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Last night, my family went to watch my nephew play basketball. He's in third grade, and they play in an elementary school gym. We all sat crunched up along the gym walls, trying to keep our legs tucked under us so they weren't on the court! The whole game was full of hold-your-breath moments, where the ball is teetering back and forth between sliding in for points or bouncing off the rim.

The picture makes me think of the amount of praying a kid can do in the two seconds between a ball leaving his hands and that ball either making or not making a basket. It also made me think of the questions we ask that we're then afraid to hear the answers to. And it makes me think of an ugly brown and yellow owl that I macramed as a teenager in a YMCA crafts class (and my sweet older sister who hung it in her house anyway!).

Now, what does this image make YOU think of?

Take one of your answers to that question and write a quick 15 words or less poem and leave it in the comments below. Have fun! Click here for guidelines if you've never played before. Just use the image as a jumping off point--your poem doesn't have to describe this picture! 
 

 



Photo: Cezary Piwowarski

I had a hankering for an African mask today. I'm not sure why! But I love this one. It makes me think of mud treatments at a spa, Halloween, and henna painting. What does it make YOU think of?

Take one of your answers to that question and write a quick 15 words or less poem and leave it in the comments below. Have fun! Click here for guidelines if you've never played before. Just use the image as a jumping off point--your poem doesn't have to describe this picture! 

Thanks so much for encouraging each other last Thursday when I had too much going on to really give feedback. I can't wait to read today's poems.

 



Photo: Norbert Rosing

I try not to post too many cute photos, because they tend to inspire (for me, anyway) sappy poems. But c'mon. Can you resist this?

Renowned nature photographer Norbert Rosing took a whole series of pix of a polar bear playing (every night for a week) with huskies. You can read a bit about it here and visit his site for amazing nature photos.

But enough about how cool this is. The real question is, what does it make you THINK of? What does it remind you of?

For me, it makes me think about how sad it will be if this world loses one of its fiercest and most mysterious predators due to climate change and habitat degradation. It also makes me think of those girls in high school who are really predators and natural enemies, but they team up for common purposes--cute, but you know they could turn on each other in a heartbeat. And it makes me wonder...if all the stuffed animals in a kid's bedroom came to life one night, would they all get along? Or would they act like they would in the wild?

So, what does it make you think of?

Take one of your answers to that question and write a quick 15 words or less poem and leave it in the comments below. Have fun! Click here for guidelines if you've never played before. The poem doesn't have to describe this image. Just use the picture to get your poetry brain working and see what comes out!

P.S. If you haven't seen it already, I posted a list of online poetry prompts yesterday. Thanks for those ofyou who shared some I was unaware of!

Photo: Joshua Tree Rock Climbing School

I've never been rock climbing, beyond the climbing wall at the gym. I confess that I enjoy the physical act of climbing, but the idea of dangling far off the ground does not excite me. The opening scene of Cliffhanger, in fact, is one of the scariest movie scenes ever. Forget Halloween or Scream. (OK, don't forget them. They're scary, too.)

This image makes me think of a human sundial. It also makes me think of what the Mt. Rushmore monument would say if it could talk while people scramble over it to clean/repair it. And finally, it makes me think about what stranded mountain climbers must think about while wondering if anyone will rescue them. Do they regret the risks they took? Do they have hope? Despair?

What does this picture make you think of?

Take one of your answers to that question and write a quick 15 words or less poem and leave it in the comments below. Have fun! Click here for guidelines if you've never played before. The poem doesn't have to describe this image. Just use the picture to get your poetry brain working and see what comes out!

One of the Christmas gifts my thoughtful husband, Randy, gave to me was a book of about 60 of my photos and poems from 15 Words or Less Thursdays. (I took a few photos to share here, but the computer says I have no access to the g: drive this morning, so maybe later.)

Using Blurb, he created an elegant book with a photo and poem on each page. I was touched that he did this, but I was also apprehensive. After all, these were poetry exercises--poems written in about 3 minutes each. The whole point of the poems was to just see what came out, so making them permanent on a printed page, and in a book, as if they were real poems...that was a bit unsettling.



