My grandson Thomas “Tuffy” (age 4.5) is visiting. I took him to get ice cream at a shopping center near the bayou. There is a gazebo that has a bayou lookout up a small metal spiral staircase. I was worried about going up and coming down, but Tuffy and I did it. Tuffy did it over and over, coming carefully down by sitting on each stair.
I had my phone out to take pictures. When I gave it to him, he knew exactly what to do. Some of the shots were selfies of his face in different expressions. But one of them missed his head altogether and became an intriguing photo of the spiral stair. This made me think of the Fibonacci sequence (1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13…) that mathematically makes a spiral. Today I am echoing Langston Hughes’ line “Life is no crystal stair.”
Life
can
be a
spiral stair
anchored gracefully
to solid ground–imagining
a future full of open sky, pathway to purpose.
Margaret Simon, draftPlease respond with your own small poem. You can use the Fib form if you choose. Leave encouraging comments to other writers.
Reflections on the Teche 
Wonderful Fib—not sure I can do one, but this certainly puts me in mind of Joyce Sidman’s and Beth Krommes’ SWIRL BY SWIRL, one of my favorite read-alouds that I have delightfully “extended” into a conversation with little ones about swirls in their lives. My favorite example was a three year-old who reached up and pulled one of my forehead curls, A memorable event.
BOING!
You
reach
up to
my small curl
and before I know
what’s happened, you squeal in sweet sounds—
Boing!—and let my long curl bounce a booky, singy-song!
Draft, Carol Coven Grannick
What a wonderful poem to remember this sweet moment.
Your posts give me one opportunity after the other to find positive memories and experiences, and the words to save them—for which I am truly grateful. (If I had the energy to start a blog again, I would join the Poetry Friday community in order to feel more part of things, but I did so much for decades, I don’t think I have it in me.)
Carol, that is so precious! I love the story you tell to preface this memory. I would love to see the three-year-old “squeal in sweet sounds” So cute, and that last line is so fun with “a booky, singy-song”
Thank you, Denise! It was such a sweet surprise when she reached up and pulled my curl—they always snuggled around me in class when I read, so all she had to do was grab it! : )
Thank you, Denise.
You captured the moment beautifully, Carol. I especially love that BOING!
Thank you, Rose!
Margaret, thank you for the photo and the fun story about you and Thomas on the spiral staircase. I love the “anchored gracefully / to solid ground” in your poem. Yes, that does make a hopeful future. Beautiful idea to use a fib poem for this photo.
I used “stately mansion” in my poem from a favorite, “The Chambered Nautilus” by Holmes. Today I learned that a chambered nautilus has a ratio that is not the golden ratio we often attribute to it, so my poem took that turn.
Photographer Tuffy
approaches the golden ratio
like a chambered nautilus
content with its stately mansion
whatever the ratio
So kid-like to do it his way, like the nautilus. Well done!
I did not know about the chambered nautilus. Love”whatever the ratio.” Something carefree about it.
I like writing Fib poems, Margaret, so thank you for your model. My favorite line is “a future full of open sky, pathway to purpose.” Tuffy gave us a wonderful photo so I wanted to honor him. I started thinking about a child stretching like a spiral then snuggling up before bed. Like Carol, I also channeled SWIRL BY SWIRL and borrowed some of Joyce Sidman’s language:
The Spiral Staircase Unfolds
small
to
bigger
like tiny
Tuffy stretching up
then curling and swirling into
night-time snuggles, sweet-dream wonders, and good-night kisses
Thanks for that sweet snuggle poem. I will read it to him.
Oh, Rose, that is delightful. I love the last line. It sounds like a busy boy at bedtime!
Thanks, Denise.
steponestep twospiral stairslead you up up upreaching high, scraping the clear skyThanks to Tuffy for the photo and the inspiration! (And of course to you, too, Margaret.)
step
one
step two
spiral stairs
lead you up up up
reaching high, scraping the clear sky
Our poems work well as a pair. Love the up, up, up repetition.
Nicely done!
Buffy, I’m captivated with “scraping the clear sky” Lovely fib poem!