Last week’s full moon was a beauty. I had a tug of envy when I saw Kim’s amazing photo on Facebook. What a capture of the forest trees pointing to full moon. The snow is clean and untouched. I felt a sense of calm and peace, all the while knowing that for the Creator to make snow, it must be cold. But this scene is deceptively warm.
Elfchen have become my go-to form this year. I am attracted to using one word to start a poem, one word to send me out on the slope of where a poem wants to take me. Sometimes I go the way of description, sometimes toward a deeper wisdom. My student has created two words for these kinds of poems, a quotem or a quoem. Quotem is a quote that sounds like a poem. A quoem is a poem that sounds like a quote. I hope you feel inspired to write something, be it quotem or quoem. Share it in the comments and encourage other writers along the way with your responses.
Slope
Margaret Simon, elfchen draft
slides toward
a hungry moon
lighting my way to
Poem
Reflections on the Teche 
I love the feel of the wonderful and gentle “slides toward” contrasting with “hungry moon”…
I am generally entranced by the moon, and like so many of us, have dozens of moon poems…But on this particular night, she taught me a lesson:
MOON SHOWS ME HER STUFF
Moon
bright bulb
glaring like
sudden spotlight
and ungrateful me
awakened too early—
Shame! she scolds, forgiving me
and flaunting her fullness above.
Draft, Carol Coven Grannick
Oh Carol, I love this personification. Yes, I have that same darn moon shining through a window without a shade. It is middle of night usually and while not terribly intrusive some nights it draws me awake and all I want to do is go and watch. Your last two lines work beautifully. I can hear her! Forgiveness, something we all need to work hard on I think, and her “flaunting her fullness” is just what she is doing. Lovely!
Thank you, Janet!
I love this interaction with Moon, demanding but forgiving.
Thanks, Rose—as I was writing, I figured she would be forgiving, given our long and loving relationship!
Oh, that full moon as a lightbulb and spotlight are such perfect metaphors, and the scolding she gives. Such an apt lesson you learned from her, Carol.
I do love when my “objects” start talking back to me….
Your poem took an unexpected turn at “ungrateful me” so I had to keep reading. “flaunting her fullness” is great alliteration.
I’m glad, Margaret—and how true…feeling ungrateful took me by surprise!
Great personification, Carol, and I like the alliteration in the last line.
Thank you, Jane!
My first elfchen. I love forcing myself into smaller bits. And a quotem or quoem sounds perfect too.
Solitude
carries me
on moonlit trails
on newborn snow, softly
Home
Thank you, Margaret for your devotion to writing and poetry and sustaining it over and over. Don Graves would be so thrilled. When I get the chance to come here, I love it.
Your first word pulled me right in and carried me home. Beautiful, Janet. I would say a successful first Elfchen.
Thanks, Rose. So glad you got a touch of help from my solitude. That is such a great “compliment” especially from you! (I used to get kids to realize that so they would not get upset if someone else wanted to write a poem say about trees!!! LOL for sure.)
Oh, Janet, this is a quoem. It is so beautiful. Your use of the adjectives moonlit and newborn fill my senses. And then reading “softly Home” at the end is so comforting.
Thank you for your lovely comment, I appreciate it, Denise.
I love it! You have captured what I so love about the elfchen form, it’s ability (like haiku) to capture a moment. “newborn snow” is fresh and comforting.
Thanks so much for your kind words and also for sharing about elfchens!!! Love it.
What a beautiful image, Janet, from line 1 all the way through. I especially like “newborn snow.”
Thank you so much, Jane. I was happy to have an inspiration and time to write. I miss writing regularly but have been busy, though aren’t we all. SO many good things in life should make me happy but I have poems to write!!!
Janet, I love the quiet image of walking on “moonlit trails/on newborn snow.” So peaceful and lovely.
Thank you so much, Carol. We got blasted with snow this am, I think I should be careful what I wish for. Driving was tough but better now. Though on those perfect nights it is lovely to imagine being out there walking those trails.
For Margaret:
Writing moon poetry….a lifelong journey it seems and this photo and your poem are spot on. Leading us to Poem. It gives me chills. I can’t tell you how lucky I believe your students to be. I do wish I was still teaching poetry and hope I can find a way back. I don’t know how you juggle it all. Thank you for doing this. Have you started thinking about the Prog. Poem yet? I know it is early but I want to be sure I can sign up. I really enjoy. Hugs and hello.
I will post a sign up in early March.
Lovely, Margaret. You inspired me to also write an Elfchen. And thanks to Janet who supplied my last word. I kept changing it until I read her poem.
glistening
snow moon
on fallen powder
peace for the soul
solitude
Rose, I love “snow moon” Yes, this scene is “peace for the soul” Lovely poem.
Soul with solitude is a soothing alliteration.
a soul-full poem, Rose.
Love the connection between “snow moon” and the landscape of “fallen powder”. Definitely “peace for the soul”…
I love the word glistening it is so perfect and the fallen powder. I think you have a gem here, Rose. Beautiful quoem!!!
Starlight
reflects, making
your brilliant face
full of silvery sunshine
Heavenly
Margaret, thank you for the inspiring photo (and to Kim D.)
I love “slope / slides” together and that description of this moon as “hungry” has me thinking a lot this morning. Your last word was a pleasant surprise.
The reflection of glow from the snow is captured in your imagery.
Love how you include sun in this poem since that is exactly how moon shines her brilliant face. Beautiful!
“silvery sunshine” is a surprising but appropriate image, Denise.
Denise, such a wonderful image of the reflection becoming “silvery sunshine”!
OOOOOO silvery sunshine on the moon’s face how perfect. And starlight another favorite word!!!! I love your quoem!!
Margaret, I love your elfchen, especially “Slope/slides…” and I love your student’s words “quoem” and “quotem.” Those belong in the dictionary! Here’s my try at an elfchen:
Moon
Beckons, blesses
Under its light
I stand in awestruck
Mystery
Jane Heitman Healy, draft
I love “beckons, blesses” and the creation of the awe-inspiring light with “mystery”!
Oh, Jane, “standing in awestruck mystery” is such a beautiful image. I’m just standing here enjoying it for a minute. I also love that the moon “blesses”
Yes to standing awestruck. I love how you have some alliteration in Beckons, blesses plus Moon and Mystery. You are giving me an idea!!! A sweet elfchen!! And I agree about quoem and quotem!!!