This poetry month I didn’t commit to write a certain type of poem every day like many other poets I am following. I decided I would write to the muse. Wherever she lead, I would follow.
Among my weekly teacher-poet emails, I get Teach this Poem from Poets.org. This week the poem to teach was “Earth. Your Dancing Place” by May Swenson. One line (“Take earth for your own large room”) jumped out at me and wanted to be a golden shovel. After messing with it in my journal, I created this draft.
Earth’s Heartbeat
If you take
a moment with earth,
touch her for
her soothing spirit, place your
hand on her beating heart, your own
heart will open a door to a large
living room
Margaret Simon, draft 2020
I was also inspired by Catherine Flynn’s post that included the NASA Earth Day poster. The artist, Jenny Motter, used the idea of listening to the pulse of a tree to create this amazing image. There is much more imagery used in the artwork that you can read about at the NASA site.
Reflections on the Teche 
Lovely, Margaret. I love thinking about the earth with a beating heart. And I love that NASA poster. I want to head over and read more about it. Thanks for sharing.
Once again, I love how you find inspiration in so many places, Margaret! What a great strike line!
WOW!! Thanks for teaching me today. A poetry form. A link to a poster with video explanation. I’m glad I could be in “your class” today through this blog post! Happy Earth Day. You are celebrating it proudly!
I love your golden shovel and thinking about the earth as my living room, especially during this time when my living room needs to expand. I loved reading about the NASA poster. Where would I be without the enrichment my fellow bloggers bring to my life? Happy Earth Day!
What a beautiful golden shovel…and it illustrates the poster perfectly. I love the idea of a large room…in my heart and the hearts of others. Lovely
The golden shovel is stunning as is the photo – I will have to visit the NASA site. Thinking of the pulse of trees, the heartbeat and spirit of Earth … we are seldom “still” enough to sense these and to hear the messages that surround us … but we are meant to. We are meant to live in closer communion to nature than we do.
I loved Swenson’s poem, too, and the poem it inspired is beautiful. “Your own/heart will open a door…” is my favorite image.
I love the way you work words to make them whimsical.
That image is amazing! I have been hoping to try a golden shovel this month but keep waiting for the right line to inspire me. The imagery in your poem is so lovely–the heart’s door opening to the living room.