This photo was not taken today. Today I am waking up to more rain after all night thunderstorms. But last week one morning was glorious. The sunrise lit up the cypress and oaks and sent a line of light down the bayou. I try again and again to capture this morning light in a photograph or a poem. Anything I try is an imperfect approximation.
Morning sunrise on the bayou, Margaret Simon
How many ways does the sun rise?
How many days are you alive to bathe your face
in light?
Margaret Simon, quick draft
Consider writing with me today. Leave a small poem in the comments and post encouraging words for other writers. Join me on Twitter with #poemsofpresence.
Spiritual Journey First Thursday is being gathered today by Carol Varsalona at Beyond Literacy Link.
Carol is gathering Spiritual Journey posts today around the topic Blossoms of Joy. When I first typed it, I wrote “Blossoming Joy,” which slightly changes the blossoms into action. I have come to believe that we are all in the process of blossoming. We never arrive because life is hard and good and disappointing and joyful all wrapped up on any given day.
I’ve been listening to Untamed by Glennon Doyle. It’s a book full of quotable quotes. This is one that spoke to me.
“I am here to keep becoming truer, more beautiful versions of myself again and again forever. To be alive is to be in a perpetual state of revolution. Whether I like it or not, pain is the fuel of revolution. Everything I need to become the woman I’m meant to be next is inside my feelings of now. Life is alchemy, and emotions are the fire that turns me to gold. I will continue to become only if I resist extinguishing myself a million times a day. If I can sit in the fire of my own feelings, I will keep becoming.”
My spiritual journey is the alchemy that keeps me blossoming. I’m in a constant revolution with my inner and outer selves. Outside I want to show I’ve got everything under control. No rocky roads here. Smooth sailing. I know what I am doing, and I am doing it.
Practically every day, someone in the halls will comment about my appearance. Whether it’s the cute Dr. Seuss “Teacher, I am!” mask or the shoes I’m wearing, someone will say something. I know. I know. This is how women interact. I find myself doing it every day.
In fact, one day a little kindergarten girl was rushing in the hallway. She said, “I have to go to the bathroom,” and rushed by me. Then I heard from her little sweet voice, “But I love your hair!”
Perhaps she genuinely had noticed and liked my hair. But it struck me that even our young girls are trained to greet another girl with a compliment about her looks.
I’m not saying this practice is one I would change so much as notice. Our society trains girls at a very young age that how you look matters. Is this healthy?
Lucille Clifton is one of my favorite poets. Years ago I had the privilege of hearing her read at the Dodge Poetry Festival. Her poem “roots” was the poem of the month for A Network of Grateful Living. I loved the voice and cadence so much that I wrote beside her. Literally placed the poem on a document and wrote my own beside her. Glennon’s words and my own inner thoughts led me to this poem.
Leo, my 2 year old grandson, likes to scroll through my photo library. Mostly he wants to watch videos. Janet Fagel, a fellow poet grandmother, posted a picture on Facebook that I downloaded to use today. When Leo scrolled by this photo, he wanted to “play” it. I had to explain that it wasn’t a video. Beyond the idea that we are raising a new generation, a group of littles who know how to tap a screen and make it do things, I was fascinated by his fascination with this image. What did his little eyes see?
Later as we were walking in the garden, he tried to put a flower behind his ear. I placed it there for him and set the phone to selfie so he could see what he looked like. Phone as mirror.
Dandelion bow, photo by Janet Fagel
When I wear my unicorn dress, and a dandelion for a hairbow, I can be whatever I want to be.
Margaret Simon, with a nod to Cinderella, my favorite childhood movie
Please leave a small poem in the comments. Consider joining #PoemsofPresence on Twitter for the month of May. Encourage other poets with your comments here and there.
Spring is in full swing and many of my phone photos are flowers, but last night was a marvelous super pink moon. The phone camera didn’t really capture what I saw, so I took the photo through the Waterlogue app just to see what I would see. The negative space shows up, the sky that is blue with the nightlight of the moon and the white spaces in the trees. Makes me think about negative spaces and chiaroscuro, the light we don’t see until the perspective is changed.
