zeno poem | Reflections on the Teche

Posts Tagged ‘zeno poem’

This Photo Wants to be a Poem: Penguin

Posted in Photography, This Photo Wants to be a Poem, Writing, tagged Audubon Aquarium, This Photo Wants to be a Poem, zeno poem on June 11, 2025| 2 Comments »

Penguin at the Audubon Aquarium in New Orleans, LA.

On Saturday, I toured the Audubon Aquarium at the fast pace of a 5-year old. This penguin was right up against the glass as if it was posing.

I invite you to write a penguin poem. Join us in the comments and support other writers with your comments.

Today I decided to write a Zeno poem. It’s a mathematical form created by J. Patrick Lewis using the sequence 8, 4, 2, 1, 4, 2, 1, 4, 2, 1. Each one syllable line rhymes. When I decide to use this form, I start with the rhyming word. For this poem I wanted it to land on the word fly. I made a list of words that rhyme with fly (cry, spy, by, guy, high,…) Then I wrote the numbers down the left side of the page.

Next, compose a first sentence. You’d be surprised how many sentences are between 8-10 syllables.

Zenos are fun to write. Mine came out quite silly, but I feel like that’s the point.

Mr. Penguin invites you in—
the water is
fresh as
pie.
That fishy scent
by and
by.
Secret power
makes him
fly.

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This Photo Wants to be a Poem: Cardinal

Posted in nature, Photography, Poetry, This Photo Wants to be a Poem, Writing, tagged birds, cardinals, Molly Hogan, zeno poem on February 12, 2025| 15 Comments »

Molly Hogan doesn’t mind cold fingers. She takes amazing pictures around her home in Maine. She posted this one of a male cardinal all puffed up for the cold. The contrast of red on white makes the cardinal stand out. Recently I witnessed a cardinal couple in the fruit tree. The male was on the lookout while the female fed on the ground. It’s sweet how they care of one another.

This is the week we celebrate love with Valentine’s Day. I am sharing a zeno (8, 4, 2, 1, 4, 2, 1, 4, 2, 1) for the cardinal which symbolizes many things.

Hope and Renewal: The vibrant red plumage of male cardinals is often associated with vitality, strength, and renewal. Their presence can symbolize hope and the promise of new beginnings, particularly during challenging times. Love and Relationships: Cardinals are known for forming strong and lasting pair bonds. Because of this, they are sometimes seen as symbols of devotion, loyalty, and the deep connections found in romantic relationships and partnerships. (from the birdhouse.ca)

Use any form that works for you and leave a small poem in the comments. Be sure to spread poetry love with comments for others.

Cardinal Zeno

Filling the frozen bird feeder
cardinal spy
waits for
seeds
tweets out his call
while Mom
feeds
affectionate
bird heart
freed.
Margaret Simon, draft

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This Photo Wants to be a Poem: Home

Posted in Photography, This Photo Wants to be a Poem, Writing, tagged J. Patrick Lewis, No place like home, snow, zeno poem on February 5, 2025| 8 Comments »

Photo by Jeff Simon in downtown New Iberia, LA.

With Toto in her arms, Dorothy clicked her heals and repeated “There’s no place like home. There’s no place like home.”

Brainstorm your thoughts around the word home. You may use Dorothy’s iconic words as a title. Or describe a place in your life that feels like home.

I used a form created by J. Patrick Lewis called the zeno based on a numerical sequence for syllable count: 8, 4, 2, 1, 4, 2, 1, 4, 2, 1 in which each one syllable line rhymes. For more examples, I found this 2014 post from Today’s Little Ditty.

Snow transformed home to wonderland,
silent ocean
of white
flakes
reminding us
climate
wakes
imagine us
safe from
snakes.

Margaret Simon, draft

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Poetry Friday: Dot Day 2024

Posted in Gifted Education, Poetry Friday, Writing, tagged #internationaldotday, zeno poem, zine on September 20, 2024| 12 Comments »

Poetry Friday is hosted today by Linda Baie at Teacher Dance.

Monday, September 16th was International Dot Day. Dot Day was created by a teacher who wanted to celebrate the Peter Reynolds book The Dot. It’s a story about a young girl, Vashti, who doesn’t think she can draw. She is encouraged and inspired by a teacher’s confidence in her. “Make a mark and see where it takes you.”

This year I wrote Zeno poems with my students and encouraged them to create a Zeno Zine.

A zine is a foldable book that can be made with a single sheet of paper. See a YouTube video here.

A zeno poem is a form created by J. Patrick Lewis using the syllable pattern of 8, 4, 2, 1, 4, 2, 1, 4, 2, 1. The one syllables all rhyme. For me it works best if I decide on my rhyming word. I was thinking about the idea that you are never too old for Dot Day, so I chose old, gold, and bold.

When making your mark shine this bright,
you are never
too, too
old.
Remember who
creates
gold:
They are the ones
who live
BOLD!
@Margaret Simon

I also read aloud Laura Purdie Salas’s Dot Day poem.

A golden shovel poem using the line “a flashlight’s gleam. A full moon dream.”

Here are some sample zine pages from my students:

by Avalyn, 5th grade
“Think creative. Be creative.
When you want to
make a
dot.
Maybe you could
use this
spot.
Or mix them up
in a
pot!”

Dot Day is fun, and for purposes of gifted standards, it also encourages creativity, critical thinking, and problem solving. Win! Win!

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Poetry Friday: Juggling

Posted in Poetry Friday, tagged Inklings challenge, juggling, visual frameworks, zeno poem on October 6, 2023| 20 Comments »

Poetry Friday is hosted by Matt at Radio, Rhythm, and Rhyme celebrating a new book.

The first Friday of the month is reserved for the Inkling challenge. This month Mary Lee fascinated us with Visual Frameworks as a prompt for writing. You can see all the choices here.

With school, teaching, volunteering all get fully underway, I feel the sense of juggling lots of balls in the air. And at any time, one or more may fall, and mess with the balance I am currently trying to hold onto. I taught the zeno form to my students last week and featured it on This Photo, so I chose the form to juggle this challenge. I like how the rhythm of it creates the sense of juggling.