Welcome to Day 4 of the August Open Write. If you have written with us before, welcome back. If you are joining us for the first time, you are in the kind, capable hands of today’s host, so just read prompt below and then, when you are ready, write in the comment section below. We do ask that if you write that, in the spirit of reciprocity, you respond to three or more writers. To learn more about the Open Write, click here.
Our Host
Jeania White is a retired middle grades Science and ELL teacher from Southwest Missouri. She has written poetry since high school for her own mental health balance and thoroughly enjoys the community in Ethical ELA. In her spare time she enjoys reading, gardening, travel and her 6 grandchildren.
Inspiration
Trista Mateer’s title, When the Starts Wrote Back, intrigued me, so, I went on a short quest to find her work. I found it refreshing, succinct and poignant. Like a well written postcard. Here are a few stanzas of the same-titled poem:
If I could
I would hold conversations
With the moon.
I would ask Venus
About loneliness
And Mars
About anger.
Postcard writing is an almost lost art form. Years ago, when my friends and family traveled, I asked them to send me postcards from random places as they thought of me. Postcards from places I’d never been. Today, in thinking about postcards, and random places, what would you write in a postcard from somewhere you have never been?
Process
Feeling whimsical? Project yourself as a lost sock attached to someone’s clothing who is taking a trip. Where does the sock travel?
Feeling nostalgic? Write about a place you’d like to go, or the feeling of being there with someone historical.
Feeling adventurous? Write about your greatest adventure trip (or one you’d like to take).
Choose a short poetic form, something that would fit on a postcard, and enjoy the journey.
Jeania’s Poem
Postcard from Deep Space
Buzzed past the Kupier Belt today in search of
Jupiter.
Wanted to see the Great Red Spot, but
Got lost in a forest of many moons.
Lots of sizes, small, large, ginormous
Orbiting in harmony
Nearly symphonic…then, the rings
Of Saturn nearly blinded me. I may never return
Your Turn
Now, scroll to the comment section below to write your own poem. (This is a public space, so you may choose to use only your first name or initials depending on your privacy preferences.) Not ready? That’s okay. Read the poems already posted for more inspiration. Ponder your own throughout the day. Return later. And, if the prompt does not work for you, that is fine. All writing is welcome. Just write something. Also, please be sure to respond to at least three writers. Oh, and a note about drafting: Since we are writing in short bursts, we all understand (and even welcome) the typos and partial poems that remind us we are human and that writing is always becoming. If you’d like to invite other teachers to write with us, tell them to subscribe.
Jeania,
Thanks so much for hosting today. Your poem takes us on a wonderful journey, and I learned some science words, too. Years ago when I wanted to engage students w/ the connections between literature and science, I taught a unit called “Reading the Skies.” You took me back to those lessons today. Rather than a place I haven’t been, I imagined traveling to Washington, D.C. for the next inaugural.
Aspirations
on the day
she’s sworn in as president
i’ll be there
in my mind
watching glass ceilings break
building ruby bridges
laying a foundation
for future generations of women
seeking America’s dream
Glenda Funk
I loved building Ruby Bridges🥰
I loved this too!
Me too! Shattering ceiling and building ruby bridges for (the present) and future generations. I’m in love with this, Glenda. I hope you’re really there next January.
I gasped out loud with the audacity to hope when I read those opening lines. This reminds me of the therapy practice to determine your values then imagine what your life would be like if you could see those values played out in your daily decision making. This is a much larger communal decision to be made, but it will certainly be telling of the values we have reached through our evolution. I’m hopeful we won’t let ourselves down this time.
Powerful poem, Glenda. I love your line “building ruby bridges” …what a great allusion. Yes, to the American dream and laying a foundation we can all enjoy!
Glenda, I love Washington, D.C.; it looks somewhat similar to Kyiv, Ukraine. And yes, I’d be there too to inscribe the historic moment of “watching glass ceilings break.”
Hi Jeania,
I am late posting because it’s the longest day of my school week. I love this prompt and remembered how fun it was many years ago to do the postcard exchange with students around the nation. Oh, the good ole days! The final line of your poem had me thinking all day about the word return. Thank you!
Returning Home
In perfect cursive
with a deep purple marker:
“I arrived safely
to the Motherland.
I plan to stay a long while.
No return ticket
because isn’t this
home? My soul beholds the land
To it, I return.”
©Stacey L. Joy, 8-20-24
Stacey,
This was worth the wait! No return ticket and My soul beholds the land, to it, I return are such a picture of Contentment. Just lovely!
Such a beautiful poem, Stacey. I love your reverent tone and the indelible feeling that your soul has returned to the place it needs to be. I am intrigued also by your opening stanza and the image of the message being written in deep purple. Powerful piece.
Stacey,
That last stanza—beautiful.
Stacey, wow, yes, that word “return” is powerful here, and I would love to hear you talk about this beauty. “My soul beholds the land / To it, I return.” I was a bit fascinated that there is no punctuation after “…beholds the land” It makes me read it together with the last line in new ways.
Hi Denise,
I think that was an oversight with the missing punctuation because I was exhausted. But I’m glad it made you think.😂😂
Stacey,
I am thinking about “the motherland” in both a historical sense as well as a familial one. I’m intrigued by the ambiguity and dreaming of one day traveling to that continent I think may be that motherland.
Gorgeous. Motherland.
Jeania, thanks for this cool prompt! I loved your exemplar poem and the endless possibilities it posits.
Postcard from me in 2035
So look, no spoilers,
but just keep at it.
Like any puzzle,
the pieces don’t always show you
where they’re taking you—
they just show you what fits next.
And, okay, maybe don’t do that motorcycle thing,
and definitely don’t eat that one clam,
you’ll know it when you see it.
You’re welcome.
I love this futuristic note to self. The motorcycle and clam details really add a layer of humor to this. Lovely end!
Dave,
The hidden persistence over perfection message and I love love love the puzzle metaphors! Thank you for sharing with us today.
LOL. I love the italics for definitely — it adds so much intensity! And for goodness sake, Dave, listen to your future self, and maybe just avoid clams from any disreputable sources. (Not that you’re in the habit of eating “disreputable” shellfish, lol.)
Dave, beautiful topic for the postcard poem. The last three lines cracked me up! I hope you’ll remember this poem and look it up in 11 years.
Thank you, Jeania, for this fun prompt! I’ve saved it to use with students. I decided to write about “visiting” the world through my grandson’s perspective. I used Mateer’s opening lines as a/n (very accessible!) on ramp.
If I could
I would visit
his body from the inside out.
I would feel the stub of his tender toe,
the dog’s wet tongue against his wiggly fingers.
I would see ocean waves
again for the first time, through his
pussywillow eyes.
I myself would feel our brow
tighten in concentration
curiosity
as the expanse of the world
crashes into marshmallow swirls
at our tiny feet.
