Rate:5.0 / 4 votes

The Beauty That Surrounds Us

Susan Mayer Brumel 1955 (Newark, NJ)

Free verse
When our world is cast in shadows,
and we’re feeling challenged by
the failings of the flesh,
we can take in the quiet beauty
that surrounds us, and
-if only for a moment-
breathe deeply from
a lightness that buoys us up
and pulls us through the darkness…

About this poem

When we’re feeling weak and hopeless, our heavy hearts can become lighter, our spirits brighter, just by taking in the natural beauty that surrounds us.

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Written on January 04, 2023

Submitted by susan.brumel on January 06, 2024

15 sec read
122

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABCDEFGHI
Closest metre Iambic trimeter
Characters 264
Words 53
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 9
Full analysis for The Beauty That Surrounds Us »

Susan Mayer Brumel

I am a retired hospice social worker, who began writing poems about 2 years ago. I am married, a mom of two sons, a Bernese Mountain Dog, and grandma of two grandchildren who are the loves of my life. A lover of all animals and most people, I enjoy spending time in nature, long walks, and reading Pablo Neruda, Blake, William Carlos Williams, James Joyce, Mary Oliver, Emily Dickinson, Maya Angelou, Leonard Cohen, and more. Baudelaire tells us to ‘be drunk’ on something every day; I am drunk on poetry and intend never to be sober! more…

All Susan Mayer Brumel poems | Susan Mayer Brumel Books

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4 Comments
  • karlcfolkes
    karlcfolkes
    Thanks for this uplifting message inviting us to focus on the beautiful things of life that offer us light even in moments of darkness.
    LikeReply 13 months ago
  • lovingempath
    lovingempath
    Simply beautiful Susan!
    LikeReply 13 months ago
  • susan.brumel
    susan.brumel
    I do appreciate your comments, but when I write, ‘failings of the flesh’, I am referring to challenges of aging and disease rather than sin or weakness of character. I’m also speaking to the beauty and power of nature to nurture us, not cure our ills. Poetry is open to interpretation, but in this case, I may have missed the mark. 
    LikeReply3 months ago
  • luisestable1
    luisestable1
    Two things to see in this: the doctrine that the flesh is weak, not to trust, sinful or deficient and responsible for our troubles. And when we are troubled by it just look around and the beauty present would be enough to alleviate our problems.
    One religious minded would be in agreement with what the poem says of the flesh. 
    LikeReply3 months ago

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"The Beauty That Surrounds Us" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 27 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/177542/the-beauty-that-surrounds-us>.

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