Possibilities

Maria Popova of Brainpickings shared this wonderful poem and commentary of Wislawa Szymborska’s “Possibilities” (with bonus reading by Amanda Palmer). I was inspired to try my own homage.

I prefer books.

I prefer cats.

I prefer maples in the fall.

I prefer Emily Brontë to Charlotte Brontë.

I prefer Christ to Christians.

I prefer keeping a black pen and notebook on hand (just in case).

I prefer the color purple (it pisses God off if you don’t notice).

I prefer ideas.

I prefer intuition.

I prefer to stay at home.

I prefer not to talk.

I prefer the deep love of years spent together to the rush of passion in new love.

I prefer truth.

I prefer kindness.

I prefer honesty without wounding.

I prefer watching.

I prefer silence.

I prefer deep snow in winter to sweltering humidity in summer.

I prefer fall most of all.

I prefer picking apples.

I prefer handmade soap and jewelry.

I prefer real maple syrup with buttermilk pancakes.

I prefer Riesling.

I prefer stacks of books and papers to neatly organized shelves and cabinets and drawers.

I prefer looking at the night sky in the country.

I prefer fireflies and frog choruses to birds.

I prefer my grandmother’s sewing machine humming.

I prefer the open sky that goes all the way to the ground.

I prefer my children just as they are.

I prefer possibilities to probabilities.