God the Artist

Angela Morgan

God, when you thought of a pine tree,
How did you think of a star?
How did you dream of the Milky Way
To guide us from afar.
How did you think of a clean brown pool
Where flecks of shadows are?

God, when you thought of a cobweb,
How did you think of dew?
How did you know a spider's house
Had shingles bright and new?
How did you know the human folk
Would love them like they do?

God, when you patterned a bird song,
Flung on a silver string,
How did you know the ecstasy
That crystal call would bring?
How did you think of a bubbling throat
And a darling speckled wing?

God, when you chiseled a raindrop,
How did you think of a stem,
Bearing a lovely satin leaf
To hold the tiny gem?
How did you know a million drops
Would deck the morning's hem?

Why did you mate the moonlit night
With the honeysuckle vines?
How did you know Madeira bloom
Distilled ecstatic wines?
How did you weave the velvet disk
Where tangled perfumes are?
God, when you thought of a pine tree,
How did you think of a star?

Source: God the Artist by Angela Morgan, Famous Nature Poems http://www.familyfriendpoems.com/famous/poem/god-the-artist-by-angela-morgan#ixzz2DXEswLm9 
www.FamilyFriendPoems.com 

I love poetry about nature.  It just fits.  Nature is a beautiful treat for the eyes, and the descriptive language of poetry is an ideal medium for sharing what the poet's eyes see with the reader's mind.  This little activity helps children to make sense of nature poems.  William Carlos Williams has a book called River of Words that this activity was intended for.  However, it can be revised for any poem about nature or objects!  Have students create a pine tree and attach descriptions or questions to it from the poem.  OR have students create their own descriptions and compare or contrast!

http://madebyjoel.com/2011/07/poetry-river-craft.html