Posted in Photography, Poetry, Slice of Life, This Photo Wants to be a Poem, Writing, tagged #poemsofpresence, #smallpoems, notes on a walk, This Photo Wants to be a Poem on September 29, 2026| 14 Comments »
Moon Morning
As I walk the old neighborhood,
I note the changes—
the roses that Betty tended are not in bloom,
the tall house sold; young children live there now, toys strewn across the lawn.
Clyde would love knowing them.
Lynn stops me as I pass.
”Do you know me?” He asks.
I can’t recall, but we talk anyway.
The moon hangs on to the morning,
losing its full,
returning to new.
Margaret Simon, draft
Please join me in writing to a photo each week on Substack.
Posted in Creativity, Photography, Poetry Friday, Writing, tagged Louisiana artists, Ogden Museum of Art on September 11, 2026| 12 Comments »
This week I am #beingmamére in New Orleans. My grandson, Thomas, is in first grade, and I have the duty of getting him to school on time and picking him up. What should I do with the time in between?
Yesterday I had tea with my cousin who teaches architecture at Tulane. He suggested that I visit the Ogden Museum to see a new show of contemporary Louisiana artists. Amazingly, traffic was minimal, so I was able to get there and park without too much anxiety. I also lucked out that the museum is free to Louisiana residents on Thursdays. Meant to be.
I happened upon a photograph by Jennifer Graycheck. Hey, I know her! She lives in New Iberia and teaches art at the school where my girls went. She also has an amazing sunflower farm with her husband who is a landscape architect. She took my author photos! And here she was in a juried show at the Ogden. What an amazing accomplishment!
As a poet, I was attracted to the artists’ statements. For today’s Poetry Friday, I am sharing an art piece called “Flamingos” alongside a found poem from the artist statement. And her name is Margaret!
Like flamingos,
girls embody grace
in uncertainty—
Flood water
a landscape of disaster,
gold emergency
sealed in physical
figures.
Margaret Simon, found poem
Posted in being mamére, nature, Photography, This Photo Wants to be a Poem, Writing, tagged #poemsofpresence, #smallpoems, Florida, Sandestin beach, This Photo Wants to be a Poem, Travel on June 17, 2026| 4 Comments »
I am currently in Florida on a work trip with my daughter and her son, Thomas. Thomas and I had a fun day yesterday playing in the waves and making friends in the hotel pool. He makes friends so easily which is helpful to his babysitter grandma.
Yesterday afternoon a storm rolled in. I loved sitting on the safe balcony and watching the clouds.
Watching the Storm at the Beach
Becomes a pastime
when you’re with a grandson
who craves your constant attention.
Be open to the possibility of storms.
Stand in the rain
and let it cool your body
into shivers and shakes.
Then return to a warm bath
and Spider-Man pajamas
to watch Argentina play
in the World Cup
cheering them on, only because
you like the color blue.
Margaret Simon, draft
Please consider writing a poem today in the comments. I will be driving back to Louisiana and look forward to reading them.
Posted in Photography, Poetry, This Photo Wants to be a Poem, Writing, tagged #poemsofpresence, #smallpoems, cinquain, resurrection fern on May 27, 2026| 16 Comments »
After months of drought, we’ve recently had an onslaught of rain. One of the most miraculous plants in the South is resurrection fern. It has a symbiotic relationship with live oaks. When the air is dry and no rain falls, it’s hardly noticeable, brown and dead looking. However, when we have days and days of humidity and rain, rain, rain, the fern pops up with its bright green fronds covering the branches and living in beauty. It seems to say, “Ah, yes!”
I took this photo of our grandmother oak near the bayou. She is 250+ years old. Her arms drape wide and hold a rope swing that many a child (and adult) have ridden on. She is featured on a live oak tree bike tour that our friend Jim leads every spring.
She’s also made mention of in many of my poems. I never tire of taking her photo or writing about her.
Turning to a random page in “Dictionary for a Better World” by Irene Latham and Charles Waters, I chose a cinquain form. (2, 4, 6, 8, 2)
Sometimes
bravery looks
like fern on an old oak
coming to life only after
hard rain.
Margaret Simon, draft
Please write a small poem today and leave it in the comments. Respond to others with kind encouragement.
Posted in nature, Photography, This Photo Wants to be a Poem, Writing, tagged #poemsofpresence, #smallpoems, Bayou Teche, haiku, This Photo Wants to be a Poem on May 20, 2026| 3 Comments »
My morning walk these days takes me through our local City Park that skirts the bayou and also nestles a pond where there are rumors of a lurking gator. This little guy, about 12 inches or so, had his nose in the air and was totally still, allowing me to come close for a photo.
I like turtles. I love to see them lined up on a log sunning themselves. I was researching a poetry book a few years ago and discovered that turtles often ramble up on the top of a gator without a care. Turtles can live a long time in the wild, unless the gator is hungry for turtle soup.
Today, be inspired by this little turtle to write a small poem in the comments. Support other writers with encouragement. Thanks for stopping by.
Bayou-side slider
still as a stone statue
red-ear beams on point
Margaret Simon, draft
Posted in Photography, Poetry, This Photo Wants to be a Poem, Writing, tagged #poemsofpresence, haiku, New Orleans Botanical Gardens, This Photo Wants to be a Poem on May 6, 2026| 2 Comments »
Yesterday I toured the New Orleans Botanical Gardens with my sister who drove from Baton Rouge to spend the day with me. I am here babysitting my grandson who is in his last days of kindergarten.
Beth and I were fascinated by these magnificent ferns. They are epiphytic ferns that thrive in humid environments. I am wondering how one would do in my own bayou-side yard.
Being fascinated by words, I love how the name of this fern is a metaphor for the shape of its leaves. Their fronds look like antlers.
