We’ve started getting the school butterfly garden ready for spring. I was a bit overwhelmed and excited to see all the plants that survived the winter. I was particularly taken by the purple salvia which last year was a small percentage of planter box space and now is practically taking over. But it’s so beautiful.
Yesterday on Ethical ELA, the prompt from Dave Wooly was a new form to me: Kwansaba, a praise poem based on #7. Seven lines, seven words, seven or fewer letters each word. The letter count stumped me because I wanted to write about the butterfly garden. Butterfly is 9 letters long, off limits. I felt like I was putting together a complicated puzzle where the pieces wouldn’t fit together. I’m sharing my effort, however, along with my garden partner Avalyn’s garden celebration.
Purple Salvia Kwansaba
In our school garden, spring rises in
purple salvia opening with violet nectar.Beauty abounds here, left after winter’s freeze
bidding hummers, bees, moths, pollen seekers come.I want to plant a home garden–
enrich, connect place to place where life,
a sense of hope, comes richly back to us.by Margaret Simon
Avalyn’s Garden Kwansaba
Garden
Such a pretty flower, dancing flowers behold.
The wind cannot uproot even in storms.
You are such beauty I cannot explain.
You are the scent I want to smell.
You stand for happy, so much color!
Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet
A praise poem to all the flowers.How are the flower gardens doing in your part of the world? Please consider writing a small poem in the comments and encouraging other writers with your comments. Happy Spring!
Reflections on the Teche 