My friend, poet-librarian, Linda Mitchell nudged me to follow her colleague Hope Dublin’s Instagram @hopesview2021. As I perused her amazing photographs, this one grabbed me. It seemed to be asking to be a poem.
I take pictures of things that hold beauty or intrigue. Sometimes it is a bit of both.
I can’t wait to read the words inspired by the photo. It was taken at Riverview Cemetery in Strasburg, Virginia. The title of the book is The Last Unicorn, a fantasy novel by Peter S. Beagle, published in 1968. I go on a lot of walks and one of my favorite places to walk is a cemetery. They are peaceful, beautiful, filled with hints at history, or stories waiting to be told.
I should also tell you that I discovered the book in a little free library and happened to be carrying it on my walk. I put it down to take a picture and thought it made a more interesting image than the gravestone I was originally going to take a picture of at the time. The book was opened on a random page but happened to be page 13.
Hope Dublin
Join me today in this cemetery with your book in hand. What is it about? Why do you carry it with you? Who is present in this place? Write a small poem in the comments or link to your blogpost. Leave encouraging comments for other writers. (I am happy with my draft, and that is not something I say every day.)
Sometimes we carve our stories
Margaret Simon, draft
onto headstones
for the world to notice.
Sometimes our stories hide
inside dandelion seeds
blowing in the wind.
Sometimes, our stories are told
over & over time until
someone has memorized
the words.
Reflections on the Teche 
Oh, I do love the idea of those seeds spreading stories….I had similar thoughts with a nonet.
Be
a dandelion
send out seeds
as words of song
high notes in this meadow
a reading of the last unicorn
beginning with all the magic held therein
ending with wishes for you and me and–
all the unicorns that ask to be remembered today
Lovely! I like thinking of dandelion seeds as words of song.
Linda, nice nonet. I like how you incorporated the title in your poem, and the magic and wishes, for all of us and those in the cemetery too. I like “high notes in this meadow” too.
Linda, you are making think that you are a troubadour roaming the countryside in search of the magical unicorn!
Love beginning with be. “High notes” of this song is a comfort.
Love your invitation to “Be/a dandelion” and your spice of a unicorn from all different times, thanks Linda!
I really appreciate how the magic of the unicorn from the book combines with the magic of the wishes from the dandelion. I love the idea of unicorns asking to be remembered.
Linda, your poem is beautiful and fun. Your first words hooked me and I especially love these lines
“send out seeds
as words of song
high notes in this meadow.”
Hope, thank you for the beautiful photo. I’ve enjoyed reading your description and looking at your photo, dreaming about its poem for me today.
Margaret, I love your draft too. I love the idea of story, and it made its way into my poem too. I love the stories from the headstones and dandelion seeds, and those told over and over, the ones never forgotten. Beautiful.
Our final rest is
elsewhere, but
among the dandelions
and wanderers
you are welcome,
where lichen
makes its home
on our headstones.
Sit here with them a while.
Read your magic, but also
Enjoy their history.
Listen to their hush.
They have stories to tell.
Stories are everywhere, it’s true. Beautiful poem, Denise.
Denise, there is much to love here…lichen is something I return to in writing. Not sure why. But, I love finding it in others writings too. “sit here a while” is so inviting…as is magic. I’m on my way.
Listen to their hush…Cemeteries are places that do hold stories, Denise. I like how you created a tale from the photo.
Read your magic, lovely invitation into this scene.
Beautiful, soft, and magic filled ending in your poem Denise, thanks!
Oh my, Denise, beautiful images, a beautiful voice, a beautiful story, and an invitation! I especially love these lines “where lichen makes its home” and “Listen to their hush.”
What an intriguing photo, Margaret and Hope! Thanks for sharing. I love the way you incorporated the headstones, dandelions, and words into your poem, Margaret.
Words come alive
each time they are read.
They scatter like dandelion wishes
far and wide.
Keep memories alive.
Lovely, Rose. You have done a nice job expressing this photo, connecting the words in stories with the memories in the cemetery.
oooooh…bringing words…names maybe to life by speaking them. Love this.
Word scatter like dandelion wishes, like poems from Rose.
I love your “scatter like dandelion wishes” too, thanks Rose!
Like the other commenters, I was drawn to your line about wishes. Funny how wishes & cemeteries go together, isn’t it?