Chiaroscuro, in art, is the use of strong contrasts between light and dark, usually bold contrasts affecting a whole composition.
Silent light Curves through darkness Under a full moon Revealing the sky’s Open door
Margaret Simon, draft
Please leave a small poem in the comments. Write a comment for other writers.
I love to place flowers in a vase on my kitchen table. Last Sunday the rain finally stopped and the sun came out revealing new colors. Flowers were so happy about the rain. They were blooming like crazy. So I cut some and put them in a simple vase, a knock-out rose, yellow gerbera daisies, and blue flag iris. There they sat when I found an email with a link to a YouTube video on contour drawing. I drew this still life and I wasn’t disappointed in the results. I usually hate my drawing and often give up on any exercise that involves drawing skills. But to live creatively, you can’t give up. You shouldn’t deny the things you love. And you should always, always place flowers in a vase on your kitchen table.
Still life with flowers, photo by Margaret Simon enhanced by Waterlogue app
Buds today will be blossoms tomorrow Don’t forget to water the seeds you plant. They are yours for only a moment.
Margaret Simon, draft
Use these photos to prompt a small verse and leave it in the comments. Encourage other writers with comment replies. Thanks for being here today.
This is National Poetry Month, so there are many poetry prompts floating around. I appreciate you coming by today to exercise the muse.
I was in New Orleans for Easter and had the privilege of taking my 19 month old grandson to City Park. Close to Cafe du Monde where you can get amazing coffee and beignets, there is a playground set among old oaks. One of the oaks has grown huge branches draped over the ground. This oak is a favorite uncle that kids climb all over. Here is a link to more information about the Live Oaks in City Park.
New Orleans City Park Oak, photo created in Waterlogue
Please leave a small poem in the comments. You have permission to use this photo on your blog or social media. Be sure to support other writers with your comments.
You drape and dip hands free for daily dance– happily holding mother’s gold.
Margaret Simon, draft
A little lagniappe (Creole French for a little something extra): Thomas and the tree.
Thanks to Margaret Simon for hosting the Progressive Poem started by Irene Latham. And a big thank you for allowing blog-less me to appear on her blog once again. If you don’t know me I comment on Poetry Friday as Janet F. or Janet Clare F. and I love this poetry community! As a former teacher and poet I feel at home with my poetry friends.
Following last year’s procedure established by Donna at Mainely Write, we are choosing between two lines offered by the person before us and then writing two for the next poet. Our poem about kindness and friendship is now traveling a new path so off we go.
Thanks to Buffy for two great options, which did not surprise me at all, but I am off to the woods. I hear the bees buzzing, the quiet and the birdsong. I remember how I loved to explore the woods behind my house while playing as a child. And on hikes when my family camped in summers. Fresh air, imagination and wholesome times!
I’m a case of kindness – come and catch me if you can! Easily contagious – sharing smiles is my plan.
I’ll spread my joy both far and wide, As a force of Nature I’ll be undenied.
Words like, “how can I help?” will bloom in the street. A new girl alone on the playground – let’s meet, let’s meet!
We can jump-skip together in a double-dutch round. Over, under, jump and wonder, touch the ground.
Friends can be found when you open a door. Side by side, let’s walk through, there’s a world to explore.
Buffy’s lines for me were:
We’ll hike through a forest of towering trees
and
Should we follow the stream as it eddies and flows?
Not surprisingly I selected #1! It sounds like a wonderful way to enjoy special time with a new (or old) friend.
We’ll hike through a forest of towering trees
And now for Jone, I offer:
Option 1: Look for flowers, enjoy birdsong as long as we please.
OR
Option 2: Find a stream we can follow while we bask in the breeze.
(You can tell I was torn by that lovely idea of following the stream!)
Jone you may choose one of these OR feel free to choose one of your own as Kat Apel describes in the first day’s post! Happy poeting!
