By Serena Lin ‘25
“Raindrops on a Leaf”
Nature’s unseen pearl
For the unhurried to discover
Busyness is a whirl.
We often rush right past
Simple beauty
Overlooked.
A lot of my poetry focuses on simple everyday moments: raindrops, sunlight, a cup of coffee, etc.
Writing a poem is a SLOW process. So as my schedule got busier, I expected myself to fall away from its practice. Why write for “fun” when I could be doing “productive” things like going to class or working in the theatre?
But surprisingly, it’s in the hurriedness that I’ve found it even more important to maintain a poetic lens in my daily life. To find gratitude and magic in the little moments. Create and craft just for the heck of it. Just be.
In my conversations with peers inside and outside the classroom, I discovered that many of them also practice gratitude. It helps us adapt to the ebbs and flows of college life, and it’s a refreshing and relatively low-effort practice.
In the spirit of Thanksgiving, here are some Pomona Moments that I would like to highlight:
Listening to music softly playing on your phone speakers as you walk home, the chill of the evening air, refreshing and crisp.
Rays of sun filtering through the treetops, a kaleidoscope of light fluttering over the pages of your book. On Marston quad, maybe this reading isn’t as dry.
Savoring a warm cup of tea: spirals of mist swirl through the air. Time slows down, for a moment.
Making a piece of art: it looks like a kindergartener threw it together, but you are grateful for this childlike moment.
How will you find joy today?
Side-note: Stay tuned for more extended poems featuring “Pomona Moments.”