One of the joys of summer is participating in Tabatha Yeatts’ Summer Poetry Swap. Tabatha creates the matchups, and we enjoy sending and receiving poetic gifts.
This week I received a gift from Jone MacCulloch. Jone took an amazing trip this summer to Page, Arizona where she took photos in Secret Canyon. She wrote a beautiful poem capturing the feeling of being there. She had the image printed onto a plaque that has a stand, so it all becomes a piece of art to display.
I took a quick trip to the beach in Florida last week with my daughter. I posted an interesting image on Instagram and invited friends to write a haiku to it. I had a few takers. The catch was they couldn’t use the word “sun”.
reflective water
Kaylie Bonin ( a former student, now college freshman)
meets the blinding summer’s jewel
they kiss in between
day’s ending
Linda Baie
water ignites
one final moment
yellow and white light
Evelyn Migues
drawn together by nature
reflects the divine
my eyes catch the light
Gloria McKenzie
bright reflection from above
I need sunglasses
If you want to play along, leave a haiku response in the comments.
Reflections on the Teche 
Of course I want to play along! I’ve been trying to post a gratitude photo each day on instagram. I’m not familiar with the platform and it feels new and I feel like a newbie. But, I’ll get there. I think I saw this photo….but didn’t see the caption.
no smoke or mirror
here between serene sky–sand
only reaching rays
Love serene sky-sand! What is your Instagram name? I need to follow you.
Where on IG are you posting haiku? I would like that.
It’s linked in the sidebar of my blog. I just posted the image and asked for haiku responses.
Where on IG are you posting haiku? I would like that.
I had forgotten the challenge, Margaret. Thanks for sharing it and the others, too. Jone’s picture is an inspiration, isn’t it? And your own picture brings me to the beach, my yearning already for more. Love everyone’s responses.
Summer swaps are full of creativity and are great friend-to-friend greetings. Jone’s photo is gorgeous as always and her poem brings me back to Tuscon. Each morning we were greeted by a wise Native American flutist and inspirational speaker who ended his ceremony with sage burning ceremony to cleanse the day. The smell of blue sage and looking out into the expanse was a memory never to be forgotten.
I did not see your instagram post but would love to write a haiku for an image poem. I will circle back. Thank you for sharing the beauty of summer.
Your trip to Arizona sounds wonderful on this frantic first day of school.
radiating light
spreading summer’s message-
reflect and ignite
©️CVarsalona, 2019
Thanks for your nature-treasure filled post Margaret, and poetry responses. Here’s mine,
earth, water, and sun
not much more is needed
but compassion
©️2019 Michelle Kogan
Love your gift from Jone, and each haiku is a gem. I was especially taken with the first one by Kaylie Bonin. You can tell she had a great teacher 🙂
reflection
spilling sand stardust
between tears
PS. Thank you for sharing my poetry swap
What a lovely gift from Jone! I would really like to come up with a haiku for you, Margaret, but nothing’s coming to me right now. It’s a beautiful photograph—perhaps if I sleep on it.
I read Laura Pudie Salas’s Thursday prompts every week and have a rule for myself that if the poem doesn’t come in five minutes, then I don’t write one.
That’s a good rule!
But here’s mine anyway. 😉
summer’s end
the starfish reaches
for shore
I love how these haiku are all using the s sound.
our star
temporarily earthbound
winks at us
Love this one! Thanks for playing.
LOVE Jone’s lizard poem, all the s’s and no lizard! Here you go:
tide pools, long and light
stretching, storing low evening
tiding us over
Jone’s photo and poem are stunning! I love the idea of sharing a photo and asking for haiku response. I’ll play!
where sky and water
kiss a flash of gleaming light
captures the moment
Love “kiss a flash!”
What a beautiful image poem from Jone! I’m captivated by that undulating rock and especially love “The scent of blue sage enters.” I will definitely try to follow along with your haiku image prompts. I love the idea. I gave this one a whirl, but can’t focus well right now. You’ve gotten some lovely responses though!
[…] Then yesterday, my mailbox gifted me twice. First was a Summer Poetry Swap from Margaret Simon. I sent her a poem one of the poems in my Secret Canyon series which she posted HERE. […]