Allison,
This melts my heart in a million pieces:
I’m in love.
Wow, so many wonderful lines in this poem. Loved “tender toe, wiggly fingers, and pussywillow eyes.” The movement with marshmallow swirls “at our tiny feet” is magical. Love everything about this poem. Gorgeous!
Allison,
Oh to be able to feel, and see and experience everything again through their tiny bodies! I love your descriptions of pussywillow eyes and crashing into marsh.allow swirls…these are masterful!
Allison, that extended description of the ocean waves with the “marshmallow swirls” I love how the I’s and his’s become “ours” in the second half. It is so effective to the power of your visiting through him.
Jeania — Thank you for this prompt and your poem. I loved the movement — buzzed, orbiting — it made me feel like I was on a rocket ship.
Grand Canyon
On the precipice I stand
envision
rushing, raging waters
back and back
many millennials
river carved a canyon
diversity bloomed in the gorge
landscape peppered with prickly burred white bursage
creosote bushes curling in caressing rain
crinkle my nose at pungent smell, cast my gaze to
radiant red tubular flowers of the ocotillo
Tammi,
We visited Grand Canyon in the spring, and oh, what a gorgeous picture you describe here! I live your alliteration play! My favorite is the “creosote bushes curling in caressing rain/crinkle my nose at pungent smell”. Thank you for sharing with us today.
Tammi, your WORDS drew me in as your poem unfolded with alliteration and imagery. I will now look up “ocotillo”! (Stukk learning!)
Truly gorgeous words to show what the Grand Canyon is like. I so enjoyed the precise details such as “prickly burred white bursage” and “radiant red tubular flowers of the ocotillo”. Your poem makes me want to be in that canyon breathing in the air and enjoying its beauty!
Wow, Tammi, this must be a postcard of somewhere you’ve been! Those last five lines took my breath away with the beauty and imagery. So beautiful, every word.
Jeania,
This is exactly the prompt I needed today. I’m going to circle back to it later and write about seeing the Northern Lights which I hope to do someday and doing yoga on my purple rubber travel yoga mat in a piazza in Italy which I have done. But before I got too far down those poem paths, I remembered that I would be asking my seventh graders to write a postcard to a random classmate today on our first day of school. I usually participate as well. Your prompt pushed me to write a postcard to all of my students.
Dear Class of 2030,
Happy First Day of School!
I’m excited to start learning your names, personalities and strengths.
I hope that in our class we will each learn more about who we are and how to be your best and happiest selves.
We’ll practice wabi sabi, mindfulness, leading, learning, supporting one another, executive function strategies, scientifically-proven habits for happiness, goal-setting, reflection and, most importantly, being kind to ourselves and each other.
I look forward to teaching and learning with you. Please let me know how I can best challenge, motivate and support you.
Take care,
Ms. Roy
Oh my! What a treat to have a teacher who practices wabi sabi…whatever that is! (Yes, I gotta look it up) but as a 7th grader, I had turn I my phone when I looked up a word last period in social studies.
Ms. Roy, you use a bunch I big words. I’m gonna haf to look up a lot when I get home cause my moms gonna be asking about my first day. I want her to think alls gonna be well.
See you tommaroh.
Sharon,
What a joy it would have been to be in your class today! I’m so happy to have beena part of your first day, if only in an inspirational kind of way. I love that you wrote to every student like this!
Ah, Sharon, that was a timely prompt for you. I’m so glad you shared the postcard to your students with us, as well. I think I would like to read that poem about your “purple rubber travel yoga mat in a piazza in Italy” What an experience! I hope your first day with the students was surprisingly good! And that you are setting up for a great year.
Having students write postcards to one another?! Why didn’t I think of that?! Love it! I have gobs of postcards (nearly a hoarder, but I do part with them), so I’m going to try this out with my students this year. Since I have different classes, I can have students writing to others who are not in their immediate class. Do a penpal exchange. Hmmm… I love how upbeat and inviting your introduction is to them. I especially appreciate your telling them what they can expect – such a comfort for students to get some preview of the weeks to come. Hope it goes well for you!
So much potential to this prompt, Jeanie! Thanks for sharing.
Had a crazy day and struggled to get this accomplished.
1968
You were filled with strife
and rebellion and protests,
with war
and assassinations and instability.
Fifty-six years have passed,
yet that description sounds
apt for now.
What does it take for us
to grow together
instead of circling back
to the same division
we weathered
back in 1968
Susan,
The struggle is real, thank you for writing with us today. This is an apt description of the times, for sure. I wonder the same thing, what does it take for us to grow together instead of circling back to the division…You have said much in so few words. May we all take note!
Oh boy! You have said it true. I am reading a book “An Unfinished Love Story” about those times. I see history repeated, sadly.
That book is exactly what inspired this!!
Susan,
There is so much power in your last two stanzas:
I hope we can make progress soon.
Susan, this is a timely poem. Yes, “What does it take for us / to grow together”? The idea of “circling back” is something we seem to have done for millennia, condemned always to repeat what we can’t seem to remember.
Jeania, thanks for the awesome prompt today. I could literally think of hundreds of places I’d like to be, so I settled for something a bit more abstract. I tried writing a triolet to stretch my poor rhyming skills. Your space trip is rich with specific places and imagery. Very fun!
Destinations Unknown
submerge my soul beneath bottomless seas
travel forbidden back roads and wild coves
explore exotic lands with ancient trees
submerge my soul beneath bottomless seas
unearth buried beauty, free to be me
explode into space, skip across star groves
submerge my soul beneath bottomless seas
travel forbidden back roads and wild coves
Barb Edler
20 August 2024
Barb, this is just pure magic. The triolet form works really nicely with your repeated line, “submerge my soul beneath bottomless seas”.
And wouldn’t we all like to express that chasm a bit?!
Barb–this is my favorite line! “explode into space, skip across star groves”. The rest is great too–but that line is beautiful!
Barb, you really did stretch your rhyming skills and poetry skills. This is lovely, and powerful. I want to go with you to these places–especially to “skip across star groves” and “unearth buried beauty” “beneath bottomless seas”
Barb, a triolet with the repeating line works great in your poem. My favorite line that seems to be essential is “unearth buried beauty, free to be me.” It makes me to think about not only earthly hidden treasures, but yours too as you discover them along the journey. Thank you for writing and being so generous with comments, friend!
Barb,
I love the rhythm of your poem and the soothing repitition. Your rhyme works really well.
unearth buried beauty, free to be me
Barb, this is the line I immediately highlighted. “Star groves” was the next phrase that struck me as so original. Thank you, also, for reminding me of the triolet. I love considering the “new meaning” a repeated phrase or line in poetry indicates.
Barb,
This is a gorgeous poem. It feeds my wanderlust. I particularly love the image of “star groves.” I need to hone my triolet skills.
