I hope we all have moments when the natural world takes our breath away! From a cloud that you feel amazed by to an inchworm climbing onto a picnic table, you can find a sense of surprise, delight, awe if you pay attention to the world around you. The goal of this project is to share and spread the joy we feel when we open ourselves to our natural world.

For this project, I am inviting poets from anywhere to find a partner to work with. Maybe a kid and an adult work together? Or, it’s fine to work alone.

Once a month (or maybe once a season?), go outside with your partner (or alone). Find one natural thing that grabs your breath or makes you wonder. Something that is enough to bring you joy, something that is enough to make you feel moved to wonder or awe. Write a short poem (could be a haiku) to capture your subject. A poem that you can say in one breath comfortably would work well.

Post it here in the comments. Label with the poets’ first names and last initials. Please also tell where your poem is about, for example, “a farm in Maine” or “northern New Mexico, near mountains.”

Start anytime in 2026! Thank you.