Lillian here, delighted to return to tend the bar for today’s Poetics.

Let’s start this way. Relax and let your mind wander, and then rein it in to recall a time when you received a gift. Was it wrapped in holiday paper? Did someone deliver it to your door? Did you turn a corner and run into an old friend you hadn’t seen in years? Did you find out you were going to become a parent, a grandparent, or and aunt or uncle? Did you get the opportunity to score the winning points in the last seconds of a game? Did you find a scribbled “I luv you” note stuck on your refrigerator? Did you hear a symphony with a dramatic crescendo that sent your heart soaring?

So many gifts when you think about it. Do you have someone in the family who has the gift of gab? Or a special power or aptitude? Did you give a charitable gift or present someone with a gift? In your opinion is there a difference between giving a gift of homemade jam, a gift certificate for $100, or a bracelet from a store? What makes a good gift?

I found it easy to find inspirational quotations about gifts. I read somewhere that this exact moment is a gift, that’s why it’s called the present!

Some more down-to-earth or unusual quotations about “gifts” include

“What greater gift than the love of a cat.”  ― Charles Dickens

“Acting is the most minor of gifts. After all, Shirley Temple could do it when she was four.”  – Katharine Hepburn

“Someone I loved once gave me a box full of darkness. It took me years to understand that this too, was a gift.” ― Mary Oliver

“The most essential gift for a good writer is a built-in, shock-proof, shit detector. This is the writer’s radar and all great writers have had it.” ― Ernest Hemingway

And finally, take a listen to this beautiful Shaker Song,  “Simple Gifts.” Originally written in 1848 by Elder Joseph Brackett, the Aaron Copeland arrangement is quite well known. This recording, sung by Seattle’s Tudor Choir, was arranged by composer and Professor at Boston Conservatory,  Kevin Siegfried. His arrangements of Shaker music have been performed by choirs across the globe.

So today’s prompt: write a poem that includes the word “gift”….or is a reminiscence about a gift you received or gave to someone. Gift us with your words!

 As always, please do observe the “rules of conduct” for dVerse – and for those of you new to dVerse, here’s what we hope everyone does:

• Write a poem as the prompt suggests, and post it to your blog.
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• And most importantly, please do read some of the other responses to the prompt and add a short comment or reaction. Everyone likes to be appreciated! The prompt is “live” for several days – as you’ll notice by the comments you’ll receive – so do stop by another day and read a few of the latecomers too!