Sense Of Wonder

The subject for, and the inspiration to write, December 2020’s Poem of the Month came from a Zoom Town Hall Meeting on Brain Health, presented by the Institute for Systems Biology* (or ISB) on December 8, 2020. ISB is a nonprofit scientific research organization located in Seattle.

Dr. Lee Hood, founder, and Dr. Jim Heath, president and professor of ISB, lead a dedicated crew of research scientists hard at work in understanding Brain Health (Alzheimers), Immune Response (Covid-19), Bacterial Infections (Salmonella), and many other diseases for which there, so far, are no definitive answers.

Their dedication to the research is nothing short of miraculous, and I could not help but realize that it must have started for them when they were quite young… with a definite “sense of wonder.”

I believe that a true sense of wonder is the basis for finding answers to most of the world’s problems… approaching the research with an attitude of “What If?”

Perhaps we could all benefit from a dose of “wonder” right about now.

Here, then, is my poem. I hope you enjoy it.

SENSE OF WONDER

From birth, a child is bombarded by experiences
That instill a sense of wonder quite profound.
According to Socrates, wonder is the beginning of wisdom.
Nature is the first place the sense of wonder is found.

Dew on a spider’s web; a robin building it’s nest…
A dog licking an ice cream cone in the park…
Discovering the world around him, the child begins
His journey to make his own mark.

This is what is grand about childhood: Everything is a wonder.
It is not merely a miracle-filled world.
Oh no, quite the opposite! With wonder at every turn,
It is a miraculous world to be discovered and unfurled.

Human growth has no limits; it’s boundaries are infinite!
Your intelligence, imagination and wonder are the guides.
By looking at everything as if you are seeing it anew,
You’ll not lose your sense of wonder. In you it resides.

People love to wonder, and that’s the seed of science.
We’ve been to the moon and back, and then beyond!
We’ve changed medicine and agriculture; people live longer lives.
To the miracles in our lives we are happy to respond.

There’s so much to see — there’s so much to learn;
Our time here on earth is brief.
I would rather have a mind that is opened by wonder
Than one that is closed by belief!