Rose, a beautiful poem. I love the effect of the repetition of “alive” and I also love the line “They scatter like dandelion wishes” like everyone else does.
Thanks Margaret and Hope for this inspiring image, love that it’s in black and white! Definitely a story in this image and the dandelion seeds and stories work so well, lovely!
MARCH ON
Dandelion bookmarks
marking time
passage
Scatter in cemetery’s field
filled with
old souls.
Headstones, seeds, and words
mingle together
old and new
become one.
Dandelion bookmarks – what a great line! It has my head spinning in multiple directions… Good thing I didn’t read this before I wrote mine!
All merges together-lovely thoughts, Michelle. I can imagine what your illustration would look like.
Oh my, Michelle, your poem is beautiful! When I first looked at the photo I thought it looked like a pressed dandelion in the book. “Dandelion bookmarks” hooked me and your words reeled me in to the last one. I love the flow of your words; great ending.
Michelle, I love the connection between old and new, and the way time will “March On” and like others, I think “Dandelion bookmarks” is magical.
dandelion bookmarks! Love that! And, old souls…what IS it that’s so attractive about cemeteries? I love them.
These solid words
mark a life
a story
ephemeral as the dandelions
but blown for you
Amanda, thanks for sharing your poem. I always love seeing the word ephemeral appear in writing.
Amanda, I love your poem and the effect your last line “but blown for you” gives to your words.
Ephemeral is such a wonderful word choice.
Amanda, lovely. I love the juxtaposition of the solid book and the ephemeral life’s story that is beautifully captured.
I can see why you are happy with your thoughts that make a lovely poem, Margaret.
Here’s my quick write:
dandelion days
whispers in the wind float by-
mysteries unfold
Carol, I love the idea of dandelions being “whispers in the wind” unfolding “mysteries.” Great poem.
Love the alliteration of d’s in the first line.
I love dandelion days, and the idea of the mysteries unfolding in the whispering winds. So many beautiful sounds here, Carol.
A beautiful poem, Margaret! I love the effect of your repetition of the words: sometimes, our, stories. I especially love this stanza
“Sometimes our stories hide
inside dandelion seeds
blowing in the wind.” You chose a great photo and I agree it was begging for a poem. Thank you for your prompt, poem, and inspiration.
I wrote a haiku, but then I wrote the poem below, which is different and I think better than the haiku.
Dandelion Seeds
Our children
blew
dandelion seeds
dancing
in the park,
I read your
favorite poems, as
our grandchildren
blow
dandelion seeds
dancing
at your grave
to the
rhythms.
Gail Aldous
There is something so sad yet joyful about this poem, dancing with grandchildren.
Thank you, Margaret. I’m happy you interpreted the sad and joyful effects. The photo inspired a memory of our daughters blowing dandelions seeds in the park because my husband didn’t want the girls to blow the seeds into his lawn.
Oh, Gail, such a rich poem that shows the passage of time, life and death. How can such a simple idea and small poem hold such profound meaning? It is beautiful.
Thank you, Denise, your comments are meaningful to me and I appreciate them. I am happy you interpreted “passage of time, life, and death.” Those thoughts swirled in my head as I wrote, but I couldn’t articulate them until now that I’ve seen your comment. Do you know what I mean? I am thinking I DID write about “passage of time, life, and death” sadness and joy, didn’t I? I have noticed you have an excellent ability to express the meaning of people’s poetry. Thank you so much.
Thank you, Gail, so much for the sweet comment. Your poem through the generations did it!
The Book Dropped
dandelion fluff in flight
pages flutter
Once upon a time…
sings
but how does it end?
Hope, it’s so great to see you here. I love how your title sets up this poem. Love the words fluff, flight, and flutter.
Hope, thank you for your beautiful graveyard photo prompt. Your alliteration of /fl/ in the lines “dandelion fluff in flight/pages flutter” hooked me. I love “Once upon a time…/sings” and your thought provoking question ending.
Wow, Hope! Your photo inspired us all, and now your poem continues to. I’m so glad you shared your photo and poem with us. I too love the /f/ alliteration and the title melting deliciously into your first line. The last question is perfect for the cemetery setting and touches on eternity.
This is such a great photo. Even though I didn’t find the time to write this week, I appreciate this weekly prompt so much! Thanks, Margaret, and thanks, everybody who wrote beautiful words. Ruth, thereisnosuchthingasagodforsakentown.blogspot.com