I’m hiding
a dark place
they will never find me
stuck to some texture
on the wall
I can stay here forever
so much better than
being tossed and tumbled
first drowning
then
unbearable heat
Sister Knife hid
in the broken dishwasher
thinking it was a good place
until the repairman came
and found her
long, sharp black body
woven into the basket
And so I will stay
until I am so bored
so dry
that I will fall
off the textured wall
onto the cool floor
where someone will find me –
the black sock.
What fun! Thanks, Jeania. I will read and write more a bit later. Cleaning lady is here looking for my lost sock!
Susan
The siblings – sock and knife– is a lovely unexpected relationship within this poem that clearly aligns them to the “they” who lose the knife and sock in machines. The textured all has such power to bind materials. Clever. Indeed, I have never been in a dryer or dishwasher.
Sarah
What a fun approach to this prompt, Susan. I could perfectly see the “sharp black body/woven into the basket”. It’s amazing how things disappear. Nice job of showing the sock’s perspective!
Susan!! You led me down a path, and then closed the deal! I love this, the sister knife in the basket, the sock on the wall…the imagination here is wonderful!
Susan,
The mystery and intrigue here is palpable! I enjoyed the comparison to sister knife in the dishwasher as well. I especially liked the optimism of the sock, “I can stay here forever” almost like it’s on a vacation!
Susan, what a great take on the prompt. I think it speaks to everyone who has lost someone, each of us with some different details of the lost, but such a universal poem. The knife found by the repairman made me smile.
Susan,
This poem is so clever! Love the personification of lost items! I have a whole drawer of unpaired socks seeking their lost partners.
Just WOW. I did NOT see that black sock coming! The knife in the dishwasher felt intensely REAL to me. Beautiful work, friend!
My world has become wider
little blessings pressing into me
I’d say wish you were here
but would you know where here was
how to tell you that
There’s trash in the streets
No one speaks my language
But when I walk home I’m seen
Connected, tied in
that simple greeting
reminding me of my place
in the family of things
I recently joined the Peace Corps, and Benin in West Africa has been more than I ever could have expected. I’ve only just begun and I can’t wait to understand this place more. I constantly grapple with representation of my experience and ethical storytelling considering my position and the historical misalignment and colonialism of African nations, and so a postcard poem is a wonderful way to reflect on this facet of my experience. How do I succinctly sum up tremendous growth and discomfort all in one? I will say, even with all the differences, I’m surprised into myself for the better every single day.
Helen,
You have written all of us in a postcard from where you are! Thank you for sharing your experience with us. My favorite lines are the last few…feeling connected, tied in the simple greeting reminding me of my place in the family of things. Interesting word choice, the family of things…
Lovely to have you join us here. I hope you feel this thread of connection reaching out to you on your adventures in teaching. That line of “But when I walk home I’m seen” has so many layers of seen (noticed) or seen (outsider) and home (new) and home (a way of being). Lots to unpack about place and pronouns of “my” in the place and the language that will perhaps become ours with time. Hugs.
Thank you for your poem and your prose note. I love the echoes of Mary Oliver in the last line of your poem (and especially) that last line in your note: “I’m surprised into myself for the better every single day.” So good, and this poem, so important. Thank you!
That was exactly the intended effect! Hurray!
Helena, this is beautiful. I love the connectedness, even with the differences and no one speaking your language. So beautiful that the people in Benin are “reminding [you] of [your] place / in the family of things”
This poem is so peaceful! I love that the world has become wider and you see all the little blessings. Have a wonderful venture into this admirable experience.
Helen — You’ve really captured the feeling of uncertainty and longing for family in these lines:
“I’d say wish you were here
but would you know where here was”
Sounds like you are on an amazing journey.
This is a wonderful poem celebrating a new place and that sense of connection being seen brings. I think often about colonization, so found your commentary compelling. The Peace Corps is about service, as I understand it. That’s different from organizations that seek to change a people’s culture.
Jeania, I love your “forest of many moons”… “Orbiting in harmony”. Lovely!
I couldn’t help writing a postcard to a place I have been, but I can’t go back to. It’s a golden shovel poem based on a quote by George Bernard Shaw, inspired by my morning at the children’s museum with my two-year-old grandson.
Dear Childhood,
We are inseparable. Though I
grow in age, I hold onto
old childlike you
because you are the genius
we have made together. I never
cease to wonder, to grow,
to experience
play through your eyes. Thank you.
Yes, make the poem and prompt what you need it to be, friend. A place you can’t go back to but can visit in this poem. The golden shovel is so helpful, right? And the photo is lovely. I love the enjambment working here in both phrasing: “old childlike you/because you are the genius” and “because you are the genius/we have made together”. The structure invites me to read this in many ways for meaning-making. And that final line of gratitude is lovely.
Sarah
What a lovely poem, Denise. The golden shovel approach works perfectly with the Shaw quote. I can feel your strong abiding love for your grandchild. “We are inseparable” really set the tone to show the love ties!
Denise, you made such a wondrous golden shovel with the notes of nostalgia and gratitude to the place you “made together” where you keep “to wonder, to grow, / to experience.” It seems that while you cannot go back to this place/time, it is always in your heart. Thank you for this amazing poem!
Denise,
I love the Golden Shovel approach! Isn’t it great when we find ourselves again in our grandchildren? My favorite line is “you are the genius we have made together “.
Denise, I love how you used Shaw’s quote! And those last lines are everything: “I never / cease to wonder, to grow, / to experience / play through your eyes”! Thank you!
Denise,
Love these beautiful lines:
“cease to wonder, to grow,
to experience
play through your eyes.”
I feel the joy and love in your experience with your grandchild.
Thank you for hosting today, Jeania! I forgot about the postcard poetry. Thank you for reminding and pointing out Trista Mateer’s book with the poem. I like your quest to the Deep Space with a surprise ending: “I may never return.”
I have always wanted to go to Egypt and see the places I featured in my poem.
From the Great Pyramid of Giza, the Sphinx, & Mount Sinai
Beneath the desert’s golden shade,
I stand where ancient hands
Erected an iconic structure—
The Great Pyramid of Giza—pure wonder!
Beyond the sands, with gaze that’s wise,
The Sphinx guards secrets, ancient ties,
With lion’s strength and pharaoh’s pride,
In silent watch, where mysteries hide.
At Sinai’s peak, the sky is near,
Whispers of the divine you may hear,
On sacred stones, where footsteps tread,
First Ten Commandments Moses spread.
For some reason, the formatting is off in the post, but the stanzas are visible on a postcard.
Ohhh Leilya
This is exquisite! I love the colorful language you used and the rhyme is amazing!
Leilya, this poem is wonder in a box! Thank you for hosting, Jeania. Like Leilya, I’m grateful for the chance to express myself in this format. “Whispers of the divine” sinks into me and reminds me of the importance of place. Where I am putting myself every day and what do I get from it? This poem reminds me to venture forward. Thank you!
