​The Patience of Ordinary Things
Pat Schneider

It is a kind of love, is it not?
How the cup holds the tea,
How the chair stands sturdy and foursquare,
How the floor receives the bottoms of shoes
Or toes. How soles of feet know
Where they're supposed to be.
I've been thinking about the patience
Of ordinary things, how clothes
Wait respectfully in closets
And soap dries quietly in the dish,
And towels drink the wet
From the skin of the back.
And the lovely repetition of stairs.
And what is more generous than a window?

from, Another River
Amherst Writers and Artists Press
0-941895-300
2005

​In choosing the name "Green Windows" founder and director Peggy Simmons wanted to honor Amherst Writers and Artists' founder Pat Schneider. Peggy was captivated by the generous windows in Pat's poem "The Patience of Ordinary Things." She opted for color symbolism: green can symbolize generosity. She also simply thought "green windows" was pretty. Further, using "windows" in writing prompts has led to some amazingly rich and very diverse writing. Francois Bon should also be credited. In his book Tous Les Mots Sont Adultes he explores using windows and other ordinary things in writing prompts.