Poetry Friday round-up with Mary Lee at A Year of Reading.
The Time is Now: “Think back over the past year. What does the memory of each month feel like? What is its emotional tone, vibration, form? Write a poem in twelve parts that tries to capture each month’s abstract feeling in a single line or stanza. Like Wallace Stevens’s Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird,”
I looked through Facebook and blog posts throughout the year to create this poem. It may mean nothing to you, but it was a meaningful exercise for me. I hope you will find peace and kindness in 2016.
12 Ways of Looking at 2015
January:
Sometimes on the bayou in January
light hides behind grey,
the owl hoots before sunset,
shadows disappear
and I watch
for a poem hiding there.February:
Sounds abound, poetic listening
beads flying to the beat
of the djembe drum.March:
Wonders lead us
to a masterful old oak
walking his roots
to hear his wisdom.Watercolor painting of Mr. Al by Jerome Weber
April:
Are you an author,
a poet, an illustrator?
What are you doing in this place?
no faking it here.May:
Packing up mugs, vases, photos,
stories, memories,
voices of many children,
the heart of one teacher.June:
A walk in the woods,
I come across a doe,
eye to eye
we are mothers
holding in a moment
nature’s promise.July:
Life changes in an instant
gun shots in a theater
lives lost, lives changed,
tragedy closes in on home.August:
She must come, August
and paint me in the picture
of a daughter engaged to a boy.September:
Miles and miles to go
driving to Chicago
bringing a sister home.Illinois farmlands
October:
She makes the dust fly!
Eating gumbo with queens
is the way to conquer the world.November:
Glow like the lemon in the sunlight.
Be the harvest.December:
Magic tricks, magic windows,
magical gifts, magical white wigs,
the season of magic is here.–Margaret Simon
Reflections on the Teche 
Eating gumbo with queens
is the way to conquer the world.
Yes, indeed! You seem to have had a magical year despite the event in July. I hope 2016 surpasses it all!
What a year…I love that you found something in each viewpoint that was poetry and meaningful and nourishing.
I love this! What a great exercise. Happy New Year!
I LOVE how you wrote about your year. What a beautiful poem!!!! So beautiful! Thank you for sharing!
What a lovely way to recap your year!
This is so beautiful, Margaret! I especially love “Glow like the lemon in the sunlight.” Wishing you a 2016 that’s filled with magic!
“the season of magic” — lovely. Great exercise, Margaret! It turned out so well. January might be my favorite.
A wonderful exercise, and I loved the glimpse into your heart in each poem! I love coming to your blog, Margaret — thank you for the whimsy and wisdom here!
I got enough from each month to know something about what you were up to and also to wonder about what I don’t know! Really lovely and happy 2016!