Wow, I love how you showed your poem on a postcard rendition. Your opening immediately captures a powerful tone that connects well with something as magnificent as the Great Pyramid and Sphinx. Lovely use of rhyme to increase the flow and wonder of the pyramid. Fantastic poem!
Leilya, I just got to take a very wonderful trip to Egypt with you! Wonderful postcard image graphic and poem. Your rhyming is delightful!
I share this wish to be under the Giant Pyramid of Giza. Certainly these places hold wisdom and “whispers of the divine.” Your words took me there.
Leilya,
Wow! I feel like I can hear “the whispers of the divine.” Love the sense of mystery your poem evokes.
Leilya,
You’ve given so much detail about Egypt in your poem. I really like the cadence. It reminds me of Ozymandias, one of my favorite poems. Ken and I have a trip to Egypt planned for May. If I can, I’ll send a postcard. I wasn’t able to send postcards from Ecuador.
Thank you, Glenda! I am a bit envious, but know you will enjoy this trip. We may go somewhere in Europe, but not sure yet.
Postcard from above
I sat upon the graves in the mist of the morning,
Cumulus visited me, without any warning,
Though my thoughts were storming,
A Vapor postcard was heartwarming.
And the cloud mirrored a heavenly sight,
And the dew spelled out spiritual rights.
And haze whispered, “ I am alight,”
With her pearls gleaming sparkling white.
And I held the most scarred- postcard,
Above the resting ghost-yard,
As his blood dripped from post shards,
Soft hands held the most, hard.
And my grief was relieved,
From the card I received,
Things were not as I perceived,
She returned to where she believed.
Angels dance like infants,
Life is the simplest,
Enjoying their interest,
Guided by His trust.
Amen, upon the mist,
Hallelujah, without resist,
Forever is bliss,
Holding heaven’s postcard,
to reminisce.
– Boxer
WOW! Boxer, you have captivated me with the heavenly perspective. Love the rhyme and rhythm bouncing between earth and heaven like a yo yo. This is pure delight!
Oh, Boxer, being able to hold “haven’s postcard” is a precious gift. I will hold onto your poem when I have another grief wave hoping I could say: “And my grief was relieved, / From the card I received.” The rhyme scheme is flawless that adds to the poem’s flow. Thank you for sharing this poem with us.
Boxer, I’m getting teary. Your lines struck me and make me recall a family teaching, that were just passing through this time on earth.
I learned that a dear friend of my mother, a person who use to share her summer cabin, passed today. It is my prayer that your stanza is their testimony !
Thanks for the rminder that”Forever is bliss”
Boxer,
I’m so sorry for your loss. I hope the memories held in your heavenly postcard bring you comfort and strength.
Jeania, what a fun prompt! And perfect for a send away from summer. I was drawn to your imagery and language – the buzzing and orbiting, along with the space words. This made for a great journey today.
You Come Too
I’ve never been
wakeboarding with a dragonfly,
skimming the pond’s surface,
briefly walking on water
I’ve never been
rocket surfacing the stars
in meteor borealis,
leaving trails of light behind me
I’ve never been
skysailing with a cloud,
racing jetstreams
and shaping shifts
I’ve never been
flashdancing in the dark,
sparking my firefly electric
in a morsecode poem of light
I’ve never been
flowershopping with a bumblebee,
tumbling amongst blossoms,
gathering pollen like gossip
I’ve never been
murmuring with a stream
or starlings, sky-softened at dusk
or wind gently tucking secrets
or billboarding at midnight
with moon’s eclipse
or window watching
with snapdragons waving from boxes
I’ve never been
This is absolutely my favorite:
“I’ve never been
flashdancing in the dark,
sparking my firefly electric
in a morsecode poem of light”
dance mixed with light mixed with poems mixed with the magic of fireflies. Such great imagery and metaphor!
Jennifer, let me know when you undertake this amazing journey, and I will join. Such a great approach to this prompt! The imagery is vividly and so enticing. I have trouble choosing my favorite line, but this stanza absolutely stole my heart:
“I’ve never been
flowershopping with a bumblebee,
tumbling amongst blossoms,
gathering pollen like gossip”
Jennifer,
Funny, I’ve never been to any of those places either, but your thrilling imagery makes me think I have! My favorite lines are billboarding at midnight with moon’ eclipse or window watching with snapdragons waving from boxes. I wonder what they would write about?!
The dragonfly walking on water!!! Wow, Jennifer. The writer in me takes this as a biblical allusion that reminds me to see magic in the mundane. The word “briefly” emphasizes the importance of being present. If I look away, I could miss it. The presence in this poetry is resplendant, and I applaud you!
Jennifer – I love each of these. The perfect descriptions up against the “I’ve never been.” My fave is “flowershopping with a bumblebee.” Wonderful!! Hugs, Susie
Postcard
Hi,
sending
love
from the
corner of
Self-Confidence
and
Complete
Assurance.
The last
time you
visited
you were
knee-high
to a
grasshopper,
and come
to think of it,
we only ever
see kids
around here
oh, and
zealots,
we get a
lot of them,
too;
they’re
weird.
____________________________________________
Thanks for your mentor poem and your prompt today, Jeania! I love the notion of receiving news/updates from places that we’ve never been, of how much is really “out there” that we’ve never discovered and (unfortunately) never will. For my offering, I started thinking of a place that I’ve never been to literally and then it morphed into something figurative, something like one of the distinctions between childhood and adulthood, oh, and then it turned, rather unsubtly (lol), political. 🙂
Scott, I laughed. Aloud. A lot. Perhaps too much at the “they’re weird” but I couldn’t help myself. And I thank you for that. It followed the head-nodding and the self-reflection.
Just brilliant. And hysterical!
Scott,
The metaphor is very clever here, and I was instantly drawn to the “corner of Self-Confidence and complete assurance ” with the children. I appreciate you sharing with us today.
What can say, Scott? You got me “from the corner of Self-Confidence” 🙂
And then this:
“The last
time you
visited
you were
knee-high
to a
grasshopper”
I think I am able to recognize your poem now even if you don’t sign your name. Thank you for another treat!
Scott,
Yes, THEY are weird! 🤣
Thanks for the prompt Jeania! I also love “got lost in a forest of many moons” but also your ending with “I may never return”!
I’m not sure why I watched some of the Olympics this year or why there seemed to be more publicity of it, or maybe that’s just my perception, or maybe that’s the evolution of tech. Anyway, a teacher I used to work with went to the Olympics this year and I felt major FOMO. It never even occurred to me that I would ever be financially stable enough to go to the Olympics or even think of it as a possibility but these days it definitely is and now it’s on my bucket list. Maybe L.A. 2028. Also, I think there are two people in the world – those who think Raygun is a joy and brought so much positivity to the Olympics and represented Australia well and those that think she needs to sit the hell down. If you are the first, sorry not sorry 🤷🏻♀️
Postcard from the 2024 Olympics
I want to be in awe
not through a TV screen
or by a video on my phone
I wish I could have seen
Simone kill it on the beam
time after time
but also witness Rebecca Andrade
beat her on the floor
and Biles and Chiles
bow down to her glory
Those beach volleyball machines
Just when you think no way
that ball’s being saved
there’s a split-second reach out
for life,
for fame,
for love of the game.
