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Posts Tagged ‘Georgia Heard’

This Photo Wants to be a Poem: Denver Mural

Posted in Gratitude, Photography, Poetry, This Photo Wants to be a Poem, Travel, Writing, tagged , , , on December 3, 2025| 5 Comments »

Last week in Denver I took pictures of murals. They were everywhere. Today for this photo I chose this beauty.

Georgia Heard offers a monthly prompt calendar. Today’s prompt is to write 5 small things you are grateful for. After a very full Thanksgiving weekend, I am enjoying the silence of this cold morning.

  1. Morning quiet
  2. Warm poodle on my lap
  3. Fog on the bayou
  4. Sleep
  5. Writing

In gratitude, I offer this small poem. Please consider writing your own small poem in the comments. Encourage other writers with your responses.

In her silent reverie,
she doesn’t notice
the squirrel on the ground
lifting a tiny petal
she dropped,
joining her in gratitude.

Margaret Simon, draft

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Poetry Friday: A Recipe for Friendship

Posted in Photography, Poetry, Poetry Friday, Writing, tagged , , , , on October 3, 2025| 12 Comments »

Poetry Friday is gathered today by Matt Forrest Esenwine at Radio, Rhythm, and Rhyme.

Today is the first Friday of a new month, October, and time for an Inklings challenge. I asked my writing group friends to exchange photos for an image poem. I invite you to participate in image poetry every Wednesday right here with This Photo Wants to be a Poem.

My exchange partner was Heidi. She had the opportunity to visit fellow Inkling, Molly, in Maine this summer. I am quite jealous that they all made blueberry jam together. I could not resist the delicious collection of jars in Heidi’s photo.

Georgia Heard inspired my poem by sending her own recipe poem through her newsletter.

Click on each link below to see other image poem posts from Inklings.

Linda @A Word Edgewise
Catherine @Reading to the Core
Molly @Nix the Comfort Zone
Mary Lee @A(nother) Year of Reading
Heidi @my juicy little universe

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Poetry Friday: Tiny Letters

Posted in Poetry, Poetry Friday, Writing, tagged , , , , on July 18, 2025| 15 Comments »

Today’s roundup is hosted by Jan Annino at Bookseedstudio.

My well has been running dry lately. I could use the excuses that I’ve had a lot on my plate, but the real answer is I haven’t felt much like writing.

When I get this way, it helps to turn to poetry prompts. Georgia Heard sent out a monthly newsletter with a calendar inviting us to write daily tiny letters.

Today, to make myself accountable, I will share two of them from my notebook.

Dear Breath,
Find my sorrow.
Lift it up.
Draw from within
a purple flower
a single petal
remembering
how to bloom.

Margaret Simon, draft

My butterfly garden is overflowing with passion vine waiting for the Gulf Fritilary butterflies.

Dear Voice,
From your hiding place,
come home.
Give me strength
to know when to say no,
when to say yes.
Be there as a guide
when silence
grates on my nerves
like the rain
clanking through the drain.
Wake up, oh voice of mind.
Find my comfort zone.
Come home.

Margaret Simon, draft

Angel Trumpet (New Orleans)

If you are not familiar with poet Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer, I have found her poems uplifting and accessible. I signed up for a poetry class with her that begins next week. I am hopeful she will put me back in touch with my own voice. She has released an album of spoken word. This amazing and uplifting poem is included. Take a moment to listen.

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This Photo Wants to be a Poem: Letter to the Wind

Posted in Photography, Poetry, This Photo Wants to be a Poem, Writing, tagged , , , , on July 2, 2025| 9 Comments »

Photo by Molly Hogan

I subscribe to Georgia Heard’s newsletter. For the month of July, she invites us to write tiny letters. For July 2nd, the prompt is “Write a letter to the wind.” For the complete calendar, try this link.

I asked Molly Hogan, fellow Inkling who blogs at Nix the Comfort Zone, for a photo for this week. Molly is an amazing nature photographer who lives in Maine. She sent me a few to choose from, and I felt this one lended itself well to a letter to the wind.

Please share your small poems in the comments and support other writers with encouraging comments.

Here is my “quick write” letter to the wind:

Dear Wind,

Whatever the season,
you show up
soothe our suffering,
cuddle tree branches,
wrapping us up in your dreams.
Be kind to us, wind, we are struggling
through climate change,
through terrific
thunder storms. You give us breath,
breath of life,
breath of death.
Tend our tender hearts,
breath of daisy,
breath of desire.
Dear wind.

Margaret Simon, draft

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Slice of Life: Poem Porch Picnic

Posted in Blogging, Poetry, Slice of Life, Writing, tagged , , on June 10, 2025| 4 Comments »

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

Blogging in this space has led to many friendships over the years. Over the weekend I noticed that one of my online blogger-teacher-poet friends was in New Orleans for a National Writing Project conference. I am in New Orleans babysitting my middle grandson Thomas, so I reached out to Kim Douillard, and we met for lunch. I promised Thomas a visit to the aquarium after lunch, so he was cooperative. Kim and I visited like old friends. Her husband Geoff was with her, and he made the comment, “For two people who have never met, you seem so comfortable.” That’s the magic of meeting face-to-face someone you have been writing with for years.

Me and Kim Douillard of “Thinking Through My Lens” at a restaurant in New Orleans. Matching shirts were serendipitous.

Writing with others, even if it’s over screens, can be a powerful connector. If I read your words and you read mine, we get to know each other on a level that may be as deep as taking a long walk together.

