Song Book Poem by Naomi Shihab Nye

Song Book

Rating: 4.3


Tiny keyboard bearing the massive reverie of the past—
press one button, we're carried away on a country road,
marching with saints, leaving the Red River Valley...
here is every holiday you hated, every hard time,
each steamy summer wish. You closed your eyes
in the wooden stairwell, leaning your head against the wall,
knowing a bigger world loomed. It's still out there,
and it's tucked in this keyboard too,
now we are an organ, now we are an oboe,
now we are young or ancient,
now we are smelling wallpaper in the house
our grandfather sold with every cabinet,
table and doily included,
but we are still adrift, floating,
thrum-full of longing layers of sound.

COMMENTS OF THE POEM
Bernard F. Asuncion 02 February 2019

A fine poem by Naomi Shihab Nye.......

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Ratnakar Mandlik 02 February 2019

Great write. Congrats on modern poem of the Day.

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Adrian Flett 02 February 2019

There is a sweet sound of music in the poet's thoughts, which seem to be lacking in the lines of the poem.

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Dr Antony Theodore 02 February 2019

we are still adrift, floating, thrum-full of longing layers of sound. such a fine poem. tony

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Edward Kofi Louis 02 February 2019

Dress! ! To address! ! ! ! And to press one button; With the muse of the Keyboard. Thanks for sharing this poem with us.

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Chinedu Dike 31 August 2022

A beautiful creation nicely put together from the heart...

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Khairul Ahsan 03 February 2019

'now we are an organ, now we are an oboe, now we are young or ancient, now we are smelling wallpaper in the house' - Lines that I loved. a poem that sounds like a song.

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Mahtab Bangalee 02 February 2019

in tired reverie of life - You closed your eyes in the wooden stairwell, leaning your head against the wall, knowing a bigger world loomed/// interesting song

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Mountain Man 02 February 2019

Song book says alot about life... Very good poem there................

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Glen Kappy 02 February 2019

as she usually does, naomi gives us a good measure of satisfying details. i especially like knowing a bigger world loomed and thrum-full. this is a good variation on writing down what an object summons for us, another example where we see that things can be more than just things. -gk

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Naomi Shihab Nye

Naomi Shihab Nye

St. Louis, Missouri
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