Welcome to This Photo Wants to be a Poem, a way to wake up your poetry brain. Please write a short poem (15 words or fewer) in the comments. Try to comment on other poems as well. Spread the word through sharing the link on social media.
I’ve been following Kim’s blog for a few years. We’ve never met face to face, but we’ve connect through National Writing Project and #clmooc and Slice of Life with Two Writing Teachers. I love how connections can be made across the continent. Kim lives near San Diego, California. She posts beach pictures often and is quite an amazing photographer. In this post here, she photographed a great white egret in her neighborhood.
Today’s photo from this post grabbed me and said it wanted to be a poem. Kim gave me her permission to use it. You can follow her on Twitter (https://twitter.com/kd0602) and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/kd0602/).
If this is your first time, don’t hesitate to join in the poem fun. There are no critics here. It’s all good.
A circle of sea
Margaret Simon, draft 2020
wrapped in sand and shells–
a mosaic by the master.
A walk on the beach
Reveals
Mysteries of life from the
Depths
When I walk on the beach, I always wonder about the origins of the shells I find. What was their path to the beach? You have captured that wonder.
Mysteries of life, yes. Where do they come from? So many wonders under the sea.
Oh, yes! Love the reveals
What Leigh Ann said! I love beach combing and those deep sea reveals!
Ooooh! I love this photo. Thank you, Kim. I didn’t know until this week the that they tongue twister, She Sells Sea Shells By the Sea Shore was about Mary Anning. That’s the first thing that came to mind when I saw this photo. My love of the “s” sound shows up here!
Sometimes
She finds
sand-sugared
spangled sea shells
shining by the sea shore
The alliteration is wonderful and does remind me of the tongue twister.
Sand-sugared shells is a beautiful description.
Love your s-sounds and that sand-sugared! I might have known the Mary Anning connection at one time, but I appreciate the reminder. National Women’s Month is being overshadowed this year.
Such a fun response, Linda. I didn’t know that about the tongue-twister either. Have you read “Remarkable Creatures?”
I just could not get past the center looking like a nose!
Playing hide-and-seek
in the sand
Can you see me
behind my seashell mask?
I love it. I can see the mask now!
Great was of seeing this! Hide and seek is perfect for this.
I love you light-hearted response, Leigh Anne! You’ve totally changed how I see the photo now.
Margaret – thank you again for this challenge and thank you Kim for the picture.
“a mosaic by the master” represents the power of our creator. Beautiful!
I especially like the idea of the sea wrapping the sand…usually, I think of it the other way around. That’s what I love about poetry! It often flips the expected way of thinking. I’ll admit, I’m too scared to draft a quick poem right now. But I may return before the day ends. I’m in a commenting mood right now!! Thaks for sharing Kim’s information!
I like your “mosaic” image Margaret—and wonderful photo prompt, thanks!
Listen,
with pearlized eyes
as water washes
away fear…
©️2020 Michelle Kogan
Ah, the sound of the waves washes away fear. Something we need desperately now.
Michele, you captured it! Those waves do wash away fears! And pearlized eyes….yes!
I like the way that this poem begins with “listen” even though it springs from an image – and then to listen with eyes… evocative!
I enjoyed all these poems and especially the tongue-twister, Linda. I hope you won’t mind my sharing it with my granddaughter? (And others with credit to you!) But I don’t know Mary Anning. I also love Leigh Ann’s “playing hide-and-seek in the sand”. That is so true. Having spent so much time at the beach as a child (I grew up on Long Island, NY) I have so many warm and happy memories. I am drawn by its magnetism always. And my poem is true! Thank you Margaret and Kim. I like your Haiku very much, Margaret.
Beachcomber for Life
Bowls of shells
splashed on tables.
Treasure……
nestled in memory
of days by the salty sea.
Love how your title tells how you’ve collected shells as treasured memories.
I love how you used the word “splashed” in this poem. It’s perfect!
I love this idea! Thanks for sharing!
Shades of sea gather
Allowing me to choose
The perfect color for my walls
Thanks for a fun poetry stretch this morning.
Choosing colors from nature! Yes!
I do like the shell poems and the descriptions included..!
Seagulls swarm down,
squawking and swirling
on silent swans,
dignified and pure.
Love you s-words and the ending, dignified and pure. Thanks for joining in.
random gathering on sifting sands, sun-kissed portents of tide.
I had to look up portents to check the meaning. Great word use!
We, once whole, were shattered.
Once wholly shattered, we were
Bits of ourselves, held together by sand and water.
Together, bits of sand and water held ourselves.
Now together, we are bits of sand and water.
It’s not *quite* right – but it’s late & if I don’t post, I’ll lose it…
I love this, how the words themselves shatter and come back together. I’m so glad you joined in.
Amanda–How you played with the words here, rearranging, repeating, was so intriguing. I wrote something but forgot to post it yesterday. Oops.
sea, shell, sand
color, collage, community
all in this together
We are all in this sea of confusion together, a new definition of community.
Well, I’m late chiming in. Somehow things are a little off around here schedule-wise. I actually wrote this yesterday, but forgot to share it.
Shells (with a nod to William Carlos Williams)
So much depends
upon
a cluster
of shells
circling into
fragmented
perfection
“fragmented perfection” Thanks for coming back. You leave such nourishing comments!
I think WCW would approve. So much really does depend on our natural world.
Margaret, I also meant to say that I love the final line of your poem. Perfect!