Today’s photo is obviously more professional than the ones I usually post from my own iPhone. Janet Fagel sent this photo from a photographer friend. Such a rich photo to focus on. Being in New York, it is most likely sunrise. I see some paw prints in the snow. The tree’s shape is intriguing. What will you find here?
I’m still on my elfchen a day kick, but feel free to write any small poem form (or free verse) that comes to you. The important thing is to write and share and respond.
Willow
Margaret Simon, draft
unburdened, bent
leans to light
reaching for its offer
Life
Reflections on the Teche 
What an incredible photo! Thank you for sharing it, Janet. Margaret, your poem has many layers to me. I especially like “unburdened” and the last 2 lines. Here’s mine:
Willow,
let me be like you,
ever bending,
leaning,
reaching
for the Light.
Jane Heitman Healy, draft
Reaching for the Light… says it all.
The word choices of bending, leaning, reaching personify this image and go deeper into our own lives.
Jane, I love the “ever bending” that leads to “leaning, reaching for the Light”; the tree in the photo does seem to have such power, presence, and everlasting-ness about it, and you capture it in that phrase.
This reads like a prayer. Beautiful.
Beautiful!
thank you, Diane, Margaret, Carol, Rose, and Buffy! In my actual draft, I indented “ever bending/leaning/reaching/for the Light” which I think extends the metaphor, but WordPress doesn’t like it. 🙂
Jane, would that all of us would lean and reach for the Light. Your poem is like a prayer. A prayer that would make a difference. So moving. Thank you for enjoying the photo.
Jane, this is beautiful. Good voice and I especially love “leaning,
reaching for the light.”
Playing underneath
Flowing willow tree branches
Sparked imagination
A huge tree stood in the corner of my elementary school playground, creating a magical place to play. Was it really a willow? Maybe not… but I do remember running, playing, acting out childhood dreams in the shade of a big tree with friends. The tree is gone and the school building now houses apartments for seniors. So sad the tree is gone… think of it with benches in the shade, a lovely sanctuary for sitting with friends, remembering.
I love how your small poem connects you to this image of a never forgotten tree. I have trees from my childhood playtime. One was a wonderful climbing tree but I don’t know what kind either.
oh, yes, Diane! I like your verb choices beginning each line
You’ve captured the main purpose of trees for so many little ones, Diane!
Love how the photo sparked a memory, Diane.
Love how you captured past magic.
Ah, Diane, our childhood memories can be so strong. It sounds like a wonderful place to play and imagine. Children still adore recess and creating, And if you have grands you know that. I love that the school is now a senior citizen apartments. Your tree is reminds me of the one in the Giving Tree.
Diane, great verb choices which create good action. I love and resonate with your poem “playing underneath” a special tree from our childhood “sparked imagination” which is a great ending
what a great photo to write with! A Lovely gift this morning.
This from Ruth:
Winter willow
Beyond weeping
Frozen in grief
Ruth, thereisnosuchthingasagodforsakentown.blogspot.com
“Frozen in grief” – yes, I can see that image.
Gives me spine tingles
So much emotion in 3 sparse lines, Ruth. Well done.
Oh Ruth, how many are frozen in grief and never thaw? “Beyond weeping” is powerful. A metaphor for some of the sadness we are too often surrounded by around the world. Your poem is moving.
“Ruth/Margaret, I love the emotion in “beyond weeping” and “frozen in grief.” What a great line “Froze in grief” is!
Hello All: Super photo! Thanks for your poems. I love the verbs: leaning, reaching, bending…and the sparks! This one drew me into a fantasy…
Emerging from the mines
A great hairy goblin
Raises a lantern
Confused and blinded
In dawning light
Oh, yes! Love this imaginative image, Karen!
Ooh. I love this, especially because my first reaction was to image a monster.
What an imaginative small poem. I can see this image in the photo and in your poem.
Wonderfully imaginative! Thanks, Karen
Karen, the “great hairy goblin” coming out of the mine….ooh…who is this and what are he and the others like? There were salt mines here in this area, so it kind of hits home a bit.
Karen, I love a spooky poem. I can clearly see your images in the photo! So creative.
Solitary light
you shine, endlessly,
watching, then birthing
new days, seasons,
hope dressed in reds,
pinks, violets, gold.