Yesterday I dropped Thomas off at day camp and had some time to myself. I decided to take my notebook and current book of poetry, “The Stafford Challenge 2024-25 Anthology” to City Park for a Poem Picnic as suggested by Georgia Heard in her June newsletter. Today I am sharing the resulting poem. If you take a poem picnic, let me know. I’d love to read what you wrote.

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Spiritual Thursday: Summering

Posted in Gratitude, Poetry, Spiritual Growth, tagged , , , , , on June 5, 2025| 9 Comments »

Ramona is gathering Spiritual Journey: First Thursday posts at Pleasures from the Page.

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid” John 14:27

When Ramona suggested that we write about “summering” for our Spiritual Journey posts this month, I turned to two passages that bring me peace. Too often, I have a long “to do” list for summer that usually includes cleaning out closets and such dreaded chores. These kinds of chores are good for me but are not what I want to do. I’d rather have lunch with friends, go on long walks, and binge watch a show or two.

The poem “Wild Geese” from Mary Oliver reminds me that all I should do is love what I love and let the wild geese call to me. On these early June days, it’s not wild geese, but buzzing cicadas that call to me. The heat of midday sends me inside for a glass of La Croix with ice. I am settling into a routine and trying hard not to pressure myself to do more.

In May, I was inspired by Georgia Heard’s calendar of prompts for small poems. In June, her newsletter held an invitation to porch poems. You can sign up to receive Heart Beats on her website. Porch poem #3 asked “What happens in stillness?” Here is my poem response.

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Slice of Life: What the Tree Knows

Posted in Poetry, Slice of Life, Teaching, Writing, tagged , , on June 3, 2025| 4 Comments »

Once again, Georgia Heard’s newsletter delivers a wealth of prompts for writing. On Sundays I tutor a young writer. She is such a delight. This week she was eating cherries from her own cherry tree. I knew we had to include this in her poem, so I turned to Georgia’s poem “What the Trees Know.”

When writing poetry from the heart, you must turn to what you know. Amoret knows cherry trees. As I wrote beside her, I wrote about cypress trees. What tree would you write about?

I am pleased to share Amoret’s poem today. Her writing fills me with poetic-teacher joy. She has few inhibitions about putting words to paper and was happy for me to share her poem.

What Does the Cherry Tree Know?

A cherry tree knows how
To dance in the wind freely
And joyfully. The cherry tree knows
How to drink from its
Roots. To us, how it drinks
May seem fast, but to the tree
It’s like a walk in the 
Park. The cherry tree
Gets showered by a hose
Rarely, but mostly the
Rain. When we say “Oh no,
It’s a-raining!” cherries are 
Showering and drinking.

By Amoret, 9 years old

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Poetry Friday: My Favorite Kind of Silence

Posted in being mamére, Poetry Friday, Writing, tagged , , , on May 30, 2025| 11 Comments »

Poetry Friday is hosted today by Karen Edmisten.

I am finishing up a week of babysitting for two of my grandchildren this week. One of them, June, I kept during the day because daycare was closed. The other, Thomas, I kept after his day camp because his mother had a work trip.

This morning when I was dropping Thomas off for the last time, we had a talk about missing people we love. He started the conversation with “I miss my dad,” which could be viewed as a manipulative ploy for attention, but I didn’t take the bait. I said how much I would be missing him when I go back home.

He said, “Do you miss Papére?”

“Of course, I do. I miss Papére and Albért when I’m here with you, but I miss you and June when I’m home.”

Loving means you’re always missing someone. A conversation with a 5 year old brought me to tears.

This month I have been writing a poem each day using Georgia Heard’s May calendar. The prompt for today was “your favorite kind of silence.” The shadorma form fit nicely with the syllable count of 3, 5, 3, 3, 7, 5.

My Favorite Kind of Silence

Silence comes
after summer rain
before birds
recall sun
after a sung lullaby
a sleepy child’s sigh

Margaret Simon, draft

A rainy morning with Thomas

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This Photo Wants to be a Poem: Ode to Gladiolas

Posted in Photography, Poetry, This Photo Wants to be a Poem, Writing, tagged , , , , , on May 28, 2025| 6 Comments »

May is a month for flowers. Last week sunflowers. Today, gladiolas. My friend Mary brought me a full bouquet with a variety of colors.

I am following Georgia Heard’s calendar and on Sunday, the topic was “what quiet sounds like.”

An ode is a poem of praise. I was also inspired by Amy Ludwig Vanderwater’s Ode to Seeds “Seedsong” from Poetry Friday.

Ode to Glads

Oh, the silence
in your lavender
touched by white
laced around a tall stalk.
It’s hard to believe
how you grow
perfectly perched
upon the soil,
now delighting
my kitchen table
with joyful obedience.
I love you.

Margaret Simon, draft

Please join me in writing a small poem of praise about May flowers. Leave your poem in the comments and support other writers with encouraging words.

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Poetry Friday: The Meaning of your Name

Posted in Poetry Friday, Writing, tagged , , , on May 16, 2025| 16 Comments »

Poetry Friday is gathering today with Ramona Behnke at Pleasures from the Page.

I’ve been writing small poems this month following Georgia Heard’s Permission to Write Small calendar of prompts. Today the prompt was “the meaning of your name”. I felt an acrostic poem form would be a good choice.

The meaning of my name “Margaret” is pearl. I’ve known this, but I didn’t know why until I did some quick research on pearls. Apparently, the Persian word for pearl is margarita, which is the source of the name Margaret.

Margaret is a pearl—
Alchemy of soft tissue
Restored over time with
Grit, becoming
Abiding beauty,
Resolving with genuine grace
Eternal gem
Turning

Margaret Simon, draft

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