Love Is No Less Practical

The Word
Down near the bottom
of the crossed-out list
of things you have to do today,

between “green thread”
and “broccoli” you find
that you have penciled “sunlight.”

Resting on the page, the word
is as beautiful, it touches you
as if you had a friend

and sunlight were a present
he had sent you from some place distant
as this morning — to cheer you up,

and to remind you that,
among your duties, pleasure
is a thing,

that also needs accomplishing
Do you remember?
that time and light are kinds

of love, and love
is no less practical
than a coffee grinder

or a safe spare tire?
Tomorrow you may be utterly
without a clue

but today you get a telegram,
from the heart in exile
proclaiming that the kingdom

still exists,
the king and queen alive,
still speaking to their children,

– to any one among them
who can find the time,
to sit out in the sun and listen.
— Tony Hoagland

This is probably my favorite poem ever. I stumbled upon it by accident while surfing the internet a while ago, and instantly fell in love with it. Of course, this might have something to do with the timing of the poem’s discovery — it was in the middle of a rather stressful week at school (which might cue you to ask why I was spending time roaming random blogs instead of doing my homework. And my answer? I’ve got no idea), and one particular line stood out to me: pleasure is a thing that also needs accomplishing.

For some of you, that line may hold no appeal at all, since it may make happiness seem like just another chore to check off the list. But I find a somewhat different meaning in it. For me, the entire poem reminds me of something very important in life: no matter what we’re caught up in, happiness shouldn’t be something to discredit or say that we don’t have time for. Smiling, laughing, and having fun is as equally important to our lives as getting good grades, cleaning our rooms, or studying for the next test. It isn’t something that should take a back seat to the other things in life, but should instead be a priority held in equal regard to the other things.

I have school starting in four days. I have a test in five days. Before I know it, I’m going to be sucked right back into last year’s routine of live through this day, and now this one, and now this one, and thank goodness it’s the weekend because I’m about to die. While I have fun with my friends at school, the stress can sometimes build up to ridiculous heights. That’s why I thought I would put this poem on my blog today, which is the last post of the summer (terrifying thought, but true). This poem is here to remind me that while I may have a test in subject X, a paper due for teacher Y, and a presentation for class Z, I also owe it to myself to occasionally stop whatever I’m doing and talk to a friend, or grab my camera and go outside, or read my favorite book, or even just glomp onto my sister and refuse to let go until she is thoroughly convinced that her sister is a hugging maniac who might require professional help (muahaha).

There are a lot of other things I could say about this poem. But I think I’ll leave it there for today, and let you interpret the rest however you like. That’s part of the beauty of poems, isn’t it? The meanings of a poem are as varied as the people who read them. But before I go, I would just like to say something: thank you, all of you, for making my life as happy as it has been so far. And I’m going to try to make Sophomore year the best year ever, with lots of laughter, happiness, and fun (and a good dash of insanity). Who wants to help me?

-M