I am in a comfortable space on Heidi Mordhorst’s front porch for our long awaited Inklings retreat. We’ve been meeting on Zoom as a writing group for around 10 years and this is the first time we’ve been together in person. Heidi’s front porch welcomes the morning sun and is a perfect place to sit with coffee and type a PF post.
I don’t always participate in the Poetry Sisters’ challenge; however, this month’s prompt is a favorite of mine, Pádraig Ó Tuama’s Pantoum.
July Sings, Sizzles
Cicada song sizzles with rising heat.
My neck sweats, wet like a glass of iced tea.
I feel my body slowing down.
Even the birds stop singing by ten.
My neck’s wet like a glass sweats.
Shade just an illusion of cool.
Even the birds stop singing by ten.
Yet, today I release another butterfly.
Shade, an illusion of cool, waits
for grief like the great blue heron he drew.
So today I release another butterfly.
I had a dream he returned like the sun.
Grief is the great blue heron he watched.
I feel my own body slowing down.
I had a dream he returned as my son.
Cicada song rising with the heat.
Reflections on the Teche 