A Journey Through the Pages

Welcome to Poetry Friday! Tabatha is hosting today at The Opposite of Indifference. She shares a found poem written by her daughter that many of us can relate to.

This month I am taking part in Laura Shovan’s February Poetry Project. It’s been a whirlwind of rich prompts and amazing responses. Elisa Zied shared a prompt to write about a happy place. I knew exactly the place I wanted to write about–our pond. I wake up every morning grateful for this view out my windows.

I also tried a new to me form that several others had written in response to earlier prompts–a 4 x 4 poem. If you would like to learn more about this form check out this post from Ethical ELA. Here are the basic rules for the form:

Let’s try a 4 x 4 poem today. Sometimes I enjoy the challenge of having constraints when I write a poem. In this poem, there are four “rules.”

• 4 syllables in each line
• 4 lines in each stanza
• 4 stanzas
• Refrain repeated four times in lines 1, 2, 3, 4 of stanzas 1, 2, 3, 4.

Bonus: Try writing a title in four syllables

Other than those four rules, anything goes. There are no rhyming or rhythm restrictions, and you can write on any topic.

A Pond for All Seasons

Cherish the pond
in winter’s chill
when ice crackles
amid the snow.

When springtime blooms,
cherish the pond
as you listen
to peeper’s sing.

When turtles bask
as cattails wave,
cherish the pond
in summer’s heat.

As vibrant leaves
flutter to the ground
in autumn’s breeze,
cherish the pond.

Where is your happy place?

Welcome to Poetry Friday. Molly is hosting this week at Nix the Comfort Zone. She shares the elegant beauty of winter trees with photo and poem. If you are wondering what Poetry Friday is, check out this.

This month I am taking part in Laura Shovan’s February Poetry Project. It is a whirlwind of writing and reading poetry exploring the theme of story this year. This week, I have written several short poems in response to prompts. Here are a few.

Patricia Valdata shared a photo by Lee Alban called Maintenance and Repair. Here is my very short story in response.

Now that the war is over,
you want to send me home–
What if I won’t go?

Linda Mitchell shared a photo from the New York Times by Nancy Heitman that shows Russians laying flowers in front of a statue of a Ukrainian poet.

in the midst of war
a silent protest
bears witness

Buffy Silverman invited us to write about a gathering. Since this is the time of year where sandhill cranes are gathering for their migration north.

sandhill cranes
crisscross the leaden sky
on their way north

The best part of the month is reading the variety of responses to each prompt and having rich prompts to come back to for later writing.

Is it Friday already? That must mean it is time for Poetry Friday. Carol is hosting today at Beyond Literacy Link. She is sharing a bounty of poetry postcards to brighten these late winter days.

I have been immersed in a flurry of poetry this month thanks to Laura Shovan’s February Poetry Project. The theme this year is story, and as always, the prompts challenge and amaze. My poem today came from a prompt from Donna Smith to choose an object (t-shirt, mug, vanity plates or anything at all) that tells something about our life and write wherever it leads.

I chose a necklace that I used to wear every day–not as much now. It was a gift from the year-round staff at the end of my first summer working in their work camp program. Despite every week being filled with church youth groups, it was the first place I experienced welcome and encouragement to take time for solitude and silence. The necklace still reminds me of that gift.

The Dove

With outstretched wings
the brass dove
plummets from the chain
around my neck,
plummets deep
into solitude,
plummets even deeper
into silence
where at last
I can hear
God’s whispered
invitation
to be
still.

I was captivated by the photo of the moon that Margaret Simon shared for this week’s This Photo Wants to Be a Poem. Jone MacCulloch took this glorious picture of the Full Wolf Moon. I also enjoy watching the moon as I take the dog out in the early morning.

Here is my short poem in response:

the full moon drifts
through a sea of scattered clouds
in silent serenade

Susan is hosting Poetry Friday today at Chicken Spaghetti where she also writes in response to a photo. Check out all the other poetry offerings she gathers today.

It has been a while since I’ve joined Poetry Friday. I have missed the community and the poetry and inspiration. I am glad to jump back in.

It has been a strange few years. (As my daughter says, it was a lot more fun to read about dramatic periods of history than to actually live through them.) I wrote this poem last year during Laura Shovan’s February Poetry Project that explored time. The prompt shared by Heidi Mordhurst was the Dali painting The Persistence of Memory (with the melting clock faces).

Persistence of Reality

time oozes
in and out of dreams

days garble
lost among our screams

reality warps
in and out of memes

months buckle
midst our fevered dreams

time squeezes
in and out of dreams

Catherine is hosting the Round Up this week over at Reading to the Core. Check out all the poetry offerings there.