Today’s photo poem is a haiku. Please consider writing alongside me in the comments. Support other writers with encouraging comments.
With outstretched green horns
mounted like taxidermy
strong yet supportedMargaret Simon, draft
Posted in nature, Photography, Poetry Friday, Writing, tagged cypress tree, haiku image, Joyce Uglow, Kathy Halsey on April 24, 2026| 13 Comments »
National Poetry Month has been a whirlwind. It’s hard to believe we are nearing the end. Our Progressive Poem is progressing along with another line; See Mary Lee’s post here to catch up. Tabatha will end it for us on April 28th.
I accepted a challenge from Joyce Uglow to write among other poets at her Substack, Storied Ink. I’m also writing with Ethical ELA and having a dickens of a time memorizing the New York Times poem “The More Loving One” by W. H. Auden. It’s all good but sometimes overwhelming. I think I’ll take a break in May!
On Day 3, poet Kathy Halsey challenged us with a haiku image and the words extinct and giraffe. I thought about how the cypress trees of the Atchafalaya Swamp were near extinction from over-harvesting. These trees are made to survive high winds of hurricanes. I love my cypress trees, especially in early spring as the green is so vivid.
Posted in Photography, Poetry, Writing, tagged Ethical ELA, James Edmunds, onomatopoeia, This Photo Wants to be a Poem on April 22, 2026| Leave a Comment »
Today, I am the guest poet at Ethical ELA. Please visit the site to see my prompt for an onomatopoeia poem.
Follow the Kidlit Progressive Poem at Karen Edmisten’s blog.
Happy Earth Day! Please consider writing a poem to celebrate our island home.
Posted in nature, Photography, This Photo Wants to be a Poem, Writing, tagged #EthicalELA, #poemsofpresence, cascade poem, This Photo Wants to be a Poem on April 15, 2026| 10 Comments »
I love April! The days start out cool and warm up, but a gentle breeze keeps the heat tolerable. On Sunday, we canoed with friends to the park where there was a symphony concert. The paddling to get there was made harder by the breeze, but we were able to make it just in time for the concert.
On the way, we spotted this Muscovy duck and her babies. The Muscovy is a domestic duck with a warty red bill. Her littles were adorable scrambling around her so quickly that I couldn’t count them.
My quick internet research said, “Aztec rulers wore cloaks made from the feathers of the Muscovy duck, which was considered the totem animal of the Wind God, Ehecatl.” (All about Birds)
At Ethical ELA, Erica Johnson is leading us in writing a “Playful Cascade” which is a poem form that takes each line of the first stanza making them the last line of the next stanzas. I decided to use tercets, 3 lines per stanza.
Muscovy Ducklings Play
Scrambling fluffs navigate water hyacinth
staying in sight of mother duck—
gymnasts in a bayou playground.
We slowly push along stroke by stroke
keeping watch for new spring life, see
scrambling fluffs navigate water hyacinth.
Whose waters are these, I think I know:
these tiny ducklings move so quick
staying in sight of mother duck.
This journey we share is not all ease.
Time and patience required, we are all
gymnasts in a bayou playground.
Margaret Simon, draft
Please join me in writing about this little miracle of life. Be sure to leave encouraging words for other writers.
Posted in nature, Photography, Poetry, This Photo Wants to be a Poem, Writing, tagged #KidlitProgressivePoem2026, #poemsofpresence, #smallpoems, Ethical ELA, This Photo Wants to be a Poem on April 8, 2026| 2 Comments »
Rose Cappelli has the line from the Land of Poetry Progressive Poem today. She used her secret favorite devise of alliteration. It’s my favorite, too. As I tell students, it just sounds good.
At Ethical ELA, Luke Bensing prompted us to use alliteration in our first and last lines. The photo today is from my visit to the butterfly exhibit in New Orleans at the Audubon Aquarium and Insectarium. I wrote a septercet, which is a small three lined poem of 7 syllables each.
Purple pops of salvia
nectar-seeking flutter by
season for saving scents
If you wish to write a poem today, please leave it in the comments and respond to other writers with encouragement.
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Our address on the Bayou Teche
Order on Amazon.
April 1 Linda Mitchell at A Word Edgewise
April 2 Tricia at The Miss Rumphius Effect
April 3 Robyn at Life on the Deckle Edge
April 4 Donna Smith at Mainely Write
April 5 Denise at https://mrsdkrebs.edublogs.org/
April 6 Buffy at http://www.buffysilverman.com/blog
April 7 Jone at https://www.jonerushmacculloch.com/
April 8 Janice Scully at Salt City Verse
April 9 Tabatha at https://tabathayeatts.blogspot.com/
April 10 Marcie at Marcie Flinchum Atkins
April 11 Rose at Imagine the Possibilities | Rose's Blog
April 12 Fran Haley at Lit Bits and Pieces
April 13 Cathy Stenquist
April 14 Janet Fagel at Mainly Write
April 15 Carol Varsalona at Beyond LiteracyLink
April 16 Amy Ludwig VanDerwater at The Poem Farm
April 17 Kim Johnson at Common Threads
April 18 Margaret at Reflections on the Teche
April 19 Ramona at Pleasures from the Page
April 20 Mary Lee at A(nother) Year of Reading
April 21 Tanita at TanitasDavis.com
April 22 Patricia Franz
April 23 Ruth at There's No Such Thing as a Godforsaken Town
April 24 Linda Kulp Trout at http://lindakulptrout.blogspot.com
April 25 Heidi Mordhorst at My Juicy Little Universe
April 26 Michelle Kogan at: https://moreart4all.wordpress.com/
April 27 Linda Baie at Teacher Dance
April 28 Pamela Ross at Words in Flight
April 29 Diane Davis at Starting Again in Poetry
April 30 April Halprin Wayland at Teaching Authors
