Reflections on the Teche

This Photo Wants to be a Poem: Morning Wonder

May 17, 2023 by margaretsmn

I am a hopeless romantic who believes that dreams come true. Recently, for me that has been wonderfully true and painfully false all at the same time. I think that’s life. How can someone capture that feeling in a photograph? Molly Hogan does. The photo for today she took on her way to work. The caption on Facebook simply said, “What almost made me late for work twice this week.” The reality is that we work every day, and sometimes those days are hard and don’t go the way we planned. We do it anyway, every day. But sometimes there is beauty that stops us in our tracks, makes us pull the car over and wonder at the miracle of two things, flowering branch and rising sun, can come together in a composition of Awe.

Put on your awe-glasses today. Find the flower in the rainstorm. Be aware that life will not always be so hard. Breathe. Join me in musing over this amazing photo and write for a few minutes. It will be good for your soul.

Summer Comes

I have a long list
of things to do.
You know the one
we write each May
and tick away day by day
until you wake up on a morning
in June and find peace
on a branch with blue blossoms
welcoming you awake.
Margaret Simon, flash draft

Posted in Photography, Poetry, This Photo Wants to be a Poem, Writing | Tagged #poemsofpresence, #smallpoems, #Thisphotowantstobeapoem, blue flowers, May poems, Molly Hogan | 36 Comments »

Poetry Friday: Mother to Mother

May 12, 2023 by margaretsmn

Poetry Friday is hosted today by Robyn Hood Black at Life on the Deckle Edge

Last year on Mother’s Day, we gathered for my father’s funeral, all together, happy to have each other to hold. I am a mother who is blessed to have two living mothers, my own and my mother-in-law, who said years ago when someone called me her daughter, “I’ll claim her.”

A long line of belonging
begins with mothers
to me
to my three daughters
to their children.
We are miracles
dancing beside each other.

My brother texted me a video this week of my mother with her assisted living friends in a circle singing “Amazing Grace.” I responded, “When I am old, I want to sing hymns.”

My mother-in-law (affectionately called “Minga”) recites the 23rd Psalm in French every night before she sleeps.

Every night, my daughter reads Madeline to her daughter, “In an old house in Paris that was covered with vines, lived twelve little girls in two straight lines.”

There is a song inside of me that I wrote after Joni Mitchell for my granddaughter June. She doesn’t know it yet, but I hope she will one day.

Little June

after Joni Mitchell’s “Little Green”

Born with the moon in solstice.
Choose her a name she will want to say.
Call her June so December cannot freeze her.
Call her June for the rosy warmth of her skin.
Little June, be a strong butterfly.

Just a little June
like the brightness of a summer’s day.
There’ll be dandelions to pick for Mom tomorrow.
Just a little June
like when sprinklers make the water spray.
There’ll be bicycles and birthday bows
And cousins you will follow.
Margaret Simon

Baby June with my daughter, Martha in a field of bluebonnets.

Posted in being mamére, Gratitude, Poetry Friday, Writing | Tagged Little June, Mother's Day | 16 Comments »

This Photo Wants to be a Poem: A Ladder to…

May 10, 2023 by margaretsmn

This week I’m an irresponsible photo stealer. I usually credit the photographer, but I have this photo in my phone, and I know I didn’t take it. Someone else did. I just can’t remember who. If it was you, please claim it. Mary Lee remembered that this photo was on Kim Douillard’s blog Thinking Through my Lens.

I was fascinated by the perspective of the ladder, how it seems to go nowhere grounded by nothing and yet, we know the laws of gravity won’t allow this to be true. I used a random word generator for a word group to use: loose, danger, refuse, chalk.

Can you use the same words in a different way? Let’s explore perspective today. And if that’s too much to ask, just write and share. It’s May and my brain power is waning significantly.

