I first “wrote” this poem by speaking to my phone in the notes app. I didn’t start with a photographed image. If I could have, I would have taken a picture of the heron, but as we watched the scene, my cat snuck out and scared it off.
Instead I took a picture looking up at our church.
Sunday
On this day
I have plans,
compartments in my mind
like squares on the calendar.But first, I look out
at the heron on the bayou.
He stretches his neck
into the bright morning sun.I sip my warm coffee,
listen to the news,
the call of the mourning dove.I will worship today
stick my neck out long
to catch the rays of the sun,
listen to an orchestra on the lawn.–Margaret Simon
Here is a link to a padlet from JoEllen McCarthy from The Educator Collaborative with links to great #PoetryLove sites.
What lovely images in your poem, Margaret! Thank you for sharing that link too. I’m so glad to be on this poetry journey with you!
Love that last stanza…orchestra on the lawn… such an intensely beautiful image.
Love that “orchestra on the lawn”, Margaret. Sorry you missed the picture, but someday. . . I had to rise very early this am to make an app’t & the birds were certainly “orchestrating” something as I walked to my car.
The funny thing was I actually went to a symphony in the park event later in the day. A literal orchestra on the lawn.
Margaret, this photo has a great perspective even though it was not the one you intended to capture. The poem that you paired with it is lovely as well. I like that you repeated your image of sticking out a neck and the line, “compartments in my mind.” It shows the constant struggle of having to do events and wanting to take in the beauty of nature.
I am writing about image poems for SOL16 but not using your image. One of these days I will. I will send you the link because I mention your project.
Margaret-
This is lovely. I love the dichotomy between the compartments and calendar boxes, and the sticking your neck out. And I love the last stanza!