Back to school after winter break I noticed my student’s backpack and his surfeit supply of pencils and clean, pointy eraser heads. He was prepared! I’m not sure this arrangement with his initials on each pencil and eraser was done by him, his mother, or his grandmother, but it made me chuckle and think back to the days of raising my children. They were lucky to find clean clothes to wear.
I admire anyone who can be this organized. I struggle with being organized. It’s a goal for every year, and every year I fail. What does this photo recall for you? Please leave a small poem in the comments and encourage other writers with your responses.
Pencils
Margaret Simon, draft
stand ready
for another year
of thinking, writing, erasing
Surfeit*
- word of the day meaning an excessive amount of something.
- daily elfchen
Reflections on the Teche 
Love the use of that last word, surfeit. I forget that “word” is not “my word” anymore. My focus is still going to yummy words. I had to stay home for 2 hours today for a doc. appt. So, I get to do this photo! Yay, me!
This forest of trees
writes stories across the snows
new year tells us much
I love the metaphor of trees writing stories. Glad you had time to play along.
Pencils as trees in the snow – clever!
I love the image of writing “stories across the snows”! Wonderful!
Yay, Linda! Great personification and imagery-trees write stories across snows.
standing again
a whole other year
Will you stand?
Will you break?
Will someone take you away?
In this world,
you may.
by Avalyn, 4th grade
I like the questions in Avalyn’s poem and the feeling that anything is possible in their world.
This is wonderful! Rhyme for the win.
Love the questions and repetition!
Surfeit is a great word, Margaret.
Pencils
assembled like soldiers
ready to march
across the page
leaving letters and words
in their wake
Rose, great personification and imagery of pencils as soldiers marching across the page leaving letters and words. The nutcracker ballet came to mind.
Margaret, great personification and imagery of pencils standing ready for another year of thinking, writing and erasing. Thank you for sharing and for your inspiration.
my mind,
my pencil
create
a poem:
sparkling snowflakes
form a flying snow angel
imprint from my heart
Gail Aldous, draft
“imprint from my heart” is a lovely phrase, Gail.
Thank you, Rose. Glad you liked it.
[…] right time to step into the world of Poetry Friday. This week Margaret posted a great picture in This Photo Wants to be a Poem of a collection of pencils gathered in the pocket of a child’s backpack. They reminded me of […]
Margaret: I struggle with organization also. Ugh! This photo, though, begs me to write an elfchen… here goes!
colors
invite me
pointy parts invoke
my heart and brain
poem
Just right with the form. Pointy parts invoke is a great line.