaps this will be the year I find balance…Here’s wishing you a wonderful year!
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“step out to the porch and rock all afternoon
and allow the sun to tell you what to do”
You know the funny thing is I misread or rather misunderstood “rock all afternoon”. I had the meaning like “rock out”, not in a rocker! But maybe I had the band at the Topsham Fair on my mind and dancing with my grandson! We let the band and the sun tell us what to do!
Loved that poem. Thanks for sharing!
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I love your version, Donna! I hope to head to the Topsham Fair today 🙂 and if I’m in the bandstand, I’ll look for echoes of you and your grandson dancing and rocking the day away.
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I wish I had turned off the news. It’s bitter and divisive this morning, as it has been for too long. This is a lovely idea. I never see anyone on their porch anymore. We don’t just sit anymore. The reverie is being choked out by smart phones. I yearn for a good reverie.
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Ah, Brenda, these are indeed difficult times and honestly, I rarely listen to the news anymore. It’s too overwhelming.When I’m at my wits’ end, I dose myself with Wendell Berry’s “The Peace of Wild Things” and head to the woods or the ocean. Wishing you a peaceful day filled with reverie.
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And a reverie to you, too, Molly. Thanks!
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Especially this week. Amen! Reveling in the beauty of neighborhood barking dogs, screen door slams, and sprinkler squeals this morning.
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There’s so much to hear when we listen!
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I had to do that last night. It was just too much. I try to be informed and connected, but sometimes you just have to disconnect from the world, and allow yourself to connect with the everyday world around you.
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I always find that deliberately refocusing on the everyday world around me is beneficial. I hope you found the same, Jane.
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Hi Molly, With all of what’s happened since Saturday in Charlottesville, it’s sure hard to tune and turn everything off. But I still think we need to heed the call of Philip Terman in “Some Days” even if it’s looking out the window or going for a walk. Good reminder, thanks for sharing his poem!
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