Sense of Beauty

Find a line of text. Write a poem in free verse with no end-rhymes that uses this line as its starting point or as the basis for the poem. Originally published February 2023

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bears do not travel to places

where they cannot see their gods

visionary animals reject themselves

in fear of ugliness

colours, aesthetic, a sense of beauty

does it all matter in the end?

you meet a friend in the woods

honey-drunk and full of grace

partaking in unusual behaviour

staring at the ducks

scenic vistas on his mind

appreciating nature's wonders

a sense of beauty this one has

sitting without a cause

do you sit alongside him

or comfort yourself by running again

how can you take the fruit from the tree

if you are ashamed of its branches

humans refuse to roam to places

where they cannot sense their gods

do you understand the weight

of the decisions you make?