dragonfly | Reflections on the Teche

Posts Tagged ‘dragonfly’

This Photo Wants to be a Poem: Dragonfly Summer

Posted in Photography, Poetry, This Photo Wants to be a Poem, tagged #poemsofpresence, #small poems, dragonfly, nature poetry, trinet poem on June 12, 2024| 12 Comments »

Dragonfly by Julie Burchstead in Roseburg, Oregan

Last Friday as I read different Poetry Friday posts, I noticed the trinet form. Rose Cappelli wrote one about peonies. I have not tried this form yet, so I decided to offer it today. The form is 7 lines, 2 words in lines 1, 2, 5, 6, and 7, 6 words in lines 3 & 4.

I went on a swamp tour yesterday and dragonflies were flitting all around. Then I saw Julie Burchstead’s beautiful Facebook photo of this one, perfectly posed for a picture. Dragonflies are common insects. I found this on a dragonfly website:

“Dragonflies are similar to damselflies, but adults hold their wings away from, and perpendicular to the body when at rest. Their two sets of wings work independently, allowing dragonflies to maneuver through the air effortlessly. Their huge eyes give them incredible vision in almost every directions except directly behind them.” If you want to use some facts in your own poem, go here.

Dragonfly wings
aerial lift
flittering over stillness in sacred swamp
summer days echoing of cicada song
daring us
to reflect
light–shine!
Margaret Simon, draft

Please leave your own poems in the comments and respond to other writers with encouragement. Happy Summer!

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This Photo Wants to be a Poem: Dragonfly

Posted in Photography, Poetry, Writing, tagged #poemsofpresence, dragonfly, haiku, small poems, This Photo Wants to be a Poem on August 9, 2023| 18 Comments »

Deep down south we have many varieties of dragonflies. I love to watch them. They fascinate me and take me away from worry to a place of gratitude. Who doesn’t love a good Google search for meaning?

“Dragonfly’s can be a symbol of self that comes with maturity. They can symbolize going past self-created illusions that limit our growth and ability to change. The Dragonfly has been a symbol of happiness, new beginnings and change for many centuries. The Dragonfly means hope, change, and love.” https://dragonflytransitions.com/why-the-dragonfly

That first sentence grabbed me “self that comes with maturity” because this is the week of my birthday. I will be 62. If there is an age of maturity, I’d go with anything past 50, but now that I’m in my 60’s, stuff keeps happening that requires me to be mature, to change the things I can, and accept the things I cannot change.

Consider writing with us today. You can choose one of the many things that a dragonfly symbolizes or write whatever comes. This is a safe place to explore. Perhaps time yourself for 7-10 minutes. Turn off the critic and let the words flow. Leave encouraging comments for other writers.

Dragonfly dazzles
a dry branch, revealing
self-purity

Margaret Simon, draft

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This Photo: Close-up Dragonfly Wings

Posted in Photography, Poetry, Writing, tagged #poemsofpresence, #smallpoems, Amanda Potts, dragonfly, This Photo Wants to be a Poem on October 13, 2021| 37 Comments »

Nature never ceases to amaze me. Amanda Potts shares photos on her Instagram feed of nature through a close-up lens. When I don’t have a photo of my own to share, I know I can turn to hers. Like me, she walks every day. Me in South Louisiana and she in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada…a world apart. Yet there are dragonflies here and there. This week’s photos (I couldn’t pick just one) come from her Instagram feed. Follow her.

Tessellation wing
an intricate map open
to wonder windows.
Margaret Simon, haiku draft

Write a small poem in the comments and leave encouraging comments to other writers. Above all, relax and let words flow.

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This Photo Wants to be a Poem: Dragonfly

Posted in Photography, Poetry, tagged dragonfly, Lory Landry, This Photo Wants to be a Poem on May 19, 2021| 32 Comments »

Spring is the season for dragonflies. This year we have them in abundance. It’s fun to watch them circling about. My neighbor, first grade teacher Lory Landry is a photographer. I was amazed by her recent Instagram photo of a dragonfly. It struck me in many ways. The close-up on the compound eyes makes the creature look more human (or alien). The wings are poised either in landing or taking off position. He (or she) just seemed to be asking for a poem.

Dragonfly by Lory Landry
Instagram @loryla63

Last night in a Highlights mini-workshop, Laura Shovan talked about the skinny form. The rules: the first line can be any length, lines 2-10 each hold a single word (repeated word in 2, 6, and 10), line 11 uses the same words as line 1. Doing a quick search about the dragonfly, I scribbled out a skinny. Please join with a quick poem in the comments and encouraging comments to other writers.

Compound eyes look upon
spring
days.
Iridescent
wings
spring
branch
to
branch.
Spring
looks upon compound eyes.
Margaret Simon, draft

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NPM16 #28: Dragonfly Eyes

Posted in Photography, Poetry, tagged dragonfly, haiku, nature poem on April 28, 2016| 9 Comments »

dragonfly eyes by Margaret Simon, all rights reserved

Rest your agile flight
on a sunbeam, look about

with dragonfly eyes.

While I was attempting to get a photo of bees that are extremely active in a flowering tree, this dragonfly lit upon an African iris. I had the telephoto lens on. I was so excited that I captured such an amazing close-up. So clear I could see the eyes of the dragonfly.

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