Poetry Friday round-up with Linda at Teacher Dance
Rose of Sharon photo by Cynthia Lord
I love being able to connect with authors through Twitter and Facebook. I met Cynthia Lord at NCTE last year, and she has graciously allowed me to be her friend on Facebook. The photos of her home in Maine place me there, much like her middle-grade books do. I was involved with the Summer Poem Swap this summer. I wrote this poem for a poet who lives in Maine. My visit to Maine became a walk through Cynthia’s garden.
Cynthia’s Garden
When the haze sweeps in,
I stop by Cynthia’s garden
to see the pink rose of Sharon
surprise with a bridal white.Cynthia asks me in for tea,
a warm taste of sweet honey-orange spice.
On the center table,
sweet pea, Queen Anne’s lace, elderberry.On the mantle, a photograph
of last winter’s snow, thick and unshoveled.
We look and sigh, knowing
this moment of surprise sweetness
is fleeting.Her kitchen window looks out on the bay.
Colorful sails rise like kites
above crystal blue. We talk
about bunnies and blueberries
and boys who love to sleep
outside under the stars.When the haze sweeps in,
I tell Cynthia goodbye
and hold her heart
like a poem I want to hear
again.–Margaret Simon
Reflections on the Teche 
Just lovely, Margaret!
The final simile is beautiful. Your poem also reminds me of our Rose of Sharon — we had a hummingbird visit this week!
So lovely, Margaret!
Oh what a lovely poem and visual for this lovely late summer day in Maine.
Hi, Margaret! I received this swap poem on my return to Maine on Tuesday! I loved it! And the phrase “lifted” from my poem is used so beautifully in yours!
I love “like a poem I want to hear again” – a sweet thought.
I was going to ask if I could share this poem today, but catching up on sleep after an overnight train ride, and finishing up the Spark challenge got me behind!
Might I (re)share this next Friday – for those who may have missed it this week?
Thank you, also, for the journal. I’ve already written”When the Haze Sweeps In”, and my entry for Spark in it. Not sure if I’ll use it for ideas or finished poems yet! But used it will be!
I hesitated to post because I wasn’t sure if you had gotten it yet. If you want to, you are welcome to repost. One day I need to travel to Maine. You make it sound so wonderful.
What a lovely thing, to make these Maine connections, through FB with Cynthia, with her books, and then with Donna, too. Maine is one place I’ve never been either, Margaret. Your poem helps me imagine.
It’s a lovely poem you’ve written Margaret! And like everyone has said so far, the last stanza is great, and quotable!
What a wonderful visit you’ve imagined to Maine–like a poem I want to hear again!
I would love to visit Cynthia’s garden for real…thanks for taking me there with your words!
Me, too. I can only imagine it.