My friend Lory is a retired first grade teacher who now works at the Avery Island Country Store. She posted a picture of a small sleeping fawn. A sure sign of spring on “the island.” Today in my class, we are on the letter K for poetry month, so I am writing a kouta, aJapanese form that contains a quatrain with the syllable count of 7, 7, 7, 5 or 7, 5, 7, 5.
Early morn, she saw a fawn
a nestled speckled pillow
Where’s your mama, little one?
Can I be your friend?
Margaret Simon, draft
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The 2025 Kidlit Progressive Poem is with Ruth today: There is no such thing as a Godforsaken Town.
Reflections on the Teche 
Thanks for this inviting and lovely nature break Margaret, your sensitive poem and new to me kouta poem form!
nestle in nature’s carpet
like a new spring fawn
curled in cautionary care
queue-ready for change
Michelle Kogan, draft
Michelle, I love nestle in nature’s carpet! Curled in cautionary care is so good.
Margaret, what a sweet photo of this “speckled pillow”. I also love your use of “nestled” here.
Michelle, “nestle” seems the perfect word for what this “new spring fawn” is doing. And those last two lines make me (and the fawn) extra alert.
Camouflaged little bundle
rests gently in peace, and yet
she keeps her top eye open
ready to scamper
Yes, camouflage is perfect, as is keeping her eye open, and love the ending with scamper!
Denise, I love camouflaged little bundle. Isn’t the fawn precious? I can’t stop looking at it. Love your juxtaposition from resting gently in peace to the possibility of danger with the fawn’s eye open. Ready to scamper is a great ending.
I like how you brought in the opened eye and a fawn’s potential for scampering. Camouflage is a good word.
Margaret, this photo is precious! Thank you for the new poem form and your inspiration. I love “nestled speckled pillow” and your questions. When I looked at the sweet fawn I thought about what the fawn was thinking. Therefore, I first wrote a poem from the fawn’s POV. Second, I wrote a poem in my POV. Here’s the second poem.
Your white dotted coat looks as
soft as my kittens’ long fur.
Glad you are camouflaged.
Hope your mom comes soon.
Gail Aldous draft
I have hope that Mom was nearby, too. Thanks for writing.
Thank you, Margaret.
Gail, what a sweet poem, especially the ending with hope that she will be safe with her mother coming soon. I like that you wrote from both POVs. That is a good reminder for me to try to do likewise sometimes.
Thank you, Denise. I enjoy writing from an animal or an object’s POV. When I taught Poetry Enrichment classes my students had fun writing from an animal or an object’s POV, too.