I am reposting this week’s prompt for Poetry Friday. I have taken on a weekly photo prompt from what originally was done by Laura Purdie Salas at her blog: “15 Words or Less.” With a new title, I am posting a photo on Thursdays for whomever feels compelled to write a small poem response. To join us each week, subscribe to my blog in the right margin or watch for it on Twitter @MargaretGSimon or Facebook (Margaret Gibson Simon). We welcome all writers.
Please read and respond to a few poems as well as post one of your own.
This week’s photo comes from Amanda Potts in Ontario, Canada. Amanda is an amazing educator who blogs at Persistence and Pedagogy. I grabbed her photo from an Instagram post. She joined a challenge called #EducatorsONtherun with other Canadian educators to run or walk 1.5 km for 45 days from May 18 (Victoria Day) to July 1 (Canada Day). Her Instagram posts each day were full of beautiful images and inspiring messages.
Let’s honor Canada Day with poems. Write a small poem of 16 words or fewer. Place it in the comments. Be sure to respond to other poets with encouraging words.
(A note about 16 words: William Carlos Williams once wrote a small poem about a red wheelbarrow using only 16 words. Amazing things can happen in small poems.)
After the rain
Margaret Simon, draft
droplets cling
Sprinkle green leaves
with feeling
So much depends
upon the rain
Reflections on the Teche 
I love the time after a morning rain shower as they “sprinkle green leaves.”
I tried to use the same form as The Red Wheelbarrow. Thank you for including it as a mentor text. I always enjoy this challenge!
so much depends
upon
a rogue morning
sunbeam
kaleidoscoped with rain
drops
along the garden
path
Oops…I copied from my notebook wrong. It should be
along the garden
path
I love that so much depends on small things. I like your take on Williams’ poem.
Leigh Ann, I love how you worked in Williams words, also. Your images of “a rogue sunbeam” and “kaleidoscoped with rain drops” jump out at me, wow!
Leigh Anne, “rogue morning sunbeam” is perfectly beautiful here, as is the image of kaleidoscope colors in the raindrops … I feel like I’ve just walked that morning-fresh garden path. So inviting and lovely.
I really like how you’ve transformed the idea of “depends” here – a red wheelbarrow speaks to me of work; here, we depend on beauty. The images “rogue morning sunbeam” and “kaleidoscoped with rain drops” really make this come alive!
Leigh Anne, I didn’t know that I could edit a comment, but aha! I can. So I changed morning to garden for you. The so much depends upon line works well over and over. Love kaleidoscoped.
Thank you, Margaret!
Amanda IS amazing – as is her photo! I appreciate the poetic sentiment and significance of “so much depends on the rain.” Indeed. Literally and figuratively. Here’s my happy Canada Day acrostic tribute:
Compass of morning
Absolving, adorning
Northward pointing
Aquatic anointing
Dew-tears keep heart and leaf
Alive
I love your use of the -ing words in this poem and the image that each one evokes. Love aquatic anointing!
Thank you and I wondered if I should have used -ing with keep: “Dew-tears keeping heart and leaf alive”-? I think yes…
Thanks for the kind words – you know this is a mutual admiration society, right? And your poem! The “-ing” repetition takes a static image and gives it life – the acrostic vanishes wonderfully into the words – and the first line is a noun, then all the actions… it really works. Wow.
Fran, I think the missing ing from the last line works fine. It’s nice to do something a little different, thwart expectations?
Great acrostic for Canada. I’ve never been but would love to go someday.
Fran, wow! I also like the repetition of “ing,” your rhyme, and alliteration, but your use of “dew-tears” and they “keep heart and leaf/alive” give me feelings I can’t even describe. Love it.
I love how you used the -ing in morning, a noun, and then used it in the other verbs. Very subtle.
A lovely offering, Margaret. So much really does depend on rain.
Hi Margaret. Thanks for your prompts. I always enjoy receiving them.
Water drops
spiral outward
along veins
of waxed leaves,
to tantalize
the ground.
Thanks for joining us, Janice. I hadn’t noticed the spiral of the drops. Love the word tantalize.
Ah, that lucky ground, I like the personification you’ve given it!
Janice, I love how you included the spiral outward/ along veins/of waxed leaves. They do look waxed. Ooh, “tantalize” is excellent!
So glad you decided to post this post again Margaret, for I wrote a poem on Thursday morning but didn’t have a chance to add it.
I love your closing two lines,
“So much depends
upon the rain”
I feel like an eternity of thought could grow from these two lines. Gorgeous image too, thanks. Here’s my poem:
Spider droplet
dance your heart out
with your
focused abstraction
on nature’s patterns
I love your “dance your heart out” personification. Thanks for joining in.
Michelle, wow! Great imagery and personification! “Nature’s patterns” are always works of art.
Make larger.
Amplify.
Give the viewer
New perspective.
In each droplet the
Focus captures
Your imagination.
Magnify.
Thanks for reposting! Can’t wait to join in more often!
I love how each observer sees something new. I hadn’t thought about the amplification of focus in each droplet. I’m glad you joined in.
I hadn’t thought of the amplification, either. Love the lines, “focus captures/your imagination! It sure does.
Beautiful, Margaret. Isn’t it funny how a physical sight can evoke such emotion in the viewer, but it does?
I love this weekly prompt even when I don’t publically participate. So often, I tuck away ideas to investigate later in my notebook. Amanda’s photo is beautiful–I think it’s of lady’s mantle leaves. The rain gathers on them so beautifully and I’ve taken many photos of my own trying to capture it in my garden. Thanks for the weekly spark, Margaret!
*publicly (spelling has been an issue for me this weekend! lol)
What an amazing photo! I’ve always loved The Red Wheelbarrow. Thank you, Margaret for another 16 words or less challenge. I love how you worked in that the “droplets cling” and “sprinkle” with feeling. Plus, I love how you worked in Williams words at the end, which bring the reader back to “rain” and “ feeling.”
Here’s my haiku
rain droplets
green gems
form a star (or take out the words: form, a, and the last line is only star)
I like the suggestion to take out form a:
rain droplets
green gems
star
And if it were centered, the poem would look like a raindrop.
Thanks for playing along, Gail.
Oh, my gosh, you’re right! Thank you for both suggestions!
rain droplets
green gems
star
I had the poem all centered with “star” in the middle, but it self corrected itself.
My blog does that to me all the time. Sometimes, I create the poem on Canva or some other image app if it needs to have a certain form.
droplets
remain
storm has finished
its work
nature refreshed
Thanks for joining in, Sandie. I love “nature refreshed” which is just how it feels after the rain. Ah!
Thank you. Loved the prompt.
Sandie, I love your line, “nature refreshed.” It brings forth the clean pine scent after a storm, the relief of pollen washed away, and moments of when my mind has needed refreshing, especially during this time. Indeed, nature does good “work.” Thank you for reminding me.
Margaret, I drank this photo & your poem. Appreciations.
a cloud
drops drips
ground greens
straighten up,
proud
Margaret, so many of our plants just wimp & wilt in this Florida heat if they sky doesn’t (or if I don’t) water them. Appreciations for your post!
Prayers for Florida, who like Louisiana, suffers a spike in Covid cases along with long hot summer days. We welcome the green and the rain. Thanks for joining in the poetry fun.
Love your alliteration and personification! It does look like the “greens/straighten up/ proud.”