Danger becomes refuse
when the sky invites me up.
I loose my sense of direction
the chalk line blurs,
and I let go and fly.
Margaret Simon, draft

Posted in Writing | 30 Comments »

Slice of Life: Swallowtail Release

May 9, 2023 by margaretsmn

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

On Sunday morning, I noticed the chrysalis on my back porch that I had nurtured was turning black. This could be a good sign or a bad sign. I found the swallowtail caterpillar in my friend’s garden when she was offering me two dill plants for my student’s butterfly garden project. I took the cactus it was hanging out on as well as some dill for feeding it.

When the little puffed up caterpillar made its chrysalis, he did it on the dill. Yikes, I knew the dill would die eventually because it was just in water. What actually happened was the dill stem bent down. No! The chrysalis must stay in the position it was made in.

Swallowtail chrysalis usually takes on the color of its environment. It can be green or brown.

I found a stick in my yard, placed it next to the dill stem with the chrysalis and tied then together with dental floss. I wasn’t sure it would work. This chrysalis traveled home in my car and sat on my back porch for another week. Until Sunday.

There he was, like a miracle, fully formed and on the just right day before the school week started again. I was able to take him to school, show him off to students in the hallway and with the gentle help of Avalyn, we released him into the wild.

My friend Mary who originally gave me the caterpillar is out of town tending to her brother Carlos. I named the butterfly Carlos and now he is roaming free somewhere in Coteau. We hope our newly planted butterfly garden nurtures him, but as with all wild things, we will never know.

Posted in Slice of Life, Teaching, Writing | Tagged butterfly garden, butterfly release, swallowtail butterfly | 6 Comments »

Poetry Friday: May Flowers

May 5, 2023 by margaretsmn

Today Poetry Friday is hosted by Linda Baie at Teacher Dance.

Happy May! May is a time for flowers. Let me interrupt this poetry post with a gallery of flowers.

Purple salvia in the butterfly garden, red canna returned from winter, and begonias at Walmart on May Day

On May Day I stopped at Walmart just to see what they had in the Garden Center. I was wowed by coral pink and yellow begonias, a whole display of them that seemed to be punished. I had to climb over the back of the display to get to them while a worker totally ignored me because she had to put together a grill. How did she not notice the beauty that was right in her way? I only rescued five of them, but I wanted all 50! I gave away each one to people in my life who have been shoulders for the weight I carry.

Last week my student and I planted a butterfly garden in a vegetable garden box abandoned by the 4-H Club. Lowe’s gave her $200 to shop with. The purple salvia is singing to the butterflies. We haven’t seen any yet, but we are keeping the soil moist so that all our plants can thrive and invite them.

This first Friday of May, Linda Mitchell invited the Inklings to write:

Write a poem from your O-L-W for 2023
Or
Find a piece of artwork that has a word(s) embedded and write an ekphrastic poem inspired by the piece
Or
Go to Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Day (any similar site) and be inspired by a word from there
Or
Just write a poem–about anything that needs to be written.
Linda Mitchell, a generous open prompt for the crazy month of May

An author-friend suggested I subscribe to Kelly Bennett’s newsletter, Fishbowl, in which she prompts a 7 minute writing each week. I responded to her prompt using a May Sarton poem “Bliss” as a model poem. I borrowed a few words and was on my way. The photo is a word card that Linda M sent me for National Poetry Month, so I basically hit all points of the challenge.

Find other Inklings poems at these links:

Heidi Mordhorst
Linda Mitchell
Molly Hogan
Mary Lee Hahn
Catherine Flynn

The Kidlit Progressive poem for 2023 is archived here. I decided to archive the poems together, so scroll down to find 2023. Thanks to all who participated. What a fun adventure into the forest!

Posted in Poetry Friday, Writing | Tagged butterfly garden, Inklings challenge, Linda Mitchell, May Day, May Sarton | 14 Comments »

Spiritual Journey Thursday: Shall We Dance?

May 4, 2023 by margaretsmn

Today’s Round up is with Chris at Horizon 51.

