Poetry | Reflections on the Teche

Archive for the ‘Poetry’ Category

This Photo Wants to be a Poem: Sunflower Fib

Posted in Photography, Poetry, This Photo Wants to be a Poem, Writing, tagged fibonacci poem, Petite Anse Farms, sunflowers on June 5, 2024| 39 Comments »

On Memorial Day, I visited a sunflower farm out in the country with my family. I brought a bucket load home and made 5 vases full. It was fun to give them away to neighbors. I kept this large one for myself. It made its happy face known in my kitchen. Since the sunflower seed head is a fibonacci sequence, I decided to write a fib poem. A fib poem is 20 syllables as each line follows the sequence, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8.

Face
it!
I glow
yellowbright
on tables, in fields–
Happiness grows if you let it.
Margaret Simon, draft

Please leave your own poem in the comments and encourage other writers with responses. Happy Summer!

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This Photo Wants to be a Poem: Morning Fields

Posted in Photography, Poetry, This Photo Wants to be a Poem, tagged #poemsofpresence, #smallpoem, nonet, Paula Bourque on May 29, 2024| 23 Comments »

Peaceful Friday morning by Paula Bourque

My one little word for 2024 is Peace, so when Paula Bourque posted a selection of photos with the comment “peaceful morning walk”, I asked permission to use one as a prompt. I think many of us are seeking peace at this time of the year. After the frantic slide to the end of the school year, I know that I am. I usually start dreaming of vacations, the beach, and late evenings of relaxation. Summer is a field of possibility.

Welcome Summer

You
shine on
through morning
my waking dreams
sunflower faces
open to a new day
sharing your inspiring light
glowing fields of tall prairie grass
welcoming peaceful dawn of summer

Today I practiced a nonet draft. Please add your own small poems in the comments. Encourage other responders with encouraging words. Thanks for stopping by.

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This Photo Wants to be a Poem: All That Remains

Posted in Photography, Poetry, This Photo Wants to be a Poem, Writing, tagged #poemsofpresence, Molly Hogan, small poems, tree damage on May 22, 2024| 38 Comments »

I recently wrote a poem about the loss of an old oak for the sake of a new road. We discussed my poem in the Inklings writing group on Sunday. Molly texted this photo to the group. “I thought of our conversation when I was walking in a nearby town and discovered they’d cut down tons of trees as they repair the sidewalks. It made me so sad. Someone had placed these small cloth notes on the remains.”

I was considering a butterfly photo for today, but when she sent this, it hit me in my gut. We have to use poetry to resist. This itself is poetry of resistance.

The roots are sewing
messages of sorrow–
saying goodbye to their masters,
the trunk and branches
they served for years.
Underground, the roots
hold hands in solidarity
grieving and wishing
the world would understand.
Margaret Simon, draft

Please leave a small poem in the comments paying homage to the trees. Remember to respond with encouragement to other writers.

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This Photo Wants to be a Poem: Storm

Posted in Photography, Poetry, This Photo Wants to be a Poem, Writing, tagged climate change, skinny poem, storms on May 15, 2024| 49 Comments »

Storm in Des Moines, Iowa; photographer unknown.

Storms seem to pop up out of nowhere these days. This week we had one blow through that knocked out an outdoor light in a literal flash, Crash! What does this photo conjure for you? Fear? Curiosity? Memory? Please leave a small poem in the comments.

I haven’t written a skinny poem in a while. The rules are 11 lines, the first and last uses the same words and can be any length. The other lines are one word with a repeated word in lines 2, 6, and 10.

Storms come suddenly in the night
bearing
violent
windswept
voice
bearing
climate
change
stress
Suddenly, in the night, storms come.
Margaret Simon, draft

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This Photo Wants to be a Poem: Triplets

Posted in Photography, Poetry, This Photo Wants to be a Poem, tagged elfchen, Maine marsh, Molly Hogan, yellowlegs on May 8, 2024| 15 Comments »

Greater Yellowlegs Triplets by Molly Hogan

Molly Hogan captured this funny photo on a recent outing into the marsh in Maine. I love how she captured the reflection as well. These shorebirds are called yellowlegs for the obvious reason that they have yellow legs, but I think watching them skitter along the shore would bring a smile to anyone’s face.

Let this photo be your muse this morning as we get closer to slower, beach-filled days of summer. I welcome the extra time, but not the heat. Our temperatures in the south are already inching up to 90 degrees. Leave a small poem in the comments.

I’m back to my daily elfchen practice. A reminder of the form: eleven words, 1, 2, 3, 4, 1. The first word introduces the topic, the second tells what it does, the third where it is, and the fourth how it makes you feel (I go for a metaphor in this line), ending with a word of transformation from the first word.