Julien Alfred make St. Lucian history
muscle movement taking her places
mind blowing how someone can
naturally get somewhere so fast
Zhou Yaqin mimic the Italians
and bite her medal.
The cutest teaching moment
Real breaking talent,
stuff you’d see on the streets,
in the air, nothing but feet
holding themselves up with one hand
(a whole other socioeconomic issue)
Not some phd holding joke
who scored zero blowing up Facebook
Why is she shown more than the talent?
Those synchronized swimmers
and their grace,
teamwork,
spacial awareness
in a space that is not a
normal human habitat.
Fish belong on the water for that long
flipping and spinning and torpedoing
but even they do all that breathing
These athletes don’t.
I wanna see it in person.
#GOALS
The list can go on and I don’t do these athletes justice with my writing. I was soo impressed.
Angie, as someone who has been to the Atlanta ’96 Summer Olympics and the Calgary ’88 Winter Olympics, I strongly support your plans! There’s nothing like watching so many people from across the world come together in competition. I loved seeing Zhou’s medal mimicry too. So sweet. And those synced swimmers are truly amazing.
Angie,
These captured Olympic highlights were so fun to read! I feel like your descriptions honored their competition nature and the spirit of the games themselves.
Angie, “you have a goal, now move toward it” was one catchy movie phrase from my childhood, and I use it sometimes to encourage people 🙂 I always loved watching Olympics on TV, and never planned to actually go and see it in person. You beautifully described the athletes that impressed you. Simone did “kill it on the beam” and I kept watching the recordings over and over. My favorites are the artistic and synchronized swimmers, but I enjoy watching Olympic sport. Thank you for providing such a poetic recap of the Games here!
Water, Tea, Whisky, or Champaign with Kamala
If I could
I would hold
a conversation
with Kamala.
I’d ask her if
this was always
the plan
Was there a
strategist plotting
the timely
declaration?
Were you
ready for
months?
Or were you
blindsided with
a call to serve?
And what did
you have to
drink that night
you learned?
Water for
hydration?
Green tea
for fortification?
A whisky
for calm?
Champaign
for the first
US woman
president?
Cheers.
I say she’s a fancy Champaign lady, reminds me of Ludacris’ What’s Your Fantasy!
Sarah, what a fascinating conversation it would be! Or to be sitting in with Kamala and Tim – likely a hoot – as they delve into “white people tacos” and snacks for the road. Forming your poem from questions adds a journalistic quality. I’m now pondering which drink she likely took (and which I’d likely take in that circumstance). Cheers (the perfect ending).
Sarah,
This is exactly what I was hoping for with my prompt today! You caught the picture beautifully in the questions and implied answers. If I were in her shoes,I’d need a bit of all of it!
Cheers!
Yay, this prompt was so fun.
Sarah, I, too, think she might be a Champaign lady 🙂 We may keep guessing. On a more serious note, I can’t even imagine how many thoughts must have been swirling in Kamala’s head. I like that you asked the questions without any hints to answers; this is how true journalism works.
Sarah, what a provocative poem. I love the questioning format about how this whole event of Kamala running for president occurred and how she might have handled it with what she chose to drink. Love the “Cheers” at the end, too.
Sarah,
I’d love to ask her these questions, too! What a monumental task to take on.
I imagine her cracking open a cold beer, hunkering down for the task ahead.
Oh, what a great question! (I’ve kind of wondered that too!) I love your simple question, that would tell so much about the situation. I’m thinking about that question now, “…what did you have to drink that night you learned?”
Sarah,
Im here for the political turn in your poem, but, girl, I’m telling you Kamala isn’t answering those questions. She might toast w/ champagne if she wins, but she’s down home, so I picture her clanking beer bottles with Doug and slurping a margarita.
Jeania, thanks for this prompt that got us out of our seats … metaphorically, anyway.
FINGER TRAVELING
Ah, the pyramids
Finally, I huff, then skid
Next to a massive stone lion
All my life, I’ve been tryin’
To get to this ancient site
Really? Well, is it sunny and bright?
Well, truly, I’m here in my mind.
Dusty, in the land of our ancestors.
Where Mary, Joseph, and Jesus hid
To stay out of King Herod’s sight!
Say, this monstrous lion ain’t wild.
But that pyramid is massively large.
Maybe I’ll hang around for a while.
Ain’t this YouTubing a charge!
Anna, we are lucky to be in an age where we can finger travel. The imagery available to us places us right there. And as fascinating a spot as the pyramids would be to visit, I doubt I’ll get there (cost, danger, desert, plus, you included puffing and skidding) so YouTubing is the way to go.
Anna,
This is so fun! Your finger travels to Egypt are a treat with the rhyme! The admission of traveling via YouTube adds to the whimsy implied in the huffing and skidding to the pyramids. Thank you.
Anna, I wrote about the Great Pyramid of Giza a couple hours after you. I am fascinated with pyramids, their structures, and the hands of those who built them. So far, I have seen a few in Mexico, but I still have Egypt on my bucket list. I am also grateful to “YouTubing’ allowing us to travel from homes. Thank you for today’s fun trip to pyramids!
I love the closing line – LOL! I have not heard of “finger travel” before, so that’s a new expression for me to learn. I love the connections you make with this place and the sensory detail. Sometimes YouTube travel is a wonderful way to see things, but definitely not quite the same experience as being able to be there. I hope you make it some day!
MACHIAS BAY NEAR THE BAY OF FUNDY
So stoked to have returned to Maine …
plunge into the main, ice cold,
crystal clear water
that I had no idea was frigid…
it took my breath away back then.
And today it is reminding me
that I am still crazy enough
to jump right off the quai,
practically hyperventilating,
as I rise to the surface
and beach myself back
onto the dock boards to dry
under the brilliant NE late summer sun.
Who says “you only live once.”
I am so damned lucky.
by Susie Morice, August 20, 2024©
Indeed, why would you have to do it if you can imagine it so beautifully? “took my breath away” and “beach myself back” and “being so damned lucky” to be able to write a poem about it and not have to do it!
Sarah
Oof! I can feel that burning cold. Maine is a favorite. I’ve only been lucky enough to be to the Bay of Fundy once but it is truly a sight. Your last two lines added just he right spin – damn lucky you are, Susie!
Susie,
The descriptions here are so vivid I can almost feel the cold water and the contrast with the brilliant summer sun. You are the lucky one who.lives every moment as if it’s your last. Well done!