Last weekend when I was dancing after some hard stuff, I had no idea that Chris had chosen “Shall we Dance?” for our Spiritual Thursday theme this week. There’s a group of bloggers who have been dedicated to Spiritual Thursday and take turns hosting the links on our blogs. We typically post on the first Thursday of the month, but life has been happening at full speed and I had not slowed down enough to notice this is it.

However coincidentally or maybe God, the universe, were speaking to me last Saturday at Festival Internationale. My husband Jeff and I met up with our girls and their families late afternoon at the free music festival. There was one band Jeff and I wanted to see, so we broke away from our family and joined the Cajun music tent. The weather turned cold after a morning front had moved through. The wind picked up to gusts that sent my dress flying. We danced and danced and danced…to every song Bonsoir, Catin played.

We find such joy in the mix of people in the tent. The band is an all girl band who have been playing together in some mixture of women Cajun artists for 20 years. They chose their name from a traditionally Cajun term that means something close to “Good evening, baby doll.” They have taken it to mean Cajun Girl Power. While Jeff and I were dancing, I wrote a poem in my head. It was a little while before I could get to paper, so this is a rough draft, but this is how I felt Saturday night.

Festival Dancing

In the Bonsoir Catin tent,
Festival feet are two-steppin’
All the girls are playin’
fiddle
bass
accordion
acoustic and electric guitar.

The parking lot is full.
We bump backs,
step on toes,
twirl and lose a hat.

Cares tossed to the wind
that blows in a hurricane swirl
lifting my dress.

He tells me “You are light tonight.”
as we dance, dance, dance.
Margaret Simon, draft

Posted in Spiritual Growth, Writing | Tagged Bonsoir Catin, dancing, Festival Internationale, Louisiana Cajun Dancing | 13 Comments »

This Photo Wants to be a Poem: Great Blue Heron

May 3, 2023 by margaretsmn

The Great Blue Heron is a loner, often seen wading across the bayou on stealthy legs. No fast movements for this bird. And when he takes to flight, it is a glorious regal sight of his wingspan of six feet. The Great Blue Heron is a widespread water bird foraging in marshes, swamps, and lakes. I’ve seen them in Louisiana and Mississippi, and my friend Molly Hogan took an amazing close up of one in Maine. I think a bird image can make us pause and marvel in the beauty of nature.

A Lune for the Heron

Stealthily abides.
Feathers glide.
Minnows, you should hide.

Margaret Simon, draft

When writing small poems, each word counts, especially in such a short poem form. I rewrote my last line in a number of different ways and settled on speaking directly to the minnows. Try to condense your words into a small poem today. Add it in the comments and support other writers with your comments. Thanks, Molly, for the image. Thanks to my student James for asking for a bird photo today.

Posted in Photography, Poetry, This Photo Wants to be a Poem, Writing | Tagged #smallpoems, lune, Molly Hogan, nature haiku | 38 Comments »

Poetry Friday: Spotlight on Students

April 28, 2023 by margaretsmn

Poetry Friday is hosted today by Ruth at There is no Such Thing as a God-forsaken Town.

This has been an April full of poetry. In between the dreaded test prep, I have offered my students poetry breaks. I pulled out all of my poetry books and let them dig in. We also wrote some poetry. My students, when they hear the word poetry, breathe a sigh of relief and joy. I am lucky they are young and haven’t been stained by the bee that says poetry is hard.

We’ve watched a few of Allan Wolf’s Poetry Month videos. They are all on YouTube. It’s like having him visit my classroom with all his humor, antics, and natural Po-Love. My students loved watching him juggle while teaching them about dactyl meter. Sadie, 4th grade, is writing her own poems using dactyl meter.

My emotional bees

Make me want to have pet fleas!

My emotional bees

They just never seem to ease!
Sadie, 4th grade

My third grade student, Avalyn was drawn in by Marilyn Singer’s reverso poems in Mirror, Mirror and Follow, Follow. I sent Marilyn a message on Instagram, and she sent us a “Tips for Writing Reverso Poems.” Avalyn borrowed a few lines and created a poem of her own. We discovered reversos are really hard to write well.