Lady of the Lake,
strength of life,
help us now
to learn, to see
how precious our lakes,
our forests,
our seas.
Happy to do a quick write for this lovely photo.
I have enjoyed reading the other poems. Thank you Margaret and poetry friends.
How beautiful—and importantly painful, as well. So well-spoken.
Thank you, Carol. We really need to be sure we are not poisoning our water and more. It is scary……
I like how your poem focuses on the light, Janet.
Yes, Rose, always the hope we can find in the light. Light helps so much.
I feel the heart of the sun wishing we would be better in saving our environment.
Thank you Margaret…if only the sun could talk to us!!!
Everything about this is gorgeous, Janet!
Oh, that is so nice to hear from you, Jane. Thank you.
Wow, Janet. This is beauty, hope, longing, and a warning. I especially love these lines:
hope dressed in reds,
pinks, violets, gold.
Lady of the lake, (I adore this line.)
strength of life, …
how precious our lakes,
our forests,
our seas. I love how your work in conservation of our
beautiful lakes, forests, and seas. It’s exactly what
children and more adults need to learn about and
be helpful with.
Thank you so much as always, Gail. I will return to comment here and try hard to write this coming week. I have so many projects under way but miss my poetry too much!!!! Soon.
I gasped when I opened the photo and it unpredictably opened to the size of my entire screen. It is such a powerful image. The leaning and the shape of the right-side branch immediately brought to mind the way many Jewish parents bless their children (as we did and still do from a long distance) after lighting the Shabbat candles on Friday night.
THE WILLOW GIVES ITS BLESSING
My child, my Earth
may the light bless
and keep you.
May the light
of those who walk
your soil save
and protect you
and give you peace.
(Interpreted directly from the Hebrew blessing, so I claim no credit).
I just read a picture book with a similar Jewish blessing and fell in love with it. We have a similar blessing in the Episcopal faith, “The Lord bless you and keep you…”
I feel peace in reading this. Beautiful, Carol.
Carol, this is beautiful. I love the voice and the repetition. The first four words immediately hooked me. Thank you for sharing this Hebrew blessing.
This is lovely, and I’m intrigued by the different interpretations.
Thank you for this compelling photo, Margaret and Janet. My first reaction was to imagine a monster perhaps personifying the worries and fears we face in the night. That’s what the tree looked like to me. I’m enjoying seeing the different interpretations.
Tranquility
light soothes
the monster,
quells the swell
in heart and mind
“quells the swell” is a wonderful rhymed line, how light, especially that of the sun, can soothe what irritates us.
Everything looks better in the light of day. “Quells the swell” of the whole person–very good, Rose.
Ooh Rose, this is clever. I love that light soothes the monster.
“Quells the swell” and in “heart and mind” are excellent.
A wonderful personification that I imagine little ones might see in the tree, too—with the light soothing and calming.
I am sitting in the LA airport, waiting for the plane to take me back to Michigan after a lovely visit with my daughter and her sweetheart. This photo is making me want to return to winter!
Winter sun rises
over the frozen lake–
willow buds wait.
Lovely haiku, Buffy, filled with the hope of willow buds.
Hope and patience! Thanks and safe travels, Buffy!
Buffy, I love your poem. I especially love these lines “over the frozen lake-willow buds wait. I can clearly see your images in the o-poem. Beautiful.
Agree with other comments….I love the reminder that spring will come!
Lovely, Buffy. A return to winter but waiting for spring.
Margaret, this is a beautiful photo for a poem. There are so many interesting details in the pic. I love your elfchen. Unburdened, bent and leans to light are great word choices for lines 1-3. After those lines I especially love and resonate with the emotion of your last two lines “reaching for its offer.” Well done. I tried to write an elfchen, but it didn’t work out. I need more practice with the elfchen form. Since I live only live a couple hours from Onondaga Lake it has special meaning to me. I’ll be back later to comment on poems.
snowy Onondaga Lake
sun stars between
old willow’s branches
Gail Aldous, draft 2024
This sounds delicious as I say it out loud, and “sun stars between/old willow’s branches” is so original, Gail.
Thank you, Jane. I kept seeing the star in the photo as a sun star. Then, I thought what if I mix up and use stars as a verb.
Gail, I love “sun stars”, and can even feel dual noun and verb meanings in the use of “stars”. Lovely.
Love this Gail. “Sun stars” is unique.