Yesterday I had a quiet 15 minutes while my computer was being balky, so I read the book (the poems are very short, after all). It was kind of like a dance recital on community tv. You know the ones. You stumble across them while channel-surfing and you snicker (feeling guilty and entertained at the same time). But you know if it were your kid tapping or jeteing or jazz-handing, you'd swell right up with pride.

Some of the poems in the book are as clumsy as a chubby 8-year-old with two left feet trying to grapevine across the stage. But instead of hating them, I felt a kind of protectiveness of them. An acknowledgement that some days, the poems work. Other days, they don't. But at least I tried, just like that 8-year-old who probably is painfully aware she can't keep up with the rest of the class. And some of the poems surprised me with their beauty and simplicity. Like when that two-left-footed girl finds a grace you didn't know she had in some basic movement.



And some of the poems, I didn't even recognize. If you showed me that poem on a piece of paper and asked if I wrote it, I would have said nope. But apparently, I did! Sorry, I have no dance recital analogy for that odd phenomenon! I guess when you write stuff off the top of your head and you don't revise it (which is my process for 15 Words or Less poems), it doesn't really stick in there.



Overall, though, the book simply made me happy. It reminded me of the online poetry community that is so supportive and enriching. It brought back emotions I felt while writing poems about various family members. And it reassured me that I can at times put together words in a powerful way.

It also made tangible the risks we take every time we lay ourselves bare in poems. Like dancers on stage, we show it all to the audience. Sometimes you trip, and it's embarrassing. But sometimes you get it right, and that feels pretty dang good. And even if you're only appearing on community t.v. and not on Oprah, well, it can still be a moment to treasure!

Photo: Vmenkov

Felt like seeing a mountain gondola this morning, and voila. I love Wikimedia Commons. Do you like this picture? For me, it brings to mind a giant spider spinning a spiderweb, an escape pod bursting our of a city, and my first downhill ski trip at age 4, where I didn't get off the lift chair and had to ride it around the end and back to the dismount spot (but at least not all the way around the entire lift).

What does it make you think of? Take one of your answers to that question and write a quick 15 words or less poem. Have fun! There's no pressure. Click here for guidelines if you've never played before. The poem doesn't have to describe this image. Just use it as something to get your mind sparking and spewing.

I'm traveling today and then largely out of touch through the next week. So I would love for you to leave poems, but just a heads-up that I won't be able to comment on them. Maybe you guys could make an extra effort to share what you like about each other's poems? Thanks!

 


Photo: Per Palmkvist Knudsen

I woke up this morning thinking of hearts carved in trees, so I went to Wikimedia Commons and found this image. You don't see hearts carved on trees much anymore (at least I don't). I guess that's a good thing, since the carving is really an injury to the tree. But it's kind of sad, too. These public declarations always made me smile. This image made me think of picnics, homemade pulpy paper, and the Valentine's Day mailboxes you make in elementary school for your classmates to put valentines in (as you sweat it out wondering how many valentines you'll get and whether that particular person will give you one).

What does it make you think of? Take one of your answers to that question and write a quick 15 words or less poem. Have fun! There's no pressure. Click here for guidelines if you've never played before. The poem doesn't have to describe this image. Just use it as something to get your mind rolling.

 


Photo: Coronation Street

A bride looking this angry is never a good sign! This picture makes me think of my sister's underwater wedding, the time I wore two different colored shoes by accident to school (as the 8th-grade teacher), and the never-worn wedding dresses you see for sale.

What does it make you think of? Take one of your answers to that question and write a quick 15 words or less poem. Have fun! There's no pressure. Click here for guidelines if you've never played before. The poem doesn't have to describe this image. Just use it as something to get your mind rolling.

(I had a great time on my writing retreat! More on that next week.)

 


Photo: Randy Salas

OK, y'all know I love pictures of winter and pictures of trees, and I promise not to do a ton of them this winter!

