Poetry Friday: A River Rest

Today I have a poem in progress. We have spent the last week on vacation with my husbands family–grandparents, adult children and spouses, grandkids all hanging out in one place from our scattered homes. We’ve done this for the past 10+ years, and choose a different location each summer. This week we landed in a beautiful cabin in the edge of the Ozarks, just outside of Steelville, MO.

In addition to enjoying time with family and taking in the nearby sights, I have been scribbling in my notebook to capture the memories in words before they slip away. I used to be much more dedicated about journaling while traveling, but I’ve gotten out of the habit. I’m glad to rediscover it. I also have lots of ideas now to go back to for writing.

At the beginning of the week, I started a poem and wrote my way into a stanza for each day. Some days don’ quite fit (like our trip to St. Louis), but I do want to add a few more stanzas for the end of our vacation. I also plan to leave at least a few stanzas in the guest book for our contribution.

A River Rest

A wide porch beckons
me to sit in a rocking chair
and listen to quiet sounds–
Birds twitter and chatter
above the pulsing strum of cicadas
and occasional bass croak of a bullfrog.

A gravel road invites
me to explore the river
that arches around a sand bar.
Water ripples and chortles
as kayaks drift past
and we skip stones and chase minnows.

A rocky trail entices
me to wander up and down hlls
through wooded glens and across rocky stream beds.
Wind rustles and flutters
through layers of green leaves
to reveal valley vistas below.

A dark, damp cave tempts
me to escape the heat above
and discover its hidden wonders.
Cave kisses plink and plunk and splatter
as stalactites drip ever closer to stalagmites
and an underground stream flows past nature’s artistry.

Since this is still a work in progress, I am still playing with form and word choice. I welcome any suggestions and feedback you might have!

 

Each Friday, I am excited to take part in Poetry Friday, where writers share their love of all things poetry. Katie has the Poetry Friday Roundup today at The Logonauts. Stop by and see what poetry morsels are offered this week. 

24 Comments on Poetry Friday: A River Rest

  1. Michelle Kogan
    July 26, 2017 at 11:50 pm (7 years ago)

    Your last stanza moved me via your words and the image. All three lines move me along the water,
    “Cave kisses plink and plunk and splatter
    as stalactites drip ever closer to stalagmites
    and an underground stream flows past nature’s artistry.
    Lovely, thanks!

    Reply
    • Mrs. McGriff
      July 28, 2017 at 8:35 am (7 years ago)

      Thank you, Michelle. The cave was inspiring!

      Reply
  2. Brenda Harsham
    July 24, 2017 at 12:29 am (7 years ago)

    Beautiful place and lovely invitations. Makes me want to vacation there one day. Your word choice evokes summer and rambling on country roads. I’d love to hear more of you in them.

    Reply
    • Mrs. McGriff
      July 24, 2017 at 7:25 pm (7 years ago)

      Thanks, Brenda. I hope you do get a chance to visit one day. It is a beautiful area.

      Reply
  3. Heidi Mordhorst
    July 23, 2017 at 8:37 am (7 years ago)

    “cave kisses,” chortling water, the pulsing strum of cicadas–yes, your verbs are mighty! That porch would make me want to write too.

    Reply
    • Mrs. McGriff
      July 24, 2017 at 7:25 pm (7 years ago)

      Thanks, Heidi. That porch was amazing. I sat out on it even through the heat.

      Reply
  4. Mary Lee Hahn
    July 23, 2017 at 8:28 am (7 years ago)

    I love your verb in the first line of each stanza! Thanks for taking us along and sharing these snapshots!

    Reply
    • Mrs. McGriff
      July 24, 2017 at 7:24 pm (7 years ago)

      Thanks, Mary Lee. I’m glad you enjoyed the visit!

      Reply
  5. Kiesha Shepard
    July 22, 2017 at 6:25 pm (7 years ago)

    Kay, this is marvelous! Your word choice is perfect for describing the scene of “nature’s artistry.” Thank you for sharing and for your kind words of sympathy to me this week.

    Reply
    • Mrs. McGriff
      July 24, 2017 at 7:24 pm (7 years ago)

      Thanks, Keisha. I will be thinking of you through this week.

      Reply
  6. Diane Mayr
    July 22, 2017 at 4:03 pm (7 years ago)

    Kay, that porch is to die for! As for advice, I appreciate your using all those evocative sense images. Keep it up!

    Reply
    • Mrs. McGriff
      July 24, 2017 at 7:23 pm (7 years ago)

      Thanks, Diane! I’m looking forward to revisiting vacation as I continue the poem.

      Reply
  7. Donna Smith
    July 22, 2017 at 6:13 am (7 years ago)

    I know a few families that share a summer break together, and it makes me wish we’d had that tradition. I guess because we lived where others came to visit us on the coast, we never started a large family gathering!
    I love the “gathering” of daily thoughts into a stanza a day! What a great idea! Especially like the alluring call to each day’s exploration!

    Reply
    • Kay McGriff
      July 22, 2017 at 10:40 am (7 years ago)

      Thanks, Donna. It has been a wonderful tradition with ?any good memories. I’m eager to finish a few more stanzas on the drive home today.

      Reply
  8. Violet N.
    July 21, 2017 at 7:10 pm (7 years ago)

    What a fabulous way to document a vacation! You must post the ending stanzas when you have them.

    Reply
    • Mrs. McGriff
      July 21, 2017 at 8:58 pm (7 years ago)

      Thank you, Violet. I will share the rest once it’s done.

      Reply
  9. Linda
    July 21, 2017 at 5:21 pm (7 years ago)

    I like cave kisses best! Those drops always kinda freaked me out…..but if they are just cool kisses plinking around innocently, that’s pretty! Lovely memories for you to keep in your journal and in your poem.

    Reply
    • Mrs. McGriff
      July 21, 2017 at 5:45 pm (7 years ago)

      I loved that our tour guide described them as cave kisses (not original with me). It made the drips much more fun.

      Reply
  10. Linda Baie
    July 21, 2017 at 2:02 pm (7 years ago)

    I grew up in Missouri, Kay, & know how beautiful those Ozark hills are! Glad you are having a great time. I love the intro of each stanza, those verbs beckon!

    Reply
    • Mrs. McGriff
      July 21, 2017 at 3:21 pm (7 years ago)

      These hills are beautiful! This week, we’ve just sampled a little of what is offered. I’d love to come back for a longer, multi-day float trip. Now I need to consult my thesaurus for some more inviting verbs for the rest of the stanzas!

      Reply
  11. Jane @ Raincity Librarian
    July 21, 2017 at 10:58 am (7 years ago)

    What a wonderful tradition to have as a family, so many memories to make and cherish! And what better way to capture and celebrate those memories than through poetry!

    Reply
    • Mrs. McGriff
      July 21, 2017 at 3:20 pm (7 years ago)

      It has been a wonderful blessing to share these weeks across the summer for all these years. I wish now I had started writing poetry from the beginning of our trips!

      Reply
  12. Joan Davis
    July 21, 2017 at 8:26 am (7 years ago)

    Beautiful

    Reply
    • Mrs. McGriff
      July 21, 2017 at 3:19 pm (7 years ago)

      Thanks, Joan! It’s been a relaxing vacation.

      Reply

Leave a Reply