Welcome to This Photo Wants to be a Poem, a low stress weekly poetic writing prompt. This week’s photo is courtesy of Molly Hogan, who is an amazing photographer/ poet/ teacher in Maine. She has sent me a few photos for this weekly prompt. (If you would like to offer any photos, please send me an email. You will get credit, but the photos will be free for reuse.)
In keeping with Laura Purdie Salas’s 15 Words or Less prompts, I encourage you to write a quick short poem. To help build a supportive community, please comment on three poems with an encouraging response.
A soul in solitary
Margaret Simon, draft
silence seeks
a soft whisper
of solace.
Your turn. Leave your poem draft in the comments. Thanks!
Reflections on the Teche 
Love the alliteration in your poem, Margaret, and the mood it evokes. I hope to be back tomorrow!
Your poem could stand alone I think. So peaceful, so quiet. I love the use of solace and soft whisper. Calming. Mood-setting.
Molly’s photos are spectacular. Thanks for sharing this one. And I love all the ess sounds in your poem, Margaret. Here are a few words from me:
alone in the mist,
cormorant huddles with
his reflection
Beautiful response, Buffy. The juxtaposition (not sure if this is the right word?) of huddle and reflection, as if he gets comfort from himself.
This photo has such a solitary feel for me and you capture that perfectly, Buffy. I also really like your use of the word “huddle.”
I love it that he’s hanging out with his reflection. That’s perfect.
I was so drawn to that reflection. Imagining the bird having a conversation with his friend or twin. I like your Haiku format. Lovely.
I love the s…s…s…s…s
Margaret, I also love your alliteration and the lines, soft whisper, of solace! Your poem makes me think the bird wants a little bit of comfort in the silence. I also love Molly’s photo of this bird. Buffy, you identified the bird! I kept thinking it was some kind of goose, but it looked like a diving bird, which didn’t make sense to me. I wrote my poem saying the bird was a goose before I ready Buffy’s poem. Buffy, I love your lines, cormorant huddles with, his reflection. It makes me think the bird is snuggling it’s reflection so it’s not lonely. You also have alliteration with “huddles” and “his.” Here’s my haiku:
river mist rises,
goose poses,
reflects on it’s reflection
Thank you, Margaret for this opportunity to write. Thank you, Molly for the great pic!
I’m so glad you like the picture, Gail. I really like how your poetic scene builds and then pauses with the reflection. Your final line is very effective with your use of two forms of reflect.
Thank you, Molly. I joined your blog.
Love the use of r sounds, river, rises, reflects. The word cormorant would work well with all those r’s.
Thank you, Margaret. You’re right! I have to change it to cormorant.
I love the repetition of “reflect.”
Margaret, thanks again for hosting this! My second line is lifted/stolen from one of my favorite poem’s–Wendell Berry’s “The Peace of Wild Things.”
at the river, the cormorant
“rests in his beauty on the water”
within me, hope stirs
Well, shoot! I could have at least looked HERE before deciding the bird was a Great Blue Heron. OOOPS! But, back to your words….yes, beauty stirring within. That’s what it’s all about. Well done.
Ah, that line works beautifully. I had that same feeling of hope from the photo.
I love that you used a Wendell Berry line. My son accuses my husband of quoting Wendell Berry every time he opens his mouth. 🙂
Oh indeed, resting near the water, stirring hope, I know this feeling and like your poem. A lot. It would be fun to have students (I was a teacher) illustrate these as part of a poetry moment and then try their own or vice versa.
Again, I’m thankful for this Thursday morning poetry wake-up. Molly’s photos take my breath away. Her story telling with a lens is powerful.
Photographer
Stones
in the water
Mist
from the sea
One
great blue heron
caught
me
Snap
I love the simple form of this poem. And the shout out to Molly as the photographer.
Thanks for your very kind words! I love the timeless feel to those first few lines and then your twist.
Quiet cormorant
Thinks its peaceful morning thoughts
Contemplates breakfast
You can read the cormorant’s mind which I’m sure is contemplating breakfast.
My birder brother says i anthropomorphize, so I tried to think bird thoughts. 🙂
Really nice, Ruth….so normal….so peaceful
“Contemplates” is the perfect word here and adds to the overall mood you’ve created.Nice!
Ah that contemplation !!! I like your getting into the thoughts of the cormorant. Communing with nature. I think that’s natural for you, Ruth!
[…] « This Photo Wants to be a Poem: […]
So glad I found this thanks to Ruth. I want to join in!! I signed up to follow on email and hope that works.
I find your alliteration with the /s/ sound so soothing and reflective of that moment in real time so beautifully captured by the photo.
Like a soliloquy. How long have you had this going? I just tried to fix my problem with wordpress so I receive notifications on blog postings. I don’t want to miss the PP2020 sign up! Irene told me you are doing it this year, yay you! And thanks in advance. Please look for an email later.
Janet, this is only the second photo prompt. Thanks for reminding me about the progressive poem.
Margaret: Thanks so much for the invitation. I would like to join in this fun also. I love the visual prompt and the 15-word limit… it feels like I can accomplish it!
I know this is late, but here is my attempt:
A wistful water foul
Contemplates
Stepping stones
Into the mist.
Best, Karen
Thanks for joining in. Lovely alliteration.
Ah yes, Karen. Your bird (love water foul) contemplating those stones. Don’t you wish s/he could tell us what they were thinking!!
Here’s my little poem. Better late etc.
I love the fog lifting, the reflection and the idea of the bird getting ready to share her ideas with the world.
Is Anyone Listening?
Silently
the feathered audience arrives
ghost-like, unnoticed.
They settle softly.
Await this silvered-morning’s
wistful soliloquy.
The feathered audience fits so well with the image. Thanks for playing along and your persistence in commenting.
I can’t seem to leave a reply for a particular poem. Please advise.
Thanks!
Solved!!! I do have to see an ophthalmologist on Monday, just saying. Hopefully nothing serious. Is there a way to edit or delete a comment here?
I am able to edit. Shoot me an email.
Margaret, I did not have time to write a poem for your photo challenge but I’d like to be a writer and a contributor of a photo. Let me see where Molly’s photo takes me.
Hi Margaret! Molly’s photo is amazing!!
amid a plethora of perches,
the serenity
of settling on a place
that pleases
Love the alliteration of plethora and perches, place that pleases. It does please, doesn’t it? Thanks for playing along!
Such a sensitive, and peaceful image, thanks for sharing Molly’s photo Margaret!
sanctuary masked in fog
welcomes moments of
placid solace…
I like “masked in fog”. Thanks for responding.