BUT...Monday was our second snow of the season, and Randy took some pictures for me with 15 Words or Less in mind. Great minds think alike--I had also taken some pix early that morning, but I loved this one best. This snow came pretty early, and half the trees still had all their leaves on them. So while I'm used to the spruces and pines bowing under the weight of winter frosting, it's unusual to see colorful maples, oaks, ashes, etc. covered with snow!

This picture makes me think of a beautiful 25-year-old woman with silvery hair. It makes me think of living in a snow globe, and it reminds me of the kitchen after me or my kids try to bake anything (not a pretty sight).

What does it make you think of? Take one of your answers to that question and write a quick 15 words or less poem. Have fun! There's no pressure. Click here for guidelines if you've never played before. The poem doesn't have to describe this image. Just use it as something to get your mind rolling.

 



This is a picture of probably my favorite dance from the entire season of So You Think You Can Dance. Kayla and Kupono danced it last night at the show, and it was amazing. Just spectacular.

What does this image make you think of? It makes me think of charming murderers (like the one in The Devil in The White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America, for some reason) and mental illness--the way it won't let go and always has someone in its malevolent grip. It also makes me think of writing, the beautiful addiction (the piece is called "Addiction) that rules many of our lives.

What does it make you think of? Take one of your answers to that question and write a quick 15 words or less poem. Have fun! There's no pressure. Click here for guidelines if you've never played before. The poem doesn't have to describe this image. Just use it as something to get your mind rolling.

 


Photo: Pat Gaines

Check out this great photo of a kingbird protecting its nest against a red-tailed hawk! Amazing, isn't it--thanks for the link, Randy!

What does it make you think of? It reminds me of all sorts of things. 1) The addiction piece danced by Kayla and Kapono on So You Think You Can Dance. Something about the smallness of one bird and the power of the other. 2) Teaching my daughters to ride bicycles. It almost looks like the hawk is trying to teach the kingbird how to fly. "Jump now! You can do it!" 3) The wingspan and those beautiful feathers makes me think of totem poles, which makes me think of Camp du Nord, the northern Minnesota YMCA family camp we get to every few years. It has a totem pole that's a frequent meet-up spot.

Now take one of your answers to that question and write a quick 15 words or less poem. Have fun! There's no pressure. Click here for guidelines if you've never played before. The poem doesn't have to describe this image. Just use it as something to get your mind rolling.

My husband not only shared the link but wrote a poem to go with it!

Hitchhiking Haiku

Birds of two feathers
Don't always flock together.

Now get off my back.

--Randy Salas

 



Photo:  Screen capture from The Wizard of Oz           

I went with my husband and older daughter last night to see The Wizard of Oz at our local theater, on the big screen and in hi-def. Wow. I haven't watched the whole movie in years. I still cry when the tin man says, "Now I know I have a heart, because it's breaking..."

So I wanted to use an image from the movie, and this is the one I chose. Dorothy, a prisoner in the castle, is looking in the crystal ball, peering at Aunt Em and home, but then the Wicked Witch (or Wicked Itch, as my younger daughter used to say it) of the West appears in the crystal ball instead.

What does this make you think of? For me, it's memories, self-doubt, and other abstract things like that, which I'm going to figure out how to turn into a non-abstract poems, I hope! It also makes me think of seances and Dorian Gray, too, for some reason. Now take one of your answers to that question and write a quick 15 words or less poem. Have fun! There's no pressure. Click here for guidelines if you've never played before. The poem doesn't have to describe this image. Just use it as something to get your mind rolling.

 

Fun news! Kelly Polark, a regular contributor to 15 Words or Less poems here, revised one of the poems she wrote for this weekly exercise and sold it to Ladybug magazine. (Shoot, I think/hope it was Ladybug, anyway. I can't find our online conversation!) She doesn't yet know when it will be published, but I hope she'll share the good news here when it is. Way to go, Kelly!



Photo:  Base64, retouched by CarolSpears            

There's something about cities at night that I think is beautiful. I mean, there's lots to love in the daytime, too, but when you take the long view of a city during the daytime, it's hard to ignore the pollution, the crowdedness, the grey/brownness of it. But at night, cities seem magical somehow.

