This Photo Wants to be a Poem | Reflections on the Teche

Archive for the ‘This Photo Wants to be a Poem’ Category

This Photo Wants to Be Grateful

Posted in Blogging, Photography, Poetry, Poetry Friday, This Photo Wants to be a Poem, Writing, tagged #imagepoems, #poemsofpresence, Denver street art, free verse poem, Joyce Sidman, letter poem, This Photo Wants to be a Poem on November 27, 2025| 19 Comments »

Crocheted tree wrap on the streets of Denver

I am happily home and cozy after being in Denver for a week of busy (NCTE) and, after Jeff came, walking. We clocked over 20,000 steps on Monday.

Today I am taking a day off before my family comes for Friday Thanksgiving. I wanted to take this opportunity to thank the poetry community, so wonderfully kind and generous. Some of you I hugged and talked to at NCTE. Others of you stop by this blog and give support through comments. Reflections on the Teche (pronounced Tesh) is my happy place because of you, my readers.

Today’s photo is a crochet-wrapped tree. I’m using a free verse form today following a prompt from Joyce Sidman after her book Dear Acorn, Love, Oak: a compliment, a question, and a wish.

A Tree that Grows in Denver
Single crochet,
double crochet,
cluster-hills & valleys,
green, pink, purple
blooming round
a tree that juts from concrete.
Your colors give warmth
when times are tough.
Will you twirl with me?
I hope your dancing colors
fill the gloom with bright
like a vine that’s lost control
and only seeks the light.
(Margaret Simon, draft)

Poetry Friday will be gathered at Buffy Silverman’s blog.

If you are feeling the muse of this photo, leave a poem draft in the comments. Support other writers with your responses.

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This Photo Wants to be a Poem: Elusive Egret

Posted in Photography, Poetry, This Photo Wants to be a Poem, Writing, tagged #bayoulife, #bayouteche, egret, zeno on November 19, 2025| 24 Comments »

Egret across the bayou, photo by Margaret Simon

Early morning is prime fishing time for egrets and herons on the bayou. It is rare that I can get a photo. I have to walk lightly and hope Albert doesn’t bark. This was a lucky shot.

I will be presenting at NCTE this week. In the roundtable presentation with Ethical ELA (3:30 on Friday, Rm. 108, 110), I will be discussing creating Zeno zines. A Zeno poem is one in which the syllable count is 8, 4, 2, 1, 4, 2, 1, 4, 2, 1. The challenge is each one syllable line rhymes.

This Photo is a place for first drafts. Please consider joining me and writing a poem draft in the comments. Support other writers with your comments.

Morning is bayou fishing time
flashy bright white
egret
shines
reminding me
how love
dines
on memory,
sacred signs.
(Margaret Simon, draft)

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This Photo Wants to be a Poem:

Posted in nature, Poetry, This Photo Wants to be a Poem, Writing, tagged #poemsofpresence, #smallpoems, Bayou Teche on November 5, 2025| Leave a Comment »

For now, the super moon’s hidden
in the daylight.
For now, our canoe
reaches for the sun.
For now, bayou waters
are chilled by the wind.

Even now, I feel your strength
in the rowing.
Even now, I believe our source
is love.
Even now, my choice is stay.

Margaret Simon, draft

I took this photo on a recent canoe paddle on Bayou Teche. We laughed at the new sign, but a silly poem didn’t come as I wrote. In my notebook, I had written the repeated line “for now” and “even now” and wanted to play around with it a bit.

I invite you to write what comes today. Please leave a small poem in the comments and encourage others with your comments.

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This Photo Wants to be a Poem: Halloween

Posted in Poetry, This Photo Wants to be a Poem, Writing, tagged Halloween, shadorma on October 29, 2025| 7 Comments »

In some neighborhoods the Halloween decorating has gone over the top this year. Whether it’s enormous skeletons or blow up zombies, people have certainly gotten into the spirit, so to speak. On a recent walk in my daughter’s neighborhood in New Orleans, I ran into this guy. During the day, he was comical, but I imagine come the darkness of Halloween night, he may give some small child a fright.

Please join me in musing about Halloween decor and all that goes with it. Write a small poem in the comments and support other writers with encouragement.

