Today is the last Friday of September. Time for the Poetry Sisters’ challenge. I was inspired this month to play around with their challenge to write a diminishing verse. The basic idea is to remove a letter from the end word with each line.
Layers
Margaret Simon, draft
We are only stardust
holding on with unsteady trust
painting layers, repairing rust.
My students wrote Zeno poems to This Photo. I was impressed with how well they tackled this difficult form. Kim Johnson wrote one, too, and is featuring it on her blog Common Threads today.
Reflections on the Teche 
Lovely poems, Margaret—yours, James’, and John-Robert’s. Thank you for sharing.
Wow, stardust, trust, rust. What powerful words for your diminishing poem on layers. I’m going to have to try again and find a great word to start with. I love what the boys did with the Zeno. You’re right; it’s impressive work with a new and challenging form. I’m going to look at Kim’s on her blog now too.
Margaret, I love the word selection in your diminishing poem, starting with stardust. Beautiful!
I’ve always loved the word stardust. Thanks for your lovely poem and the student Zenos!!
“holding on” to stardust, a science we are learning day by day, Margaret. The challenge was fun, & I enjoyed your students’ poems too, so thoughtful.
Such a lovely trio of poems. I love how you worked from stardust to rust and I really enjoyed both of the Zenos. I’ve forgotten all about that form! I always find inspiration on your site–thanks!
You are amazing and you do such good work with your student writers!
Stardust is such a beautiful word and your poem is lovely. I enjoyed reading your students’ poems too! You are a great writing teacher!
Love your ‘diminishing’ poem, Margaret. So many of my layers are accumulating rust. Ha! 🙂
Thanks for spreading some stardust, holding steady and reminding us to repair. And what sensitive poems from your students—lovely sweet gum image!
I so enjoyed your diminishing verse, Margaret. I don’t think I’d have seen the stardust/trust/rust connection, but love it.