What does this night view of Hong Kong make you think of? For me, it's obsidian, computer chips/circuit boards, and the rickshaws that surprised me in Manhattan a couple of years ago! Now take one of your answers to that question and write a quick 15 words or less poem. Have fun! There's no pressure. Click here for guidelines if you've never played before. The poem doesn't have to describe this image. Just use it as something to get your mind rolling.

 


Photo: NASA

What a cool picture! It's a flower on a piece of aerogel (which apparently has excellent insulating qualities) over a bunsen burner flame. The photo is from NASA, and I'm assuming they were testing those very insulation qualities. Anyway, this image reminds me of several things. First, there's the flower craft kit I used to do as a kid, where you bend wires to form the shape of flower petals, and then you dip them in this weird paint concoction and they dry and make these alien-looking, translucent flowers. Then there's my childhood attic--actually, our house had four! But the one I spent the most time in had that fluffy insulation on the walls between the studs, and I had to make sure not to touch it or my skin did that combination of itching and burning for days afterward. And that slab of aerogel reminds me  of the Rankin/Bass Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, where Hermie (sp?) and friends escape on an Arctic ice floe.

What does this image make you think of? Probably entirely different things than it makes me think of--and that's terrific! If you'd like to play, just leave your poem in the comments and I'll repost them here tomorrow. Just pick any topic or moment and write a poem of 15 words or less. Have fun with it, and please remember to put your byline after the poem. Thanks!

 


Photo: Laura Purdie Salas

I love watching clouds. Yesterday, I saw a woman scooping water from a river, her long hair mixing in with the river's currents. Clouds always paint interesting stories. I took this picture through a windshield in Florida, while my sister was driving. I love how thick and solid the clouds look, like soft marble. What do these clouds remind you of? Roman ruins? The snowfort you built when you were 10? Lemon meringue pie?

If you'd like to play, just leave your poem in the comments. Choose any topic at all that this poem reminds you of. It doesn't need to describe the picture--a reader may not ever know it was sparked by a photo of clouds! Just pick any topic or moment and write a poem of 15 words or less. Have fun with it!

Here are yesterday's poems.




On the other side
of the clouds
the angels are always
having a party.

--Diane Mayr

That hole in the cloud
Looks like
An eye
Watching over me.

--Lydia

Monument valley,
hung in the sky,
backlit majesty,
I hear God's sigh...

--Fred Higgins

Can you see?

Occasionally
the wall between worlds
breaks open
offering a glimpse
of our alter egos.

--Diane M. Davis

the clouds part,
a prayer for clemency
as windows are hastily boarded

--Martha Calderaro

Look Closer

See the woman sleeping peacefully
These clouds evoke peace and radiant light
Eternally

--Anne McKenna

carved in the cloud bank
like jack-o'lantern eyes
streaming sunshine

--Kelly R. Fineman

The eyes of God burn down from heaven, but I had remembered my prayers.

--Lauren McBride

The sky cracked open-
glory shone through.
I gasped in awe-
amazed at the view.

--Cindyb

Reality TV

Nice of you to
let us look
behind
Door #1
before we make a deal

--Pamela Ross

Sun stares
through fog,
a giant robot
with laser eyes--
gold-beamed glory,
July surprise.

--Kate Coombs

magnifying glass held
too long
locked on target
whoops
there goes the ozone

 


Photo: Laura Purdie Salas

I love watching clouds. Yesterday, I saw a woman scooping water from a river, her long hair mixing in with the river's currents. Clouds always paint interesting stories. I took this picture through a windshield in Florida, while my sister was driving. I love how thick and solid the clouds look, like soft marble. What do these clouds remind you of? Roman ruins? The snowfort you built when you were 10? Lemon meringue pie?

If you'd like to play, just leave your poem in the comments and I'll repost them here tomorrow. Choose any topic at all that this poem reminds you of. It doesn't need to describe the picture--a reader may not ever know it was sparked by a photo of clouds! Just pick any topic or moment and write a poem of 15 words or less. Have fun with it, and please remember to put your byline after the poem. Thanks!

