“I Always Try To Look Up”

by Samantha Terrell / September 13th, 2015

down in the dumps,
but the temple exhibit in a museum
with an ornate cathedral ceiling
that I almost missed, is uplifting–

unlike the unknowns
of relics, minds, and bones
that ask to steal our attention
away from the wisdom

of fellow spectators
whose sage words
are sometimes more relevant
than that

of a curator
or counselor,
in giving gentle advice such
as, “I always try to remember to look up.”

Samantha Terrell is a Pushcart-nominated poet and the author of multiple five-star collections, most recently Dismantling Mountains (Vellum Publishing UK, 2023). Her poems have been widely anthologized in publications such as Dissident Voice, Green Ink Poetry, In Parentheses, Misfit Magazine, Nine Cloud Journal, Open Journal of Arts & Letters, Poetry Quarterly, Red Ogre Review, and others. Originally from the American Midwest, Terrell and her family now reside in Upstate New York. Read other articles by Samantha, or visit Samantha's website.

This article was posted on Sunday, September 13th, 2015 at 8:02am and is filed under Poetry.