Small Kingdoms

A poem highlighting the beauty of shared experiences amid nature’s hidden lives.

This poem is part of the NaPoWriMo 2025 challenge to write a poem a day in April. This is the prompt for April 24.

In her poem, Duet, Lisa Russ Spaar tells the story of two sisters making music together, based on two pre-existing songs by different artists. Today, we challenge you to write a poem that involves people making music together, and that references – with a lyric or line – a song or poem that is important to you.

I chose a line from Mary Oliver's poem "Sleeping in the Forest" as my reference.

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On summer nights, beneath the dusky sky,  
      A circle forms upon the weathered porch;
      Their laughter spills like music in the air,  
      As instruments are lifted, hearts in tune.  
The violin, it sings of distant dreams,  
      While drums pulse steady like the beating heart,  
      A flute arises, notes like birds in flight,  
      Each sound a thread, connecting them as one.
They play, and time dissolves into the night,  
      The world around them fades to quiet peace,  
      And all at once, the crickets join the song,  
      As nature breathes along with every chord.  
I think of Oliver, her words alive,  
      “All night I heard the small kingdoms,” she said,  
      The hidden lives that dwell beyond our gaze,  
      The pulse of life that thrives in shadows deep.
The stars blink softly, guardians of the night,  
      As melodies weave through serenity,  
      And in that moment, they create a world,  
      Where joy and sound converge beneath the moon.  
Each note a bridge to something greater still,  
      Where music binds their spirits, free and whole.  
      They lose themselves within the sacred space,  
      Transforming night into a realm of dreams.

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