Today, Ash Wednesday, feels like a day for an open field, a sunrise, a few clouds. My body is tired. As they say around here, I Did Mardi Gras. Every day– Saturday to Fat Tuesday. I welcome the rest, the coming down from a party hearty high to a calm cloudy Lent. I invite you to peacefulness, to look to the fallow fields for solace and grace.
I
Margaret Simon, draft
am still
staring out
toward the field,
fallow and fertile
whispering to the wind
secrets of stillness and peace
believing that time can heal wounds
believing strong faith starts with good soil.
Reflections on the Teche 
Margaret—this is so beautiful, and wonderfully amazing: the other day I saw a similar image that immediately provoked a poem, and (unusually) I could not stop to take a photo, nor could I find any available photo online that resembled my perception!
FEAST
Abundant grey gathering
clouds, a bountiful offering
on golden platter of sunrise.
Draft, Carol Coven Grannick
Carol, I love how your abundant grey clouds are “a bountiful offering/on golden platter of sunrise. Beautiful imagery and personification in your poem. I love to watch clouds, the sun, and the moon. A “golden platter of sunrise” is a WOW. Thank you for sharing.
I love the “golden platter of sunrise.” Yes!
I neglected to share my comment on your lovely poem—the shape and language are so peaceful and beautiful. “Whispering…secrets of stillness and peace.”
Margaret: Thank you, your poem/photo seem perfect for today, and your intro is poetic in itself. Plus the nonet, a favorite form. And Carol, I love your abundant gray mirrored with a bountiful offering…and then the golden platter. Lovely! I’ll stop back again when I have some lines together.
The
day is
gray and flat
to my eye, but
high up in the clouds
something hides, yet it glows
something shapes more than we know
there’s glory there, a lambent light,
play of color, and endless wonder.
– Karen Eastlund, draft
This is beautiful, Karen. I love the feel and belief in something hiding, yet glowing…shaping some “glory…and endless wonder.” So powerful.
Ooh, Karen I love the build-up and suspense. I love the repetition of “something”, the sounds of alliteration and consonance of /s/, and the ending rhyme. I also love these lines “there’s glory there, a lambent light, /
play of color, and endless wonder.” A powerful ending; I love all those sounds. Lambent is going in my word journal. Thank you for sharing.
“There’s glory there” I wouldn’t normally like the placement of two theres so close together, but it works here and then we get the lovely alliteration of lambent light.
Margaret, I am happy for you that you had fun at Mardi Gras for four days. Were you dancing? The news said it was a warm Mardi Gras. I love the colorful costumes. It seems like it would be a wildly fun time. I understand what you mean. I miss the adrenaline high from cross country skiing and the peacefulness and rejuvenation of skiing through nature. We haven’t had a lot of snow here. Your photo is beautiful and also inspiring.
I love the nonet form for your poem, the sounds of your alliteration, consonance, and assonance. My favorite lines are “whispering to the wind/ secrets of stillness and peace”. I also love these lines’ “believing that time can heal wounds/ believing strong faith starts with good soil.” repetition of “believing” and your ending “faith starts with good soil” bringing the reader back to the fallow and fertile field with a powerful message. You always write meaningful poems. That is what I need to improve on. Thank you for sharing your poem, photo, and inspiration.
I long for
peacefulness
winter’s mesmerizing snowflakes
hugging hemlocks and pines
wind chilling my face
frozen creek’s designs
breathing freshness
draft Gail Aldous
Gail, lovely imagery, particularly the reference to “frozen creek’s designs”…They bring such an artistic pleasure to the cold and frozen winters around Chicago!
Carol, thank you. I appreciate it. Ooh, cold, windy, Chicago. I’m keeping my fingers, nose and toes crossed for the winter storm to dump snow in the southern Adirondack Mts. to cross country ski. I’m also hoping for snow closer to where I live near the Saratoga Springs, NY area. How much snow have you received?
Actually not that much snow, for us. But the grey days become a bit oppressive, since I know blue skies no matter how cold help me thrive.
Carol, I’m replying to your reply about blue skies. I agree blue skies bring beauty and positivity.
Loads of cold imagery here. I misread frozen creek after “chilling my face” to “frozen cheeks designs” and had to laugh at my mistake.
Mardi Gras temps were cool to perfection, lows in the 50’s, highs in the 60’s with lots of sunshine. We had to sunscreen the little ones. For us, warm means 80’s.
Thank you, Margaret.
Oh Margaret, your words are comfort. Bless you.