Very pleasant,
happily ever after.
Luggage is packed.
You sob.
Nobody is there.

Nobody is there,
you sob.
Luggage is packed.
Happily ever after,
very pleasant.
Avalyn, 3rd grade

Each week I present This Photo Wants to be a Poem on my blog and with my students on Fanschool. You can see their Prime Number Haikus this week at this link by clicking on the comment button at the bottom of the page.

Prime Number Haiku

Bubble
Blossoming
Grows great and strong but
Will not stay for very long
You try to win but you will pop very soon
Adelyn, 4th grade

April has been a wonderful month of poetry. Thanks to all of our Poetry Friday friends who have contributed to the Kidlit Progressive Poem which is still traveling, almost done. Today it’s at Karin Fisher-Golton.

I am keeping all of my daily poems in a slide show. Here’s my own Prime Number Haiku which was a prompt from Ethical ELA.

Posted in Poetry Friday, Teaching, Writing | Tagged Allan Wolf, Ethical ELA, Marilyn Singer, National Poetry Month 2023, prime number haiku, student poems | 8 Comments »

This Photo Wants to be a Poem: Bubble Blossom

April 26, 2023 by margaretsmn

For Easter I brought my three-year-old grandson a dinosaur bubble blower. He went outside to blow the bubbles. I’m not sure how he figured out how to make bubbles pile up on each other. He was first doing this on the ground. Then he made this beauty on a vine. It looks like a flower of bubbles.

I wrote about bubbles in Two Truths and a Fib poetry anthology edited by Bridget Magee. I like playing with forms, so if you’d like to join me, select a form you’d like to try and go for it. Bubble up with a new poem today. Share it in the comments. Support other bubble blowers in the comments.

A Prime Number Haiku (Syllable Count= 2, 3, 5, 7, 11)

Bubble
one becomes
rainbows blossoming
building hexagonal blooms
on a vine to be blown into the wind: Poof!
Margaret Simon, draft

Last night I had the honor of participating in a Facebook video with my Poetry Friday friends. We talked about how Poetry Friday has influenced our lives and ways to use poetry in the classroom with students. I joined Laura Shovan, Heidi Mordhorst, Sylvia Vardell, Matt Forrest Esenwine, Amy Ludwig VanDerwater, Mary Lee Hahn, Janet Wong, and Irene Latham. You can view the show on Facebook at this link.

The Kidlit Progressive Poem is with Patricia Franz today.

Posted in Photography, Poetry, This Photo Wants to be a Poem, Writing | Tagged bubbles, Nerdy Book Club, poetry forms, prime number haiku | 11 Comments »

NPM 23 Day 25: Face to Face

April 25, 2023 by margaretsmn

This month, National Poetry Month 2023, I’ve been following the prompts on Ethical ELA, a virtual treasure of inspiration. But I keep writing about the same thing over and over. My father, my mother, my own role as a grandparent. I think when we write condensed lines, we push our deepest thoughts up to the surface. I’m trying to let that part of me flow where it wants (or needs) to flow. This week I’ve written two of these kinds of poems to #VerseLove. Prompts can be found here.

If you want to be a poet, I highly recommend joining in with #VerseLove. Just like the hashtag says, it’s all about love. Each day that I write, I feel wrapped in the arms of other writers, tenderly cared for. Putting your writing out there into the world is hard and intimidating. Finding a caring community is rare and special. Like the community of writers at Two Writing Teachers, the teachers at Ethical ELA have become my friends. I am grateful to all the writers there, especially the ones who seek out my writing amongst many and comment like wind beneath my wings.

I am saving my poems in a Google slide show which allows me to save each slide as an image and share it here. Above is a photo of my father and my granddaughter Stella in the summer of 2021.

Today’s Ethical ELA prompt was given by Jessica, a self-identifying cinquain.