Listening...

I like this relatively early poem of Mom's because it signals to me the attention and close observational skills she focused on the natural world.  I like to think, too, of how essential careful listening is to my own work in conflict mediation...  Mom listened carefully.  She looked closely.  She saw significant details.  She heard remote whispers. This close attention to the world was at the center of her life in science, her poetry, and her art.  She attended with similar care and love to her family.  Oh world, I will listen now all the more intently with Mom's ears, since I love you both.