Welcome to my weekly photo prompt. A few years ago, Laura Purdie Salas held a weekly prompt called 15 Words or Less. When she decided to stop posting, I took the idea and made it my own. If this is your first time here, the idea is to write a quick, small poem draft in the comments and leave encouraging comments for other writers. I also post this prompt for my students each week on Fanschool. This week we have a break, so they may or may not join in.
I love to look up at the sky. On any given day, the sky can change my mood. On the day I took this picture, the clouds were wispy cirrus clouds that mean high air pressure and cooler temperatures. They are a happy contrast to storm clouds or the grey stratus of a winter day. Even as an adult I enjoy looking for images in the clouds. I took this photo while out on carline duty, so only now do I have the time to see the shapes. Do you do this? Can you find an image in the clouds? What do you imagine?
Did you know there are many names for colors of the sky?
Try to use one of the color words in your poem. Today I am writing a cherita. It’s a short form of three stanzas. The first line is one line, the second: two, the third: three. Similar to haiku, a cherita captures a small moment or story.
Carline Duty
Look into the Carolina blue sky.
Find the great white heron
with whispering white feathers.Be curious about the secrets
of sky gods
who oversee the safety of children.
Margaret Simon, draft
Reflections on the Teche 
Beautiful cherita, Margaret!
Hope
in peaceful dreams
swans fly through sapphire skies
toward tomorrow
How wonderful, Rose—flying toward tomorrow in hope. I’m going to hold onto that….
We need all the hope we can get. Swans, of course!
Rose, your hopeful poem is beautiful! I also saw a swan, but then I remembered when I saw turkey vultures as I drove toward Highlights Foundation. Remember that’s when I met you a few years, ago. I love all your /s/ sounds, your internal rhyme, and imagery.
Rose, lovely poem filled with hope.
No poem but – angles and dragons fly in the sapphire sky
I love this sky!
Hi Margaret,
I knew you were doing the photo prompt but hadn’t joined in before. I had a friend in college who loved looking at the sky. I learned to pay more attention to clouds from her. This morning I hoped for a pink sunrise as I drove to work, but gray, cloudy skies accompanied me. Okay, here’s what I have for your photo.
Swirly white clouds sashay / across cornflower skies / searching for the exit stage left /
I enjoy the “sashaying” clouds on a search “for the exit stage left”!
Cornflower sky is lovely and the word choice of sashay! Thanks for joining in the fun poetry play.
Yay to sashay!
Glenda, I love how your clouds are sashaying, all your /s/ sounds, and imagery.
Glenda, you painted a beautiful picture. I also love the s words you chose .
Love the photo & shades of blue. Hooray for sashaying and cornflower… swans and sapphire…whispering white feathers.
Here is mine… I guess it’s free form today:
Do you see them?
Angels– or dragons–
Winging in the sapphire sky?
I wonder where they’re going?
And why?
–Karen Eastlund, draft
Karen, how wonderful to wonder about the clouds’ journey—where they are headed….!
A color word and end rhyme! I love how this poem could be a conversation I could have with a child in carpool line.
Love the curiosity in this!
Karen, I like your questions, rhyme, and your choice of the word winging.
Karen, I saw angels also. Your question at the end is a pondering one.
For me the white clouds look like fairy-tale birds.
Yes, they do!
Gorgeous photo and poem—I love the imagery and the unexpected and beautiful connection with the safety of children. I often photograph and write about the clouds; currently I watch the clouds outside my husband’s hospital room, which seem spectacular every day. I departed from your photo to something I saw:
WOMAN IN THE SKY
Between the grey she emerged from light
posing as a cloud, one leg bent the other outstretched
in a diagonal line that turned her west
head tipped as women do, to gaze
at her child—that puff there—
soft arms wide and welcoming
Draft, Carol Coven Grannick
Carol, I’m sorry you are watching clouds from a hospital room. I hope it’s temporary and your husband heals soon. I love where you took the photo and how you take us out to a story of a woman then back to the clouds “that puff there” then back to the lovely image of a child. Masterful cherita.
Thank you so much, Margaret.
Healing thoughts for your husband coming your way. Your poem speaks of love and acceptance. Beautiful.
Thank you so much, Rose.
Carol, I love how you saw a woman “emerged from the light” and “posing as a cloud”. Such loving imagery in your last stanza. A beautiful love story. I hope your husband gets well soon.
I’m grateful for your words and wishes, Gail.
Carol, this is a lovely poem that tells a story of love for a child and the beauty of nature.
My thoughts and a prayer are sent to you and your husband. May healing be in the future days.
Thank you for your response, and your thoughts and prayer, Carol.
You’re welcome, Carol. I will also send prayers.
Margaret, I love your wispy cloud sky photo. I also love to watch the sky as I walk, hike, bike or ski, think of what I see in the clouds, and snap pics for later. I immediately saw a swan and started writing about a swan taking off, but then I remembered the turkey vultures that I saw as I drove to Highlights in PA for a poetry workshop a few years, ago. Thank you for the inspiration!
cyan blue sky
turkey vultures
soaring
watching them
I drive
up the mountain
Gail Aldous, draft
I see the image you created in the sky and enjoyed your ending lines that I did not expect.
Thank you, Carol.
Gail, you surely captured those gorgeous PA skies—one of the highlights of the Highlights workshop time! I love how the poem turns to the drive up the mountain…
Thank you, Carol.
Margaret, such a beautiful Cherita and I love how “with whispering white feathers” sounds. I love all your /s/ sounds in your third stanza and the idea of sky gods watching over children. I wonder are the herons sky gods. I tried to get the formatting correct for a Cherita on my poem, but it didn’t happen so I’m going to rewrite it with separations.
cyan blue sky//
turkey vultures
soaring//
watching them
I drive
up the mountain
Thanks for writing today. Turkey vultures are huge, aren’t they?
Yeah, their wing spans are amazing. Once when I chaperoned for my daughter’s music camp in the Catskill mountains, I saw them in the sky as I hiked. Then, I lost them. When I got back to where our cabin, I found thirteen turkey vultures across the field. I guess I followed them without knowing it. Yes, they were huge and so cool. I like how they always fly in a group.
Gail, you surely captured those gorgeous PA skies—one of the highlights of the Highlights workshop time! I love how the poem turns to the drive up the mountain…
Carol, thank you. Yes, Highlights is a beautiful and inspiring place. I hope to be able to go back some day.
Margaret, your photo captured my attention. I am using it for my Spiritual Journey post with credit to you. Your small poem echoes with spring.