I took this photo from my car window last Saturday as I drove home from Mississippi, from visiting my mom. As I drove farther west, the sun played peek-a-boo in and out of the clouds. I have so many mixed feelings while driving these flat Louisiana country roads. Longing for home while my mother tugs at my heart strings. I have this difficult feeling that I may not see her again mixed with the joy of being with her. She still knows me as someone she loves. Her face brightens when I walk in the room. While I was there, she ate her whole lunch.
Often I find solace in nature, that somehow the natural world knows how I feel and gives me something to hold onto. On this day, it was the setting sun sending rays out from behind the gray clouds.
For our time together writing about a photo, I like to turn to form. Form can give me comfort, too. A safe space to hold my emotions. Today I chose the nonet, nine lines in which each line reduces by one word, beginning with nine. I like how the form looks like a setting sun.
As the sun melts slowly on the horizon, remember
your heart is a safe place for love,
where even on the coldest winter days,
you know you are a child
playing peek-a-boo with the sun.
Memories of happy smiles
fade and lift
an inevitable
horizon.
Margaret Simon, draft
I hope your winter days are giving you some time and space for writing. Please leave a small poem, form or free verse, in the comments. Encourage other writers with your responses.
Reflections on the Teche 
“Remember your heart is a safe place for love” is such a beautiful, gentle, and true line. Thank you for this. I have a third snow day today! Our roads are so frozen with snow and ice that we can’t function in the nation’s capital area–isn’t that sad and weird?
in winter trees arerooted to the sky–reachingfor more and more blue
What a wonderful image, Linda!
Hope you are warm and safe, Linda. “Trees rooted to the sky” – beautiful.
I like the surprise of rooted to the sky.
I empathize with the mixed feelings, though in different circumstances. Like Linda, I responded to the beautiful line, “Remember your heart is a safe place for love.”
HIDDEN SUNRISE
Hidden like hope in grey disappointment
sunrise secreted by a tree promises:
I am within reach.
I will be less reticent soon.
Draft, Carol Coven Grannick
“hidden like hope in grey disappointment” – lovely line.
Thank you, Rose.
I love the line “Hidden like hope…” Your response feels calm yet unsettling at the same time. Is there a word for that emotion?
Margaret—”calm yet unsettling”…your perception fascinates me, and was one of those word choices that came without conscious thought. Knowing myself, I would say the closest word for it would be something to do with emotional resilience, taking in reality that now, in particular feels horribly unsettling and out of individual control, along with hope—something I try to keep glimmering in the hardest of times. But again, it was one of those lovely unintentional gifts of the brain….: )
Oof. That “inevitable / horizon” was a bit of a gut punch. Such truth.
“your heart is a safe place for love” jumped out as me, Margaret, as well as that inevitable horizon. Your choice of the nonet was very appropriate.
I also like to write in forms. I chose a tanka for today.
In the Golden Hour
sun shifts between clouds
preparing for the ritual
of saying good night
as if the truth of the day
rests only on its shoulders
I love the word choice of ritual and how weighted the last line feels.
Rose, I love the image of the shoulders of the clouds holding “the truth of the day”. Beautiful!
Cold days, freezing nights but nothing brings fright today
that was months ago, but now its freezing
with no snow, but it’s still fun
when you’re on the run trying
to keep your body warm
or go inside but
go out again
just don’t
freeze.
Grayson, 5th grade
The winter is here time for some snow Oh!
Why is there no snow? It is cold
but no snow. The cold is strong
but easy to beat. Put
on your coat and
dance with me
then go
home. =)
Danielle, 2nd grade
here
there
hearts
Are whole
Under
the last sun of the day
I love this small poem that begs for my heart to be whole. Thanks for writing.
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