Thank you to Two Writing Teachers for creating an amazing community of writers and a safe, welcoming space to write and share.
I am proud to be a council member on the TECHE Project. This weekend the final touches on a kayak dock in downtown New Iberia were installed. My friend and TECHE Project member David Dahlquist designed kiosks for every town along the route of the Bayou Teche. For this kiosk in New Iberia, he placed my poem I am a Beckoning Brown Bayou from my book Bayou Song. It warms my heart to know someone will read this poem every day.
Kiosk at New Iberia Kayak DockMy poem on the kiosk
The TECHE project also works to improve the water quality of the bayou. The ultimate goal is to restore the waterway to be a safe recreational area. The work is ongoing and requires participation from many entities. Yesterday afternoon, Jeff and I did our small part. We picked up two plastic chairs and pieces of 3 styrofoam ice chests. We also had a beautiful paddle on a gorgeous spring day. What a blessing the bayou is to us and our neighbors! A place of peace in this crazy world.
Canoe selfie with trash pileBayou Sunset, March 27, 2022
Today I am cheating and doing this prompt backwards. I wrote a poem that I like from another Taylor Mali prompt. I remembered that I took a picture of the image I conjured in the poem. I am convincing myself that this is fair because I had the image in mind when I wrote the poem. Taylor’s website has a collection of fun prompts for teachers to use with kids. They work even with the youngest students that I teach (8 year olds). The one I used can be found here: Once I was a Flower.
Live Oak Branches, Margaret Simon
Once an owl lifted off from a tangle of branches; it rose above me like a hot-air balloon. It was fall and morning chill sprinkled fog over the bayou. There I was left floating alone– solid, steel canoe.
Margaret Simon, draft
Now it’s your turn. If you want to use the prompt, begin with Once and end with an inanimate object. Or just write whatever the photo muse brings forth. Be sure to leave encouraging comments for other writers.
This response to the Once prompt is from my student Jaden in 6th grade.
Once I saw a moth flew across my face in the path of others it was a fall sunset I stood still I was a light Jaden, 6th grade
The Writer’s Almanac comes daily in my email inbox. Some days I barely have time to read it, but others I find a kernel of inspiration, a poem, an author, a rabbit hole. On this day, I remembered Catherine’s prompt and tucked the poem into a document to work with later.
The process was fun. I used the suggesting tool in Google docs editor. That way I kept the original underneath the new text I added. In Greg Watson’s poem, the main character is a yellow lab waiting for its owner outside a coffee shop. We don’t have a yellow lab, but my little schnoodle Charlie goes bonkers when our resident raccoon visits to steal our outdoor cat’s food.
When I’m up early, I feed the cat before dawn. When the raccoon comes, I let Charlie out to the side yard when he goes crazy. One morning, I actually saw the raccoon. It did not run away as I expected, but just stood still like a stone creature from The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Watson’s poem gave me the perfect structure to capture this surprising moment.
Raccoon Outside the Back Door
The raccoon outside the back door today does not move; but instead,
still with ever-expectant energy, like a heron perched for the catch,
forepaws poised in the air above the leaf-littered sidewalk,
he stops without making a sound, knowing that any moment
the cat food will disappear, slipped back into the human house,
and night will suddenly fall into day: every sound, sight, and aroma
disturbed, the door swinging open and shut, with a backward glance
awkward silhouette, following, as if it had somewhere to go.
I live on the Bayou Teche in New Iberia, Louisiana. I love teaching, poetry, my dog Charlie, my three daughters, and dancing with my husband. This space is where I capture my thoughts, share my insights, and make connections with the world. Welcome! Walk in kindness.
Reflections on the Teche 