graphic created by Carol Varsalona Round up of Spiritual Thursday posts are with Fran Haley at lit bits and pieces.
Fran Haley is hosting today, and she proposed the theme of Balance.
Balance is something I search for in my daily life. Being an introvert, I crave alone time. I think that’s why I enjoy writing so much. Writing is a quiet alone-time activity, like walking my dog or meditating or taking a long bath. ( My husband jokingly said I would love a quarantine.)
One of my students gave me this beautiful journal for Christmas. I had it in my car until on Ash Wednesday, I had an idea to carry it with me into the service. I wrote during the sermon. I wrote again this past Sunday and will try to keep this going during Lent. The writing helped me listen in a different way. Kind of like taking notes, but I also allowed my own thoughts to enter in.
I also achieve balance through yoga and meditation. There are so many ways life can get in the way of living. Taking time for myself and clearing my busy brain helps me be a better me.
For my yoga instructor and friend Susan
This weekend we were babysitting my 14-month-old grandson. By 5 in the afternoon, he was so tired that he could no longer keep his balance when walking. At first it was funny to him to walk quickly and fall, but it happened one time too many, and he ended up in tears. In a similar way, when I am exhausted, overstretched, and too busy, I get out of balance.
What ways do you use to keep your life in balance?
If you were in or close to any school on Monday, March 2nd, you may have seen kids dressed like Dr. Seuss characters. I had on a red t-shirt that said “Teacher One” and a bright blue feather hat. March 2nd is Dr. Seuss’s birthday. The celebration has been turned into Read Across America Day.
With Dr. Seuss on my mind, I saw this image on Facebook, but I had no idea there was a connection. Katherine Conley, otherwise known as “Other Katherine” when she was roommates with my daughter Katherine, was vacationing in La Jolla, California. She told me that there are signs of Dr. Seuss everywhere as Theodor Geisel lived there for a time and was inspired by the landscape to create The Lorax. I won’t continue the rabbit hole I fell down, but if you care to, I found some information here.
La Jolla Cove photo by Katherine Conley
Please leave a 15 word or less poem in the comments and leave comments for other writers. This is a low stress writing prompt. Just go with your gut. Whatever comes is worthy.
Sometimes I wear flowers. Sometimes I sing. Sometimes I just pause.
Linda Baie shared a video on Facebook that I immediately took up as a writing prompt. It’s a beautiful short film by Louie Schwartzberg. (See link below to watch the video)
I took a quote from the young girl at the beginning and made a golden shovel. “The path could lead to a beach or something.”
Cultivate a response to the day; open your eyes and a path could be there, weather could change, and lead to water, to a new way to see, a gift as joyful as a beach, waves blessing you or moving you to touch something.
Margaret Simon, draft response
Photo by Margaret Simon, Santa Rosa Beach Florida
Kathy Mazurowski is the winner of the book giveaway for After Dark: Poems About Nocturnal Animals by David L. Harrison, illustrated by Stephanie Laberis. Click the link to read how I used the book with my students and wrote nonfiction poems.
Take a minute to write a quick 15 word poem to this week’s This Photo Wants to be a Poem. This week is a beautiful photo by Molly Hogan.
Welcome to This Photo Wants to be a Poem, a low stress weekly poetic writing prompt. This week’s photo is courtesy of Molly Hogan, who is an amazing photographer/ poet/ teacher in Maine. She has sent me a few photos for this weekly prompt. (If you would like to offer any photos, please send me an email. You will get credit, but the photos will be free for reuse.)
In keeping with Laura Purdie Salas’s 15 Words or Less prompts, I encourage you to write a quick short poem. To help build a supportive community, please comment on three poems with an encouraging response.
photo by Molly Hogan
A soul in solitary silence seeks a soft whisper of solace.
Margaret Simon, draft
Your turn. Leave your poem draft in the comments. Thanks!
See more posts at Two Writing Teachers Slice of Life
On Saturday morning I was doing Saturday chores, i.e. cleaning the cat litter box. Spraying the hose into the box outside the back door, I heard a loud buzzing sound and looked up. The nearest tree is a sweet olive and when blooming, it often attracts bees. But the tree was not in bloom, and the bees were flying beyond it.
My husband, back from his morning run, thought perhaps they were in the shrubs. He walked around the carport to investigate.