Today, I chose the shadorma form. (3, 5, 3, 3, 7, 5)

Grim reapers
scour your neighborhood.
Are you scared?
Will you come
play with a puffed-up spider?
Halloween is here!
(Margaret Simon, draft)

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This Photo Wants to be a Poem: #WriteOut with the caterpillars

Posted in nature, This Photo Wants to be a Poem, Writing, tagged #poemsofpresence, #smallpoems, #writeout, This Photo Wants to be a Poem on October 22, 2025| 8 Comments »

I bought butterfly plants in the spring.
Spring turned to summer.
I watered. They survived.
Summer turned to fall.
I watered. They survived.
On first inspection,
I thought my plant had a disease.
What weird fungus was growing?
I opened Google lens. AI generated a match.
Giant swallowtail caterpillars!
A little lesson from Mother Nature:
Do not destroy what you do not know.

Once I figured out what the alien caterpillars were, I put the plant (rue) inside an enclosure. I am excited to watch this process. I wonder if the chrysalis will stay over winter.

This month, I am participating in the National Writing Project’s Write Out, a program supported by the National Parks. Of course, writing outside can happen anytime of the year. The resources at Write Out are exciting and easy to use. Please join in writing today by leaving a small poem in the comments. What lessons do you learn in nature?

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This Photo Wants to be a Poem: Old Capitol Rotunda

Posted in Photography, Poetry, This Photo Wants to be a Poem, Writing, tagged Baton Rouge, Old State Capitol, Rotunda, zeno poems on October 9, 2025| 4 Comments »

On Sunday, I presented with my co-author for Were You There? A Biography of Emma Wakefield Paillet at the Old State Capitol in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The capitol was built in 1850, but the rotunda with spiral staircase was added following the Civil War in 1884.

The building is currently a museum. Phebe and I gladly accepted the invitation to present.

I have been working on a draft of a zeno poem. This form follows a mathematical sequence of syllables: 8, 4, 2, 1, 4, 2, 1, 4, 2, 1. Each of the one syllable words rhymes. It is surprisingly tricky to write.

Can you imagine a rainbow?
Glass umbrella
hovers
down
Patchwork pattern
gilded
crown
History wears
gorgeous
gown
Margaret Simon, draft

If you feel inspired to write a small poem, please leave it in the comments and return to offer encouragement to other writers.

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This Photo Wants to be a Poem: Surprise Lily

Posted in Photography, Poetry, This Photo Wants to be a Poem, Writing, tagged #naturepoems, #smallpoems #poemsofpresence, elfchen on October 1, 2025| 5 Comments »

Last week this lily appeared at my back door. I vaguely remember a neighbor giving me some bulbs, but I planted them ages ago. When I placed my Google lens on this flower, surprise lily came up as one of many names. It’s also known as spider lily and naked lady. Today in my poem I am focused on the surprise.

Surprise!
a ribbon
burst from soil
on a stemmed gift
lily

Margaret Simon, draft

Please leave a small poem in the comments and encourage other writers with your response.

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This Photo Wants to be a Poem: Wild Petunia

Posted in Photography, Poetry, This Photo Wants to be a Poem, Writing, tagged #poemsofpresence, #smallpoems, This Photo Wants to be a Poem, wild flowers on September 24, 2025| 2 Comments »

Today, I’m in love
with a purple wild petunia
popping like a party balloon
present and speaking
peace.
Margaret Simon, draft

Please join me in writing about what you love today. Leave a small poem in the comments and encourage other writers.

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This Photo Wants to be a Poem: Bridge and Sun

Posted in Photography, Poetry, This Photo Wants to be a Poem, Travel, Writing, tagged elfchen, Scotland, small poems on September 17, 2025| 10 Comments »

Queensferry Crossing over the Firth of Forth, Edinburgh, Scotland

I’m still dreaming of Scotland. This photo was taken from the bus window, so it’s not super clear, but I like how the sun beams down on the modern bridge. Imagine up ahead is the old town of Edinburgh. Scotland was a study in the modern and the ancient alongside each other.

On our return home, I went back to my genealogy to find that I have ancestors from Scotland.

Today I’m turning to the elfchen (or elevenie) form.

Bridge
carries across
Firth of Forth
Travelers of time to
Ancestors

Margaret Simon, draft

Please write a small poem in the comments and respond to other writers.

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This Photo Wants to be a Poem: Ancient Layers

Posted in Photography, This Photo Wants to be a Poem, Travel, Writing on September 10, 2025| 3 Comments »

St. Mungo’s Cathedral, Glasgow, Scotland

On our second day in Glasgow, Scotland, we walked to St. Mungo’s Cathedral. The cathedral is the oldest building in Glasgow, its foundations dating back to 1100s.

This photo was taken of the doorway into the cathedral. I was intrigued by the layers of marble and mortar work. Like these columns, our lives, our ancestry, are made of layers.