People’s People Love: Community Poem 2025
~written by congregants, assembled by Elizabeth Bullmer

I love chicken enchiladas & tamales; family; warm tea in my belly; fresh bread;
clean sheets; my new comforter; soft light & crawling into bed at night; sleep;
dreams that linger; quiet days at home; complete silence; warm laundry; being alone.

I love tomatoes from the garden & oranges in winter; BBQ chicken; family dinner;
white cake & reunions; unpredictable weather; early morning at my bird feeder;
anything with fur, scales or feathers; tree frogs; farmer’s markets; fresh asparagus;
reading a good book; going out for breakfast; gluten-free muffins & rhubarb pie.

I love generous people; patience; forgiveness & laugh lines;
solitary moments; sitting quietly; holding hands; sharing; full custody;
swordfish with black olives & onions; truffles; a new hobby.
I love understanding; Persian food; voices in harmony; sweat & solidarity;
listening to Dad tell a story; remembering those who walked before me;
wind in my hair; eating great dessert; goat cheese; cream-filled pastries;
curiosity; courage & honesty; fountain pens; a new word; memories.

I love cinnamon; dates & Key lime pie; ice cream on a warm day; French fries;
lattes & pistachios; green gumdrops; snowdrops; Aha! moments & being alive;
I love the cowlick in my sweetheart’s hair; when my grown children grin;
finding joy; listening; wonder; new beginnings & seeing a child win;
cookies; my grandson’s smile; a baby’s laugh; watching children play;
hugs; love stories; late night calls & the first conversation of the day.

I love simple beauty; meditating; spiral stairways; safe space;
sunflowers & spearmint; smiling at strangers; taste of black licorice
on my tongue; the first snow; shoveling; family pictures & crocuses;
smell of fresh popcorn; puppy breath; Grandmother’s biscuits; honey;
laughing together; texture; dark chocolate; love itself & morning coffee.

I love gut-wrenching laughs; vulnerability; feeling physically strong;
feeling free to share; my new apartment; long soaks in the tub.
I love common awareness & unplanned days; my beloved; tender touch;
walks at Asylum Lake; myself for all my failings & friends who I trust;
roasted root vegetables; Indian & Thai food; burn of spice on my tongue;
feeling full of life; sunsets & crystals; sacrifice; justice for everyone.

I love a quiet evening; stillness of morning; dancing & dancing & dancing;
running with wild abandon; searching for the Big Dipper; all the seasons;
thunderstorms; baba ghanoush; black raspberries & Hunan Gardens.
I love the gifts of the universe; opportunity; crunching lemon drops; creativity;
connecting with nature; taking deep breaths; bonfires; holding community;
the smell of fall leaves; lavender; daffodils & lilacs; trillium; tulips & goofy pansies;
sound of waves on the beach; chickens talking to themselves; native plants; chicka-dees.

I love adventure movies; sighing; gratitude; lying in the sun; live bands & comfortable shoes;
being in the moment; new experience; beach sand; fishing; Netflix & The Moody Blues.
I love working with my hands; spoken truths; good government; cooperation;
sunshine on water & Lake Michigan; a completed task; physical labor;
volunteering; appreciation; taking action together. I love napping & cuddling & rainy days;
my old red wagon; escalators; bridges to nowhere; over-specific play-lists;
humming; fuzz balls; fireworks; lip-syncing to Chappell Roan; magic & Jesus.

I love singing in a choir; new crafts; The Kingston Trio & Sting; jigsaw puzzles;
cars & The Gypsy Kings; poetry; art; spirit animals; building things;
the bursting of bubbles; trampolines; woodpeckers; seagulls & hearing Darryl sing;
I love hellebore; paddle boarding; soft tee-shirts; baking; camping;
making it through greenlights; squirrels & ferns unfurling in early spring.

I love the hour before dawn & day-long trips; distant train whistles; a cardinal’s song;
weeding; planting bulbs; dirt under my feet; smell of earth after rain; the Pacific air;
swimming; swelling buds on a maple; fruit; the full moon; flannel & flickering fire.
I love my Goldendoodle’s endless joy; travel & discovery; Harry Connick, Jr. & British TV; watching cats sleep; Depression glassware; forests; waterfalls & Ocean City.

I love angels; wet dog noses; animal tracks in snow; warm water; Easter baskets;
good ideas & Pinot Grigio; Brandenburg Concertos; sharing with friends; Yeats;
Braham’s German Requiem; Dua Lipa; tricycles; vibrations & squeaky gates.
I love Biebl’s Ave Maria; Christmas lights; Bach; watering plants; musicals; knitting socks;
this beautiful, fragile planet & People’s Church; sailing; cedar swamps & all kinds of rocks.