“The bees are on the move!” he exclaimed.
It was an amazing sight. Bees flying everywhere and a huge cluster buzzing up high in the tree.
I took a video, of course. (I couldn’t get it to play in the blog.) I texted a few friends who keep bees, but the swarm was too high to be reached.
“They are God’s bees,” Jeff said.
God’s bees are God knows where now, but I was curious about what a swarm means.
From this source, thanks to a Google search, I learned that bee swarms occur when a colony has outgrown its space. It is a normal, natural occurrence that should not be disturbed. The bees in a swarm are not as defensive and will not sting as readily. My friend, Jim, said they are docile and fairly easy to catch and move to a container hive.
We have been experiencing an early spring this year. The temperatures are not significantly higher, but my azaleas are already blooming and the wood ducks are laying eggs in the wood duck house. We set up the Ring camera again this year and have been watching.
Nature seems to know something I don’t know.
Azaleas in my front yard blooming early in February.
Please visit my blog post from yesterday about David Harrison’s book After Dark that releases today. The publisher is offering a book giveaway.
What a pleasure to take part in the After Darkblog tour. After Dark is a picture book of amazing illustrations by Stephanie Laberis and intriguing poems by David Harrison. Publication date is tomorrow, Feb. 25th. Read more about David and his many books here.
David L. Harrison
David’s poems explore the lives of nocturnal animals. In the end pages you can find more information about each animal. With my students, I started with the end pages. I asked them to select two animals they were interested in. We read the facts and then the poem. “Look for ways the poet wove the facts in with poetic language.” We noticed elements like rhyming, slant rhyme, alliteration, repetition, and others.
This reading and talking piqued our interest in finding out more. I gave students the option to select the same animal or another one to research using Wonderopolis.
Breighlynn wanted to learn more about songbirds. Earlier in the week we had discussed allusion and at the beginning of the month, we read about Maya Angelou. I love seeing all of these lessons come together in Breighlynn’s poem.
The song of a songbird the morning alarm. Their vibrant colors just like a rainbow. The smallest of birds make the loudest of songs. Now, I know why the caged bird sings.
After reading this David Harrison poem about the gray wolf, A.J. wrote a poem contrasting wolves to dogs.
Wolves, never tamed, they can’t be blamed.
Dogs, youngly trained, though restrained.
Wolves, running free, free as can be.
Dogs, fun won’t end, with man’s best friend.
A. J. , 6th grade
One of my students asked what was the word for animals who are awake during the day. On a Wonderopolis page, we discovered the word diurnal. In the poem, No Fooling (about the raccoon), David uses assonance, creating slant rhyme. I decided to try out this element in my own poem: Where do Birds Go at Night?
Where Do Birds Go at Night?
At first light, I hear their chatter flitting about our courtyard feeder.
But once the air of dawn is gone, I wonder where the birds have flown.
Most birds are diurnal living their life all day, but where do they go once the sun goes down? Only nocturnal birds hang around.
Some birds find a hole big enough to squeeze in. Others, like the heron, want some mud to wade in. Flocks of blackbirds roost in bunches finding their nighttime safety in numbers.
Every time you go to sleep, wonder where the birds may be.
Margaret Simon, draft 2020
This post is part of a blog tour. The publisher has offered a free book for comments on this post. I will draw at random from commenters and post the winner’s name on Friday, Feb. 28th on my Poetry Friday post. Please leave a comment by Thursday, Feb. 27th. Winner must live in the continental U.S.
Check out other posts to hear more about this book.
Poetry Friday round-up is with Cheriee at Library Matters.
An Invitation: With Laura Purdie Salas’s blessing, I’ve started a weekly writing prompt for Thursdays in the spirit of 15 words or less. Pop over to read the poems this week about a pretty pink thistle: This Photo Wants to be a Poem.
This week my students and I read Joyce Sidman’s poem in the December issue of Scope magazine: Song of Bravery. There were a few things to notice in her poem, allusion and irony. When one normally thinks of a song, it’s something positive and praising. Joyce Sidman’s poem stated the opposite.
This one’s not a sure thing. I’m not bound to win. I don’t think I’ll ace it this time. I won’t break a leg, make my own luck, or reach the stars.
Joyce Sidman, Song of Bravery from What the Heart Knows read the whole poem here.
