Kaʻū Mele: The View of the World Depends on Where You Stand

By Stephanie Ansley • December 21, 2008

The way the world looks has

little to do with what is:

The ocean lies calm at

the surface while below

A whole school of fingerlings

are being ravished

Ambushed from beneath by

monsters of the deep.

The white world outside makes me wonder

What does the white stuff hide down under?

Lights in the city at night look gay and bright

While somewhere, out there in the cold

The homeless person is filled with fright.

No, the world is seldom what it seems

But it is also more beautiful than you know

Today I want to share with you

This wonderland of ice and snow.

Like the phosphorescence the ocean

reflects in the night

Fleeting beauty you would gladly share with much delight.

Today, my world shouts,

"Don't miss a thing!"

It's so much prettier than

any blooms in Spring!

I know in reality I am sharing

this wonder I perceive

Strangers, neighbors, and creatures great and small

Must observe with appreciative minds

This special occasion that together us binds

All humanity and wildlife too

is held in this charm

Soft white snow seldom comes;

stop, enjoy it without harm.

I wrote, "I love you" in the frost

on the window while filled with bliss

Knowing it was the warmth inside

that enables me to do just this.