Yellowlegs
toothpick race
across sandy marsh.
No one wins a prize–
Solidarity.
Margaret Simon, draft

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This Photo Wants to be a Poem: Over the Rainbow

Posted in Photography, Poetry, Spiritual Growth, Writing, tagged #haiku, #poemsofpresence, #smallpoems, Molly Hogan, rainbow on April 24, 2024| 30 Comments »

Welcome to Wednesday This Photo Wants to Be a Poem Day. While you are here, take a moment to be in/ with the featured photograph. When you feel moved to write, write a small poem inspired by the photo. Leave some or all of your creation in a comment. Respond to other writers with positive feedback.

Today’s photo was taken by Molly Hogan. She is a teacher-poet-photographer friend in Maine. When I first saw and saved this photo, I hadn’t seen the full reflection in the water. I’m not sure where this photo was located, but I want to be there today. Don’t you?

God encircles us
rainbow stretched over water
glows endless hope
Margaret Simon, draft

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Slice of Life: Earth Day Poetry

Posted in Poetry, Slice of Life, Writing, tagged Earth Day, Ethical ELA, haiku, John Gibson art on April 23, 2024| 5 Comments »

Thank you to Two Writing Teachers for creating an amazing community of writers and a safe, welcoming space to write and share.

Monday was Earth Day and the weather could not have been more perfect. A cool front came through, so our temps were in the 60’s. I took each group of students outside for writing time. I opened the Merlin app and we talked about the birds’ songs we heard. It was a good day for listening, teaching, and writing. State testing starts Wednesday, so I was happy for the opportunity to sit outside and forget our worries.

Earth Day is also my father’s death day. He loved double numbers; his birthday was 11/11/33. He passed away on 4/22/22. Ethical ELA’s prompt gave me the space I needed to write about him and his love of trees.

Earth Day Dedication

My father’s compass pointed
to the trees, how the branches
bent and blocked light
shadows dotting landscape.

Once he told me trees grounded
him in the present, reliable–
long standing
safety for Mother Earth’s children.

Yesterday I heard the “kow-kow-kow”
of a yellow-billed cuckoo
stopping in our tree from its journey
across the Gulf.

The journey of life,
as the cuckoo calls,
is hard and easy. Some days
you find rest, take a breath,
sigh for Mother Earth
and sing loud.
(Margaret Simon, draft)

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NPM24: Poem in Your Pocket Day

Posted in Poetry, Progressive poem, Writing, tagged #poeminyourpocketday, Danusha Lameris, Mark Strand, National Day of Poetry, Small Kindnesses on April 18, 2024| 2 Comments »

What is National Poem in Your Pocket Day?

What poem will you carry?

I am taking along a bit of kindness from Danusha Laméris Small Kindnesses.

Kidlit Progressive Poem is moving along with apprehension and worry for our two refugees.
See the latest line at Opposite of Indifference with Tabatha Yeats.

Taste a Bite of Poetry
after Mark Strand

I have been dining on poetry
that tastes like cookies.

Someone pressed in a dash
of salty tears, balancing the sweet.

Someone topped them with chocolate.
The brown ink stains my fingers,

So I carry this verse with me,
eating bit by bit,
filling my wistful soul.
@Margaret Simon, draft

Photo by Suzy Hazelwood on Pexels.com

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Slice of Life: Flowers, flowers, flowers

Posted in Poetry, Writing, tagged Ethical ELA, Praise poem, spring flowers on April 16, 2024| 5 Comments »

What an amazing month for flowers! They are everywhere. Knockout roses, wild purple salvia, native Louisiana iris. I even say a few poppies in a neutral ground. Jasmine is blooming sending fragrance through the windows. I am finding hope and poetry in the flowers this month. Today I want to offer two poems about flowers. I hope you are watching flowers blooming in your part of the world. Small daily miracles.

Iris in a Glass Vase

If you want to know hope
as the deepest thing,
look at each flower blossom.
The iris yellow eyes like little candlelight
wrapped in a purple gown.
Nature plants seeds for us
to notice new life
to believe that God wants
us to rise up and wink at the sun,
to hear the sounds of birds
as they shout out loud,
We are here!
We are here!
We are here!
Margaret Simon, draft written to my own prompt on Ethical ELA

This next one is after Clint Smith as prompted on Ethical ELA. Pop over to see many wonderful poems.

Today I will write
a poem
about a small white flower
opening
overnight
to burst into fragrant song–

Jasmine climbs boldly
over a picket fence
persisting to be here
in a place where no one cries,
innocently hidden from view.

The scent of it
opens
over spring breeze
announcing its place
in the family of things.*

*from Mary Oliver Wild Geese

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This Photo Wants to be a Poem: L’Éclipse

Posted in Poetry, This Photo Wants to be a Poem, Writing, tagged eclipse, ekphrastic poetry, Melissa Bonin on April 10, 2024| 2 Comments »

This painting by my friend, artist Melissa Bonin, was exhibited at the Acadian World Congress in 2019 in Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada. When Melissa posted this photo of her art on Instagram, I was inspired to ask permission for our ekphrastic poetry this week.

Did you experience the eclipse? The experience was exciting for everyone. Although there were clouds and rain, a few times the sun peeked out and we were able to view it. My students were fascinated.