Slice of Life Day 4. Join the Two Writing Teachers Slice of Life Challenge.
Today must be “Opposite Day.” While yesterday I posted a joyful Mardi Gras celebration video, today I am sitting in bed with a glass of tea, a decongestant that hasn’t started working yet, watching the cold rain mixed with sleet come down. If we didn’t already have the day off for Mardi Gras, I would have called in sick or the superintendant would have cancelled school due to icy bridges. The bayou is steaming. The flowers are drooping and saying, “Hey, what gives?”
While I was driving to New Orleans on Sunday, the clouds were billowing, a warning of this day to come, I suppose. As I watched the clouds, I was struck by a metaphor of a bridal gown. Who knows why. I looked up some bridal gown terms and wrote a poem. Laura Shovan has been doing a poetry writing challenge at her blog, Author Amok. She posts Pantone colors every day, and we are invited to write a poem and submit it to her. This has been great practice for me. Her colors for today include Stormy Weather, how appropriate.
Partly Cloudy
The bride was dressed in billowing waves,
blue-grey Chantilly lace layered
over a white-topped empire waist.
Her scalloped neckline accented by rays
of sunlight peering through a cathedral train.
Her attendants, those high Mississippi kites,
flew with utmost grace
announcing her imminent arrival.–Margaret Simon
Reflections on the Teche 
Gorgeous skies – lovely poem. Strange how we can be inspired in such unique ways.
Lovely, Margaret, a positive look at stormy weather. So funny how our minds work! You don’t need the rain, but we sure could use some. It’s cloudy here too & I took a picture of the clouds, but in our dry climate, often the rain does not reach the ground, it is called “virga”. I love the way you kept your ‘a’ sounds!
Such a gorgeous picture you paint with your words!
I love your analogy of the colors seen on a bride to that of the clouds in stormy weather. I hope that the bride doesn’t run into stormy clouds (on her day or in her marriage!) Thanks, as always for your writing.
Oh, that’s lovely! This was an especially arresting image:
blue-grey Chantilly lace layered
over a white-topped empire waist.
Sorry to hear you’re not feeling well, but your creativity is still intact. 🙂 Beautiful imagery in your poem – I can “see” the bride. Especially love the first line, “The bride was dressed in billowing waves…”
I love it! What an image! I really like the narrative paired with the photo and the poem. It all comes together really nicely.