P.S. As I was contemplating the idea of walking for health, poetry and friendship for the Progressive Poem, it reminded me of the one I saw today at Poetry Boost with Michelle Schaub. I recalled Thoreau espousing the benefits of walking about 4 hours a day. I googled and found this interesting link. I am going to make a goal of doing more contemplative walking! With and without my friends, but friends are always good to have around!
(You can find me on FB at Janet Clare. If we haven’t yet connected, I look forward to doing so.)
This year’s progressive poem started out recognizing kindness and is currently bouncing off to the playground where we have met a new character. Here’s the progress so far:
I’m a case of kindness – come and catch me if you can! Easily contagious – sharing smiles is my plan.
I’ll spread my joy both far and wide, As a force of Nature I’ll be undenied.
Words like, “how can I help?” will bloom in the street. A new girl alone on the playground – let’s meet, let’s meet!
We can jump-skip together in a double-dutch round.
Denise at Dare to Care offered these line choices:
Over, under, jump and wonder, touch the ground
OR
But she was shy when greeted; she didn’t make a sound.
I am attracted to the action in the first line, so I have selected it.
I’m a case of kindness – come and catch me if you can! Easily contagious – sharing smiles is my plan.
I’ll spread my joy both far and wide, As a force of Nature I’ll be undenied.
Words like, “how can I help?” will bloom in the street. A new girl alone on the playground – let’s meet, let’s meet!
We can jump-skip together in a double-dutch round. Over, under, jump and wonder, touch the ground.
2021 Kidlit Progressive Poem Day 9
I am happy that I get to begin a new stanza, but since this poem has become a rhyming poem, I don’t want to burden it with a difficult word to rhyme. I also need to consider the theme thus far, kindness and friendship.
I love the idea of a friendship blooming. Chloe was around when I was trying to create the line choices, so I let her write one of them. I won’t tell you which one, though. My friend and critique partner, Molly Hogan, gets to choose from these two lines:
Friends can be found when you open a door.
Or
A never-ending sign connects hand to hand.
For a full list of participants, check out the sidebar.
This week I am traveling with my sister. She lives in Texas, I in Louisiana, and our parents and brother live in Mississippi. We’ve had a quick visit after more than a year of separation. Yesterday, Beth and I wanted to take a walk. It was a gorgeous spring morning, so we found Friendship Park near our hotel. Both of us were taken by the scenery. Huge old azaleas were in bloom. There was a winding soft asphalt path to walk. The trees jutting up to the sky were fresh with new green. Each of us snapped multiple pictures.
Friendship Park, by Margaret Simon
New green reaches for a heavenly lit sign all is well
Margaret Simon, draft
Please consider writing your own small poem response in the comments. Give encouraging feedback to other writers.
Thank you to Two Writing Teachers for creating an amazing community of writers and a safe, welcoming space to write and share.
I’m inviting you to find inspiration today at Ethical ELA. I wrote the guest prompt of the day for National Poetry Month. My inspiration came from a National Geographic email that I subscribe to. In the newsletter, there were selected photographs chronicling the pandemic across the world. I chose to write about a photograph of undocumented workers making masks.
Writing to photographs is inspirational as there are so many ways to approach the task. With students you can ask questions that lead them to wonder and response. Who do you see? What do you think you know? What can you discover?
Building a sense of empathy is vital in our world today. Finding a world view can open up empathy. Consider joining the community at Ethical ELA and writing a poem in response to a photograph.
Undocumented
“How can you say we don’t belong here when we are working so hard to heal this country’s communities right now?” Veronica Velasquez
I think of the mask makers, side-by-side on an assembly line cutting, threading, sewing white cloth To keep us safe while they live in the shadow in plain sight, essential now.
Belong or don’t belong? Our survival depends on their survival. Undocumented saviors.
Margaret Simon lives on the Bayou Teche in New Iberia, Louisiana. She is a retired elementary gifted teacher who writes poetry and children's books. Welcome to a space of peace, poetry, and personal reflection. Walk in kindness.
