Reflections on the Teche

#SOL21: This Photo Wants to be a Poem

March 17, 2021 by margaretsmn

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

Join our weekly writing prompt by leaving a poem in the comments or a link to your blog post.
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Usually on this weekly photo prompt I post a photo from nature. But this week I wanted to try something new. Abstract art by my grandson, Leo. He loves doing art, especially painting. His parents are proud of his work and place it in a gallery on the kitchen wall. Obviously Leo’s daycare teachers have an amazing amount of patience and skill to get this art piece. Is it possible to recognize someone by their handprint?

While I was visiting on Sunday, Leo had a tumble and scraped his finger. We continued our walk to the park, but I noticed he was shaking his hand. He said, “Burns.” I offered to take him back home and clean it up. On the way, he said, “Don’t cry Leo.” I told him crying was OK when he was hurt.

We washed the boo boo, but he did not want a band-aid. On FaceTime Monday, he said, “Mamere, finger better.”

This image may take you to a child you know, a memory of hand print art, or to the idea of spring and rainbows, health and healing. Follow the muse wherever it goes. Leave a small poem in the comments (or a link to your blog post). We appreciate encouraging responses to other writers.

Familiar fingers
reach for the sky
touch a cloud
release a rainbow.
Margaret Simon, draft

Posted in Creativity, Photography, Poetry | Tagged #smallpoems, handprint, Leo, rainbows | 39 Comments »

#SOL21: Day 16 A Moment

March 16, 2021 by margaretsmn

I have subscribed to the National Geographic newsletter. One of these days I will break down and pay the subscription fee for full access because the images and articles are so inspiring. This one included photographs taken all around the world during the pandemic selected to express “how we deal.” My prompt for my students: select a photograph and take words from the text descriptions to write a poem. And I wrote, too.

I chose a photograph of a pregnant woman. My daughter found out she was pregnant around this day a year ago. I was drawn to the woman. Having a child during a pandemic can bring about heightened anxiety. As the grandmother, I felt the joy.

A moment
is all it takes
to cancel
close
lockdown.

A test
of our humanity
our hunger
our resilience.

We cannot close our eyes, blind-out reality.
To grow a life
inside a womb,
nourish and protect,
celebrate its birth– there is somewhere
to go, to be
with a moment,
comforted and belonging
to the insanity
of things.
Margaret Simon, draft

Posted in Photography, Poetry, Slice of Life, Writing | Tagged grandmother, National Geographic, Pandemic | 6 Comments »

#SOL21: Day 15 Sunset on the Bayou

March 15, 2021 by margaretsmn

Saturday brought warmer winds and time. My husband suggested a paddle on the bayou. Living on the Bayou Teche, we try to take opportunities to go out in the canoe. We know that too often we are too busy, or it’s too hot, or too cold, or too ___ fill-in-the-blank.

Our paddle to the East–
soft breeze,
flock of yellow-crown night herons,
waves to friends on their back porch.
Stop for a beer break, turn back toward the sunset.
sun majestic on the water,
an Eagle sighting,
simple beauty.

Eagle over Bayou Teche at sunset, photo by Margaret Simon (iPhone)

Posted in Photography, Slice of Life, Writing | Tagged #techeproject, Bayou Teche, canoeing, sunsets | 9 Comments »

#SOL21: Caladium Bulbs

March 14, 2021 by margaretsmn

Spring is emerging which brings on the desire for planting. Yesterday the temperatures rose into the 80’s, a little too warm for my taste, but it set off the urge to go to the local garden center.

I texted a friend about caladium bulbs. I am no expert gardener, so I depend on advice from those who are. Jenny came over Saturday morning with a yellow legal pad (she’s a lawyer) with a list of all the varieties that Hebert’s (pronounced A-bears) had gotten in just Friday. Apparently, you have to buy them early or they run out.

I am an impulse buyer when it comes to plants. I usually just go to the garden center and see what looks good. But Jenny had her list, had scouted Hebert’s to see what varieties they had, and pulled up the images on her phone. Good thing, too, because there is no way to know what you’re getting by looking at them. The boxes were big and full of wood shavings with bulbs buried deep inside. Each box was marked with the name of the variety, but what’s in a name like Postman Joyner or Carolyn Whorton? It was necessary to have a reference librarian like Jenny and her phone to know what we were buying.

Hebert’s was busy, busy. Everyone was drawn in by the warm weather and the urgency to clean out all the dead plants of winter. Ready to move on to spring. There was an atmosphere of joy. We ran into another friend who was chatting happily about her vaccine. We compared stories and for the most part, our little town has rolled out vaccinations pretty quickly and efficiently. For that we are all grateful.

On returning home, I was inspired to make a potting station near my back door. It’s been an area of dumping, where I’ve thrown dying plants, extra pots, bags of dirt, etc. So I found an old wrought iron shelf in the shed and organized it with garden tools, pots of seeds, herbs, gloves, fertilizer. I am very pleased with this project and feel I am ready to be a gardener, a wish I’ve had for a long time. Finally nearing the age of 60, I’ve figured I can make happen what I desire to happen. It’s never too late. Why wait?

Posted in Slice of Life | Tagged caladium bulbs, gardening, Hebert's, potting station, spring | 8 Comments »

#SOL21: #13 Impending

March 13, 2021 by margaretsmn

I discovered Ethical ELA a year ago. This community has been such a blessing to my writing life. Today begins another 5 day open write and the prompt is from Kim Johnson. I highly recommend you check it out. It’s another community, like TWT, that supports a writing life of teachers with encouragement.