Susie, I’m here to jump with you. That plunge would be an amazing respite from all this heat. Even when the sun goes down, the heat clings in the concrete, the ground, the trees. It’s time for fall. Indeed, that last line – – you ARE!
Susie, I love your celebration of self in this poem. I can feel that frigid water and embrace your determination to explore the bay and to thoroughly enjoy it. Your last line is absolutely perfect. Marvelous poem! So glad you’re enjoying life!
An Advice Postcard for Creatives
Be a fan of your own work.
Grow up in something local.
Be a part of it even if only a venue of one…or none.
Celebrate DIY culture.
You won’t regret making something that others can be a part of.
You won’t regret reaching out to that community,
It doesn’t have to be what you thought it was going to be.
It doesn’t have to get in your way.
Yours in trust and love,
Tellio
Here’s another format text and video of the same postcard:
advice postcard
Hi,
I think that lines of “you won’t regret” repeating is the essence of creating and creatives. So much self-doubt, for me, misunderstanding, that others have for me in my POV. The “making something that others can be a part of” is my reason for making. Love this.
Sarah
Telling, Wonderfully put! The lines You won’t regret making something and reaching out are exactly why I enjoy this community so much. It fills a need for me I didn’t even know I had! Thank you for summing it up!
Wow, this is such great advice and you really get to the heart of how anxiety or insecurity can be crippling to creatives.
I especially love that line, “You won’t regret making something that others can be a part of.” Perfect!
Jeania, This exercise felt like dropping in on spaces and places and seeing them for the first time. I am mesmerized by your “Great Red Spot” and “forest of many moons.” I decided to go to Antarctica:
Postcard From Antarctica
seas froth, tossed in torment
our ship pitches its way south
to the land of ice
ghostly floes choke and slow the ship
frozen islands meters thick
withstand brazen pound and crack
a splinter echoes
in surrender, succumbing
to violent blows
Thwaites burns, surreal
a misty mirage towers on the horizon,
holds in her power
sky and sea and our planet’s future
Patricia,
I had to look up Thwaites. I like the word, the sound, the look of it. It is like a glacier in just the lettering and shape of the word. Wow. And yes, “misty mirage towers on the horizon”. Love learning. Beautiful trios of lines ending with a fourth, maybe a melting into an extra line?
Sarah
Patricia,
I think your verse feels like a trip to Antarctica. So descriptive, so adventurous! The misty mirage towers in the horizon…magical!
Terrific prompt, Jenia. My husband travels for work at times, so I thought I’d send him a postcard while he’s on the road.
Dear Steve,
I wish you could have seen
the swallowtail crawl out of her
chrysalis. After all, you were
the one
to buy the parsley for her momma’s eggs.
Love,
M
Oh, and I found the tiniest frog
on the weigela this morning!
Mo, I love the personalizing of your postcard… Such a sweet glimpse of a moment you wanted to share with someone you love.
I also love this personalized postcard, Mo. it’s so simple and cute but also mixed with real nature/sciency words. (Not a plant person, did not know what a weigela was.) I especially love
“After all, you were
the one
to buy the parsley for her momma’s eggs.”
It shows not only his care but yours as well. Love.
So gorgeous and intimate. Thanks for sharing.
Mo, this is perfect! I love the glimpse into both your garden friends and your sharing with your hubby what’s going on at home. Priceless!
This is truly serendipitous for me, MO. I appreciate the glimpse into your garden, and your visitors.
Mo, you make me want to send a postcard to my husband right away. Too bad he just returned from his trip to Canada 🙂 Love the afterword with: “Oh, and I found the tiniest frog / on the weigela this morning!” This makes your card so realistic to me as if you are casually talking to your husband. Thank you!
Mo,
This is a gem! So sweet and such simple specificity. Who wouldn’t love to receive a note like this?
Thanks for this fun prompt! As a geologist I thought of someplace I would love to receive a postcard from – from within the Earth. I thought of Jules Verne when I wrote this poem. I think it still needs some tweaking but I am happy with the start!
Postcard from the Earth
Drilling down
Immense pressure
Temperatures rise
In the rocky crust.
Basalt changes to peridotite
Iron, magnesium, silicon
Plastic and flowing
Through magmatic convection currents.
All iron, maybe some nickel
The liquid outer core encompassing
A solid inner core which
Generates the Earth’s magnetic field.
Almost 4,000 miles to the center
9,400 degrees Fahrenheit
Wish you were here.
Mona Becker 08/20/24
This is great, Mona. As I read and learned so much in your postcard, I couldn’t help but think that your poem could be used as a mentor text in social studies or science classes. Teachers could use this prompt as an informal assessment. The short form really makes us focus on what is important.
Mona, your words carried me down, down through the layers like a traveler — and I loved the tongue-in-cheek last line.
Mona,
Fabulous use of Earth’s layers and composition to create a verse! At 9,000+ degrees Fahrenheit, I’m glad I’m NOT there,but what a trip that would be. I appreciate the scientific content here and the way you drew me in!
Mona,
I loved this on many levels…the journey into the layers of the earth and description of its composition is fabulous. Verne would be pleased to have it be so succinct. Thank you for the ride!
Mona–the science merges with the poet! I hope you use this with your class (what science do you teach, anyway?) Love the details–a lesson for me!
Jeania, thanks for the amazing poem and inspiration!
TSA threw the suitcase, it popped open
a random lady gently tossed it to
the left and I spilled out.
My owner will only have one
bright yellow ankle sock now.
Someone picked me up and
added me to their bag!
Next, there was a suitcase
a flight, a long nap, and an
unknown child put me on his foot
and said “Mommy, I’m wearing a yellow
sock and an orange one today.”
My day consisted of
hot sand with flip flops
ice cream splotches dropped on my head
and a movie in a dark theater .
I was grateful for the shoes since I
hate sticky floors
and my new owner insisted on wearing
me to bed since I’d kept him cozy
all day.
I’m loving this Kid!
Sean,
What a journey your lost sock took! Your creativity having someone else pick it up from the airport was both believable and inspiring. My favorite lines were hot sand and flip flops and ice cream splotches.
And the personification throughout is so fun. I’m loving this kid, too!
Someone picked it up! That was unexpected. I love that twist and the sense of adventure in your poem, Seana.
Seana, this could be an entire picture book! What fun to bump along on this sock’s adventure!
Sean–this is great! It reminds me of the trips that class stuffed pets. I’m sure the sock had a better time with that little kid than it would with you!
Are you allowed to share more than one? This is great! So happy I found this site.
POSTCARD FROM A NEW NORMAL
Though not unexpected, the trip was
Difficult and somehow surprising.
I mean,
We all knew we’d end up here, right?
This is was our inevitable destination.
And yet—
It takes your breath away, doesn’t it?
