The Alchemy of Invention

As I pondered the concept of ‘building’ it soon became clear that it surrounds me all the time. It struck me that the moment where we ‘lose ourselves’ is quite magical. I’ve tried to capture the beauty of those moments for each of our family members here.

//He places the next block, tongue slightly protruding in concentration

The structure rises, pleasure growing

The dream becomes embodied in colourful array.

He consults the diagram, background noise dulls as he

Tries an option, this way, then that

Focus governs every limb and sense.

A line swirls on the page, then another

Red ink, pink. Circles, lines, dots

Now in a frenzy as they swarm together.

He ensconces himself in a bed of cushions

Hands on the keys, crafting insights and epiphanies

An idea builds into another, an explosion of delight.

The words grow under my fingers

Faster, louder, more insistently

I see myself from above, beyond my limited perspective.

We build.//

This post is part of a link up with an amazing community writers at Five Minute Friday. We free write for five minutes each Friday on a prompt. (‘//’ denotes the start and end of the five minutes.) Join us!

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14 comments

  1. Emma,
    how beautifully you capture each one. Just as God “sees” us, you have given each person the ability to be seen here. And we want to be seen!
    Lovely post, my friend!
    -Tammy
    (#7)

    1. Being seen is so key, isn’t it 🙂 That is a great way of putting it! Appreciate your lovely comments 🙂

  2. Love this! I love watching kids play and create. They are so full of wonder and life. I’m in the #5 spot this week.

    1. Thanks Tara 🙂 They can sure teach us a lot with the unbridled passion and focus they can unleash at times! Thanks for stopping by!

  3. Your words just get more poignant every time. I love that word “ensconces” and also, seeing yourself from outside, looking in on what you are building. That helps to appreciate the chaos and the mess, doesn’t it? Your block tower looks beautiful from here:)

    1. haha it was a bit of a risk to use the word ‘ensconces’ as I wasn’t entirely confident that it meant what I needed it to mean! But yes, drawing back is such a powerful way to appreciate the swirling chaos and realise its beauty… how did I not discover poetry before now?! There really is no going back, is there?

  4. Fun imagery. You made me think of one of my master builders at home who, when in the thick of building, sticks his tongue. It must be a sign of genius. 🙂

    Visiting from FMF.

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