A year ago today, life suddenly changed. At first none of us believed that the virus would shut us down for more than a year and take so many lives. But my memory doesn’t go there. My memory of last March was a quiet announcement, a budding new life, my granddaughter (who is now a smily, healthy 3 month old). My daughter had a miscarriage before having two beautiful healthy births. That loss clouded her joy over a positive pregnancy test. This is the memory that rises for me today. This is what I wrote for the Ethical ELA prompt, still very drafty.

Impending
On a March wind,
a virus swirls
much like an impending hurricane.
After my morning walk
and weeding, coffee in hand,
my phone vibrates.
Her voice, shaking, quiet,
“I’m pregnant.”
No ultrasound photo wrapped like a birthday present.
“I don’t know if it’ll take.”
New life is fragile
like the wildflowers, newly budding, blowing.
Gripping the phone, tears welling,
I am inwardly in prayer, fervent and furious.
Calmly, with a mother’s voice,
I say, “Congratulations.”
Margaret Simon, draft

Photo by Polina Tankilevitch on Pexels.com

Posted in Poetry, Slice of Life | Tagged Ethical ELA, memory poem | 8 Comments »

#SOL21: Poetry Friday: The Beautiful Brain

March 12, 2021 by margaretsmn

Poetry Friday is with Heidi at M y Juicy Little Universe

In February I joined an amazing group of poets writing everyday to prompts about The Body on a Facebook group organized by Laura Shovan. Laura has posted all the marvelous prompts on her website.

Most days it was tough to get one poem written and some days I didn’t write, but one day I wrote two poems. The prompt was about the beautiful brain. On Facebook I posted a Golden Shovel from Emily Dickinson’s line “The brain is deeper than the sea.” But in searching my notebook for something to post today, I found a different poem. I didn’t like it when I wrote it, but now I kinda do.

Posted in Poetry Friday, Slice of Life, Writing | Tagged brain poem, February Poetry Project: Body, Laura Shovan | 20 Comments »

#SOL21: Kiss it

March 11, 2021 by margaretsmn

The phone rings blinking Facetime, and I know who’s calling, but this time he greets me differently.

“How a doin?”

Leo, 27 months learns a new phrase almost daily. This one was his latest. He was so excited to say it.

“Hey, Leo. I’ve been sick.”

In the background, Maggie says, “Ma mère‘s tummy hurts.”

“Hold you, Ma mère!” Leo exclaims with a concerned expression that melts my heart.

“Oh, I wish I could hold you.”

“Tummy. Kiss it. Better.” He leans forward and kisses the screen.

Leo kisses make everything better.

Posted in #sosmagic, Gratitude, Slice of Life, Writing | Tagged grandchildren | 10 Comments »

#SOL21: #This Photo wants to be a Poem

March 10, 2021 by margaretsmn

This photo was an impulse photo, like an impulse buy in the grocery store at the check out line. I was walking in the cold of the early morning and making a wish for warmer days. I know I’ll get my wish soon enough, but 41 degrees is chilly, and frankly, I’m tired of having to put on layers for my walk. I almost tripped over this patch of clover.

Where did it come from? How does it know it’s time to bloom? When everything else is still brown? So I stopped, grabbed my phone with my stinging cold fingers and took a picture. I think my wish worked because the day warmed up to 70 without a cloud in the sky. Spring is coming slowly but surely.

Secret starbursts proud
emerging from a green cloud
Harbinger of spring.
Margaret Simon, draft

The way this works: Look at the photo for inspiration and write a small poem in the comments. Leave encouraging comments to other writers by replying to their poems. Let your mind wander. No pressure.

Posted in Photography, Poetry, Slice of Life, Writing | Tagged Clover, spring, This Photo Wants to be a Poem | 20 Comments »

#SOL21: #9 Tension

March 9, 2021 by margaretsmn

On Friday, I joined my writing group in posting poems written from an Amanda Gorman prompt. This Book Scavenger Hunt can work over and over again with different books, different moods, and a different page in the notebook. Find a nearby book and go to 3 different random pages and select a word from the page. Now write for 5 minutes.

For this one, I chose the book White Rose by Kip Wilson and found these words: guilt, endanger, coat pocket.

Tension
Hands held in a coat pocket
fisted, fingering tissue
tearing it to shreds.

This mood endangers
my attitude,
takes my mind
to guilt.
Release, let go,
open your hand.
The sky is waiting
to shine.
Margaret Simon, draft

Notebook Collage, March 5, 2021. Found a sticky note on my classroom door, so I added it to my daily collage. The notecard design was a meditative doodle I had drawn using colored pencil.

Posted in Poetry, Slice of Life | Tagged Book Scavenger Hunt Poem | 9 Comments »

#SOL 21: Erasure Every Letter

March 8, 2021 by margaretsmn

Erasure Poem, “Every Letter is a Love Letter” by Jennifer Sinor, *The American Scholar*, Spring 2021

I was fascinated by the article in The American Scholar by Jennifer Sinor, “Every Letter is a Love Letter.” She wrote of how Georgia O’Keefe wrote letters for years to her husband. The thing that drew me in was the language, the words in the article expressing the space that letters provide. There is the space of time between the writing and the receiving. In this day when a message can be sent before you even check the spelling, words can fly across vast spaces in a millisecond. I wanted to capture this idea somehow, so I thought of using erasure poetry.

The frustration for me was erasing the other words. So many artists do it in a way that somehow preserves the words behind the erasure. I tried different things so I ended up with a layered look that I don’t hate. I’ve typed the words I kept into poem form below:

Every Letter

we find those spaces void
you see canyons
empty spaces reveal vastness
Time in life’s work
experience of being in art
we fit ourselves

I wrote to my husband
Before long He left quiet communion,
heart of prayer, easy, difficult love letters.
You take your wounds handwritten
to be unrecognizable.

A letter is time–
rest in the gap
across space
binding us
to moment
to everyone–
Margaret Simon, erasure poem