One of my favorite web sites is: The Writers Almanac at newsletter@americanpublicmedia.org You can listen to Garrison Keillor read a poem each day, and also hear other pieces of literary news like what great literary writer and philosopher was the only person to decline the Nobel Prize in literature. (Check out the site to find the answer if interested!) Today, October 22, 2009, the author of the featured poem is Louis Jenkins who titles his poem, "The Speaker." I liked it so well that I would like to share it here on my BLOG.

The Speaker

The speaker points out that we don't really have much of a grasp of things, not only the big things, the important questions, but the small everyday things. How many steps up to your front door? What kind of tree grows in your backyard? What is the name of your district representative? What is your wife's shoe size? Can you tell me the color of your sweetheart's eyes? Do you remember where you parked the car? The evidence is overwhelming. Most of us never truly experience life. "We drift through life in a daydream, missing the true richness and joy life had to offer." When the speaker has finished we gather around to sing a few inspirational songs. You and I stand at the back of the group and hum along since we have forgotten most of the words.