An online friend posted his One Little Word for 2026 -- perspective -- and a poignant invocation of the need, especially in these times of cruelty and need, for the long and varied view. This inspired me to sit with the word for a while. I know of few better ways to think about perspective(s) than through poetry, especially Jane Hirshfield's "assay" project.
In chemistry an assay is a series of tests that analyze the properties of a substance and its components.
How to honor what is, or might be lost, while also finding hope and meaning? How to see the backside of the moon? What is outside the photo's frame?
. . . . .
Perspective – an assay
under the blanket
of a cicada summer night
the river valley echoes
the doppler-wail of a train
abandoned motel –
in this tinier town
chicory blooms from the
parking lot cracks
he demanded more perfection
that a child could deliver
and
he threw so many baseballs
his shoulder hurt
in the ocean
under an immense black sky
a tiny boat cradles
a hopeful family
on the midnight frost
the cold glisten
of the full moon’s light
just a moment behind the blues note bend
memories
of my parents
the medicine
hurts
the medicine
helps
happiness is a furtive bird
love in a minor key