The stomach-dropping scale of the unfamiliar peaks,
The oxygen-deprived blues of the valleys,
The roads that twist into who knows what.
I’m not sure if I like it, but we’re here now, I suppose, and
Blinking at the topography,
Trying to slow our breathing,
As we disembark into this new terrain.
Mariah,
Stunning, just stunning the journey you take us on, both realistic and metaphoric! How applicable these words are to our teacher community starting new school years! That last stanza really communicates a lot in just a few words. Thanks for sharing with us today.
I have a daughter heading off to college as a freshman this week (the one I work at, but still…). The feeling maps to so many situations. It is certainly how I’m feeling today!
Mariah, -Just oooh!! I could go so many places on this poem…You almost had me wondering if this was life-after-death! I had missed your title and when I re-read it, I think it still could be! Brava!
Absolutely could be! I had such fun with this prompt.
Beautiful and so very real, seeing your child grow up and away…
Jeania–what a wonderful, fun concept and poem! I wish I was still teaching–I would use this as a first day writing prompt! And your poem–your two teaching places in one–this line sings–“Got lost in a forest of many moons.”
Postcard from the Word You Needed
Having a great time!
Visited the city
Saw the sights
Driving home tomorrow–
I’ll see you when I get back.
GJSands
08/20/24
Thank you Gayle c or your sweet words. This poem reflects many postcards I’ve both written and received. I enjoyed your “just the facts” postcard this morning.
OMG- Gayle, so so creative… those dumb words that hang hidden in the ether that we try to grasp yet cannot find!
Gayle, I love how realistic your poem is, and your title shows me how important those last two lines are.
LOVE the sample poem – I did not know Mateer but am now following her on Insta. Thank you!. I also appreciate the science connection. I do sessions at our annual STEM Girls Day Out, and it never ceases to amaze me how complimentary science and the arts can be. I decided to write a postcard from the future since I somehow keep this hope alive that we will indeed evolve to be better to one another while remembering our very tiny place in the timeline of history.
Here Wish
It took a long time
to undo the damage
but you’d love it here
now we live in peace
fear no loss of ego
have no words for them/other
concepts lost long ago
no jails no punishments no crimes
no reason for any of it
truly you’d love it here
this place you worked
so hard to achieve
not all rewards
come in one lifetime
What a setting you’ve created, Denise! Those last two lines are perfect, and such a great reminder (especially for students) that gratification is not always instant.
Denise,
This is the utopia I want and dream we’ll have one day. Wouldn’t no prisons be nice instead of this carcereal nation we’ve created. In junior high we read Lost Horizon. Your hopeful poem reminds me of that novel. We need more utopian literature.
Yes. I want to hug these words tight and carry them like a prayer. Beautiful.
Denise — I really like the sense of this…the hopeful times that may lie ahead. I’d “love it here” indeed. Comforting. Susie
Denise,
This sounds like a place I’d love to live! My favorite lines are the last 4…this place you worked so hard to achieve not all rewards come in one lifetime. Utopia!
The hook in that opening line— “It took a long time to undo the damage” — is gripping. I love the title and level of insight in this sharp, little poem. Thanks for sharing!
Denise, what a good news poem! I’m loving this “Here Wish”. I would love to be able to send that to all the people that you refer to in “this place you worked / so hard to achieve”
Postcard from Niagara Falls
What a powerful trip!
On a
tiny boat
taking me
right up
to the falls.
the sound
the flow
the feeling
I’m a part
of a powerful planet.
Surely, I can do anything!
Sally, and you CAN do anything. You’re a Maid of the Mist! A Goddess of the Falls. A writer of poetry is all that and more – – and that is YOU, friend! The sound, the flow, the feeling of the moment captured right here by your pen and bringing us into your powerful planet, sharing your moment.
Sally,
Thank you for sharing this work of adventure and empowerment! We are indeed part of a powerful planet, and you CAN do anything !
Oh, Sally, that ending! I loved reading the first part too, the power of the falls, and the tiny boat. But I especially love the empowerment it gave you. Being “part of a powerful planet.” Nice alliteration. And especially that last line!
Jeania, Thanks for this model poem from Outer Space. I will share with my young students who are fascinated. I imagine giving them a prompt to write from a favorite planet.
Postcard from Full Moon
Notice my soft lines
change
night to night
Open a window
to my glow
comfort or longing
Sail in my darkest shadows
to truly know my light
Land in the soil of
home.
Margaret, that line – –
sail in my darkest shadows – –
is haunting and exciting all at once. I love the places that one line takes me. I was awakened by the full moon at 2 a.m. and saw it in all its glory when I took the dogs out early, and noted how clear the sky was – how the stars twinkled. With all the rain and humidity, I haven’t felt the crisp clearness of the heavens for a long time here, so this is just a welcome and comforting poem to go with how I was feeling this morning, though the moon could have toned it down a bit at 2 a.m.
Yes, haunting, mesmerizing. I love the journey from a window and landing “in the soil of home.”
Margaret,
This is a lovely tribute to the full moon. I too am intrigued by your line sail in my darkest shadows to truly know my light.
Isn’t it so true, that we never appreciate the light so much as when we’ve been in darkness?!
Jeania, thank you for hosting us today and investing in us as writers. I love that you take inspiration from your reading and allow it to spark writing creativity along a mentor text. Your poem brings me that moment of connection with you – – it reminds me of going looking for something and getting sidetracked by all the other moons then forgetting what it was I was looking for in the first place – – and there I stand in the rabbit hole, reading this poem and cheering that I’m not alone in my sidetrackedness. Thank you! I chose an acrostic today for a place I want to visit. I’m so tired of sweltering temperatures here in Georgia – – take me to Iceland!
Travel Fever
I want to pack my bags, go where it’s
Cold – to soak in thermal springs, to
Explore an ice cave in the
Land of Ice and Fire
Aurora Borealis dancing as the
Northern Lights
Delight the eyes and soul
Kim, does it surprise you that I’ve longed to see, maybe even to sleep in, an ice cave? My oldest went to Iceland some years ago – he spoke of all its fascinating geography, including black-sand beaches and thermal vents. So otherworldly. I also long to see real northern lights in all their glory – I think you once referred to them as the hem of angel robes. -Sigh. The yearning is real. And – the acrostic is one of my all-time favorite forms. Yours, here – magnifique!
I’m with you, Kim…”go where it’s/ Cold!” While I do enjoy my hydrangeas all blooming in grand glory, there is nothing more comforting than cold for me. I love the feel of cold skin. Sounds loco, I know, but it’s true. So you really resonated with me today. Hugs, Susie
Kim,
I’m also tired of sweltering heat! The acrostic is a great choice for today, and you have painted a lovely postcard of Iceland for us. A journey for the senses…thank you!
Kim, Iceland is on my bucket list. I love the idea as we are suffering from extreme heat and humidity as well. I feel cooler reading your poem.
