Posted in Photography, Slice of Life, Writing, tagged #techeproject, Bayou Teche, canoeing, sunsets on March 15, 2021| 9 Comments »
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.
Posted in Poetry, Poetry Friday, tagged #haikuforhealing, Bayou Teche, canoeing on December 1, 2017| 14 Comments »
Click over to Mary Lee’s site for more poetry.
Fran McVeigh gave me a magnet at NCTE: “Explore new possibilities.” I’m considering the word explore for my 2018 One Little Word, but for today, it inspired the title for a poem requested by Carol Varsalona for her #AutumnAblaze gallery. She saw my photograph on Facebook from a recent canoe voyage on the Bayou Teche (pronounced “tesh”). I loved the photo, too, and was resistant to writing about it. I want you to know this is still in draft, so you can leave soft critique in the comments.
Duperier Bridge on Bayou Teche, New Iberia, LA. photo by Margaret Simon
Explore New Possibilities
On the water,
the canoe turns
toward a horizon
I do not know.I paddle-pull
under a bridge,
listen to the rumble-
a passing carlike thunder from rolling clouds.
Under a bridge
where teenagers
huddle close and smoke,where wooden gates
direct water
as if one could
contain such a wild thing,a golden sunset
draws me toward
a new destination.–Margaret Simon
Mary Lee Hahn invites us to join #haikuforhealing. Inspired by the same photo, a haiku:
where road meets water
a bridge, a golden sunset
a new horizon.
–Margaret Simon
Posted in Gratitude, Slice of Life, Writing, tagged Bayou Teche, canoeing, cypress trees, October on October 25, 2016| 10 Comments »
Join the Two Writing Teachers blog for the Slice of Life Challenge.
Living on the bayou is a gift I don’t always remember to appreciate, but on Saturday, I announced to my husband, “It’s a gorgeous day. We have to go canoeing.”
For the first Saturday this month we had little to do. I sat outside on my deck, clean and inviting from the wedding we had a few short weeks ago, and watched my neighbors prepare for their daughter’s wedding reception. Tents and lights and tables and chairs were going up, and all I needed to do was watch. The lack of responsibility felt freeing.
Peeking through the grandmother oak to the wedding prep next door.
Jeff quickly grabbed the paddles, life jackets, and a lunchbox of two beers, and launched the canoe. This canoe has a long history, close to 50 years. The Grumman. He and his brother bought it together when they were Boy Scouts competing in canoe races.
Jeff paddles the stern, the steering part.
The bayou was slow and still, offering endless reflections. The air was a perfect 70+ degrees. I know that happiness is fleeting, but on this day in October, we grabbed hold of it, and spent some time savoring and celebrating the goodness.
Cypress tree reflection
Our address on the Bayou Teche
Order on Amazon.
Reflections on the Teche 