After Joyce, I wrote Song of the Sacred.
I am not a barefoot Buddha. I cannot think and become. I’m not singing rhyming psalms in the present moment.
When I fall on my knees, they hurt. I have no burnt offerings or holy incense to light.
Maybe I pray with open hands or maybe someone prays for me. I’ll never know.
But here I am stretched in savasana humming an Om with my eyes closed tight
Breathing to clear my mind from the shadows of a cloudy day to see the holy sun.
Welcome to a new weekly poetry prompt. Inspired by Laura Purdie Salas who for years posted a weekly photo for participants to write a poem of 15 Word or Less. Because Laura is busy with her day job, writing wonderful children’s books, she has taken a hiatus from this weekly prompt. Here is a link to the archives of those posts.
I contacted Laura, and she was happy to pass the baton. With this new title This Photo Wants to be a Poem, I will post a photo once a week on Wednesday night for you to respond to on Thursday. You can type your poem into the comments. Please be kind and comment on at least 3 other writers’ poems. That’s how we build a supportive community.
Laura limited the poems to 15 words. I see purpose in this practice because (1) it’s quick, (2) word choice matters, and (3) you’ll likely get it done. In all honesty, I will not be counting words. The idea is to simply practice your writing brain.
The photos will credit the photographer but will also be free for you to use if you wish to post on a blog or other social media. If you would like to contribute a photo, send it to me by email.
Let’s get started! This photo was taken by my friend and choir colleague Brenda Lowry on a walk along the Atchafalaya Basin.
Thistle by Brenda Lowry
My first draft:
My spiky stem says Stay Away! But bees are welcome any day. Come. Buzz. Play.
See more posts at Two Writing Teachers Slice of Life
A painted sign in my daughter’s neighborhood. We had to take a picture, but Leo, having been released from the stroller, wanted to get down and walk.
I’ve been participating in Ethical ELA’s monthly 5 day writing challenge. I love this community of friends. On Sunday, the mentor text was a poem “What I Want Is” by C. G. Hanzlicek. The prompt is here.
On Friday night and Saturday morning, we had Leo who is now 14 months and loves to walk. I took him outside in our backyard and next door to swing. My neighbor has 2 grandsons, too, so she has set up baby swings hanging from a tree. I really could not imagine anywhere else I’d rather be. So the prompt led me to this poem.
What I want is what I have
when I’m with him walking hand around finger
down the hill to the bayou
to wave at the canoers even though they don’t
see us swinging from a rope
in the oak tree laughing just because
there are wildflowers too many to count
and a cool breeze to catch our smiles on
a day of only us pointing at birds
flying overhead Bird 1 Bird 2
Margaret Simon after C.G. Hanzlicek
On Monday I combined the Ethical ELA prompt to write a This is Just to Say apology poem with the image posted in Laura Shovan’s February poetry project.
photo by Jone MacCulloch.
This is Just to Say
I missed the turn to school today. My eyes were on the clouds
So soft and floating like giant snowdrifts above me in bouquets of white roses.
Forgive me, I’m late my head in the clouds dancing around in their fluff.
Margaret Simon, draft, after William Carlos Williams
Finding daily prompts in my email inbox help me to pick up the pen and notebook and make something. Creativity feeds my soul. The positive loving feedback is fun, too.
Poetry Friday round-up is with Linda at Teacher Dance.
Because it’s Valentine’s Day, I won’t write about the week I’ve had or lost love or about the cold I’ve been fighting. Instead I’ll share a ditty I wrote this week for Laura Shovan’s challenge. Susan Brisson prompted us with frog pictures and a delightful video of her husband and son catching frogs from their pond to take them into the woods, so the little creatures would survive the winter.
Photo by Susan Brisson.
When my youngest daughter was two (she’s now 29), we had a small flower bed that always seemed to be its own pond. She could hear a frog croaking in the flower bed and decided to name it Hans. To this day, we don’t know why, but Hans the frog has become our family’s totem. One Christmas my husband made a huge plywood frog wearing a Santa hat, and we put it up every Christmas.
When watching Susan’s son hopping around gathering frogs into a bucket jogged this memory for me.
Dedicated to my daughter Martha
And here’s a lagniappe poem. Lagniappe is a common term used in Louisiana to mean a little something extra.
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.
Reflections on the Teche 