Yes, to everything your poem has to offer. I would really love to explore an ice cave and experience seeing the Aurora Borealis. What a lovely last line! Perfect title, too!
Postcard from a Bucket List
I’d hoped for so long to get to this very northern town,
its’ primary colored clapboard buildings sharp and jarring against the kind of all-encompassing cold white that makes your breath stop.
Is it Canada? Iceland? Where even is Lapland?
All that matters is hope and the percentage chance of seeing the sky shift and swirl eerie green and gold and mauve like oil on backlit black water.
Now I am longing for this very northern town, Mariah, with all its stark contrasts and sky shifting with colors….your question about Lapland made me chuckle aloud.
Mariah, I think we wrote of the same place today – – mine was indeed Iceland to see the Northern Lights. My brother just got back from a honeymoon cruise down the Rhine and wanted to book another trip a year out. He asked where I’d choose to go if I could choose anywhere. Iceland, I told him. Especially in the heat of 90 degree Georgia. I want to do what you want to do – – see the swirls of green and gold and mauve. I’ve always seen the Aurora Borealis in videos and think of it as the hem of the angels’ gowns in heaven, sweeping the sky as they dance. And I’d like to stand under them and imagine my mama is twirling, swirling right over me, reaching down and touching my cheek. This is beautiful. Let’s pack our bags and buy some stamps and postcards to mail!
My 50th is rapidly approaching and when asked where I’d like to go I started searching for Aurora Borealis viewing destinations. Life is short— Chase the light(s)!
Sheesh what amazing language use here: “seeing the sky shift and swirl eerie green and gold and mauve like oil on backlit black water” the sounds and imagery are on point!
Mariah,
I’d go visit this place based solely on your vividdescriotions! That last sentence is rich…All that matters is hope…just wonderful!
You really captured the idea of places you’ve never been!
Such wonderful images in “swirl eerie green…” and “colored clapboard buildings”. Anywhere north is where I want to be in August.
Jeania, thank you for your inspiration today. It was great imagining a trip to deep space through your well written verse. I too love the intersection of science and poetry, teaching me fun facts in a delightful form! Like a great post card you’ve teased me and I’m yearning for trip past Kupier’s Belt.
I just returned from a very quick trip to Alaska and haven’t had time to process the 8 hour tour I took last week. Thank you for allowing me to share.
A Thousand Wows
Glaciers beaming blue against the gray skies
Towering mountains reaching great heights
Salmon swimming to their final resting place
Sinister mud flats holding stories of a town long gone
Bears awaiting in the brush quietly hunting
Sights of glory and majesty on a short trip to 49
I can see it all, Christine, as if I were actually holding a postcard in my hand. I’ve always thought the glaciers (or maybe whales) would be the things I’d want most to see on a trip to Alaska, but you have captivated me with “sinister mud flats holding stories of a town long gone.” Story…life is all about story!
Christine, those glaciers are simply majestic, and I can hear them calving after the thunderous cracks of small pieces break free and plunge into the waters beneath. This postcard sized poem packs a universe of experience and wonder in your lines. I love that you shared your trip. Those salmon swimming to their final resting places would have me feeling sad except for the brown bears there in the shallows waiting for the sacrificial meals of these fish at the all-you-can-eat Grizzly buffet. Perfect imagery today, Christine!
Christine,
Alaska has long been on my bucket list! You capture so beautifully everything I hope to see and experience when we go next summer. The vivid verbs and dazzling description are just wonderful. Thank you for sharing.
Jeania – this prompt instantly sets the creative juices flowing! I was right there in deep space with you, lost in the forest of many moons, and in your imagery. I thought for a second about being a sock belonging to a famous author or historical figure. I would end up being too wordy. I went with my first thought. My poem lacks compelling images such as yours, but…I had to take the ride Thank you for this poetic spark today.
Postcard from Tomorrow
Much turbulence on the flight.
Wasn’t sure we’d make the landing…
How is it that the journey
seems so long before
and incredibly short, after?
Gotta tell you, it’s different here
from what I imagined.
Some things are pretty much what
you’d expect
(people are people, after all)
but I can promise you,
untold wonders
unfold here
on the wings
of our better angels
—oh yes, the trip is worth
every bit of the price.
Fran, your title catches me and grips me in the engagement of time travel, and I’m hooked right from the start. And I see it is an analogy, so many possible journeys that this plane has been on – the plane of life and the living in general, the plane of relationship, the plane of looking back over the years after loss. When I read it as if it were my mother’s voice from Heaven, it makes perfect sense to me that she’d be assuring us the trip is worth the price. And I hear such wisdom there. And I’m not surprised that your voice is not unlike hers, this very keen sense of knowing and of assurance and of encouragement. Here we are in the lines of another of your deeply resonating poems, where I’ll drift back and think about it through the day.
Words to inspire hope and optimism! Thank you, Fran!
Fran,
The promise of untold wonders is what keeps us all dreaming, and writing and traveling, isn’t it?! I love the words “unfold here on the wings of our better angels” so much that I may borrow them for my own writing later. And, as always, the trip will be worth the price. This was lovely!
Jeania, thank you for this prompt. I love it and it’s so middle school friendly. The inclusion of science-y facts in poetry makes my heart sing. I want to get lost in that moon forest too! I’ve been playing around in my notebook and am working on a concrete poem…it’s just a beginning but oh so fun!
Stars – one of your great OLWs! Your poem is shaping up radiantly 🙂 Stars DO point us to infinity.
Oh how I loved seeing this concrete poem and the points leading to infinity! You are encouraging me to attempt a concrete poem as well!
Linda, concrete shape poetry is some of the most challenging to write, and look at this star right here, twinkling and inviting us into this secret to infinity. It sparkles, friend!
Wow, Linda, the turned out amazing and as I read it, the flow of the concrete form worked so well with the meaning, like saying infinity twice. So cool!
Linda,
I love that you took this to a concrete poem! It really does sparkle as you describe the maps to infinity…
I relish
the rhythms
of the shoreline
a hunk of wood
with a history
all my own
By morning,
I’m stranded
on sand
By night,
I’m on the move
again
— Kevin
sounds delightful!
Now I want to know the history of this hunk of wood, forever riding its ebb-and-flow shoreline rhythms…
The thought of endlessly drifting to and fro with the ebb and flow of tides has me smiling this morning. Such a carefree life…
This “hunk of wood” traveling through “history” intrigues me. “Relish” is such a good word.
Kevin, I always find a surprise in your early morning poetry, and here you are – – a piece of driftwood today, carrying your history on the waves and settling in on the shore at the tide change. Oh, the history of how that wood came to be there and where it was rooted.
Kevin,
I appreciate the movement in this verse,both linguistically and metaphorically. You take us on a trip, give us a land stop and push us back out to sea. Incredible!
“Sand” and “again” –the stickiness of the “n” sounds.