At our Inklings retreat earlier this month, Heidi pulled out the paint chip poetry box. This is always a fun writing activity. How many chips do you select? Do you go with the prompt card?
We had returned from a busy day at Planet Word in D.C.. I highly recommend a trip there if you are ever in the area. The museum is a mastery of interactive activities with language as the focus from multilingual speakers on a screen to karaoke. Molly and I laughed out loud at the joke station.
When I picked my wild assortment of color cards, I drafted a fun imaginative poem that tickled me.
Once Upon a Time in WhisperShout Studio
(a potpourri poem)
Here on Spirit Rock, near Silver Springs
beyond Wax Waterfall,
the acorn of my heart
opens like a lotus blossom
(a spotlight to what’s hidden.)
I wax-seal this day into my journal
full of cumulonimbus clouds of words
holding
my hot saucy breath
ready for fresh air.
Margaret Simon, draft
I am posting my weekly photo prompt on Substack. Here’s a link if you want to check out this week’s photo and poem. Subscribe if you want to get a notification each week. Thanks!
Reflections on the Teche 
[…] as a whole post of wonder.Rose shares a fun prompt and sweet poem using five small words.Margaret wrote a magical paint chip poem with the Inklings this month.Irene here with so much peony […]
Margaret, thank you for the sweet words about Phoebe you shared on my blog. When I was in D.C. and saw you (or someone) telling about Planet Word, I looked it up because I was there for a layover day. (Of course, it was closed on Tuesday, which is the day I was in Washington.)
I can see why this sweet paint chip poem tickled you! It is a delight. “cumulonimbus clouds of words” is fun, as are so many other phrases. So fun! (I need to go now to subscribe to your Substack, so I stop missing it!)
I love paint chip poetry! I’ve re-read your poem to see if I can pick out the prompt words (acorn? lotus blossom? spotlight?)… LOVE “my hot saucy breath” — well done!
I thought about highlighting the words but didn’t. They are somewhat obvious. Ha!
Oh, Margaret! Love this post and poem, espeically the “acorn of my heart.” Ah! Thank you!
Your poem holds such great rhythm, Margaret, I think I’d love to skip along with those “clouds of words”, too!
Thank you for continuing to share moments of our weekend! You took me right back to laughing with Heidi at the joke screen, and to writing together in WhisperShout studio. I adore this line: “I wax-seal this day into my journal”
A kenning!
Ooooh, I love the poem and now want to visit the Word place in DC. The wax sealing is fabulous – – a way of preserving all that you experienced and share with us in this post. I started a substack and need to do an import. Are you liking it?
I really like Substack but I’m a novice. I want to take my grandchildren to Planet Word. Look at Linda Mitchell’s post on Substack from Poetry Friday.
Wow – “cumulonimbus clouds of words” is a great phrase. I’m going to subscribe on Substack so I get notified about the photo prompts. Thank you!
I’m so glad you shared memories of our Planet Word visit and your fabulous paint chip poem. I’m trying to remember the jokes we shared, but mostly I’m just smiling as I remember the laughter.
I can’t remember the jokes either, but it was so funny to me that we were clueless to the pun. Laughing is the best!
I’m pretty darn sure one of them was a fart joke! lolol
I love:
the acorn of my heart
opens like a lotus blossom
What a fabulous bundle of images in this poem!