 


Photo: Laura Purdie Salas

Here's another picture from my recent Fla. trip. It's the Tree of Life (ironically, a fake tree) at Disney's Animal Kingdom. I loved how immense it was and also all the animals carved into its trunk--there was a snake, a dragonfly, an ant, a bear, a lion, and a ton of other wildlife there and in all the surrounding exposed roots. Very cool. So what does it make you think of? Grandpa whittling on the porch? A shark emerging out of the cloudy water and appearing right before you (can you tell I watched Shark Week shows recently?)? Carving a heart into a tree with your initials and those of your crush?   

If you'd like to play, just choose any topic this image makes come to your mind and write a quick 15 Words or Less poem. Your poem doesn't have to describe this photo at all. The picture is just a jumping-off point for your brain to make whatever weird connections you'd like to. Leave your poem in a comment, and I'll repost it tomorrow!

Please remember to put your byline after your poem. Thanks!

 


Photo: Laura Purdie Salas

Here's a picture from my recent Fla. trip. What does it make you think of? Sea monsters? Cannonballs? A tidal wave? If you'd like to play, just choose any topic this image makes come to your mind and write a quick 15 Words or Less poem. Your poem doesn't have to describe this photo at all. The picture is just a jumping-off point for your brain to make whatever crazy connections you'd like to. Here are this week's poems that were posted by Thursday night:



VACATION PHOTO

cool pool blue
the leap in!
a splash
the only evidence
we were there

--Diane Mayr

Tiptoe.
Tiptoe.
Tiptoe.
SPLASH!
It's raining up! 
Bound, bound, leap!
SHAKE!
ahhhhh....

--Judy Romanowich Smith

By the Pool

Inside glass caves
we create
contextual climates,
fantasies
of where we'd rather
really be.

--Diane M. Davis

sea monsters
might be
unseen by humans
but smart dogs
smart enough
to run away

--Susan Taylor Brown

Whatever that is!
I am not waiting around
to find out
Much nicer day outside.

--Anne McKenna

One dashing
curve and swerve
around splashing
foaming water
before I
                     leap!

--Kathy Q.
wordsrmylife

What happened to my friend?
Shall I jump in too?
Pondering my next move...

--Jean Holmblad

Waves, Wondering, Watching, Wagging, Wet
(aka "Are You Feeling Guilty Yet?")

Wait up!

If you really were
My Best Friend
You wouldn't
want
to swim
alone

--Pamela Ross

 


Photo: Laura Purdie Salas

Can everybody see this pic? I need to make sure it's visible even to those who aren't Facebook users. I guess if nobody submits poems, I'll know it's not!

Here's a picture from my recent Fla. trip. What does it make you think of? Sea monsters? Cannonballs? A tidal wave? If you'd like to play, just choose any topic this image makes come to your mind and write a quick 15 Words or Less poem. Your poem doesn't have to describe this photo at all. The picture is just a jumping-off point for your brain to make whatever crazy connections you'd like to. Leave your poem in a comment, and I'll repost it tomorrow! I can't wait to see everyone's poems--it's been weird not having 15 Words or Less here for a month.

Please remember to put your byline after your poem. Thanks!

Laura Salas, akalaurasalas  , is taking the month of July off from blogging. She asked if I would like to host 15 words or less photopoetry for the month and I said sure! This is no pressure, lots of fun. If you're not familiar with it, you can read the guidelines here.

Here's this week's picture.

What does this make you think of? Which side are you on? Did you just drop something in the hole? Has someone dared you to put your hand inside? Where does the picture send your imagination?

If you'd like to play, just choose any topic this image makes come to your mind and write a quick 15 Words or Less poem. Your poem doesn't have to describe this photo. The picture is just a jumping-off point.  Basically look at the picture and write a poem of 15 words or less inspired by the photo. Please add your byline to the poem so I can include it in the poetry Friday roundup.

Go on. You know you want to.

Laura Salas, akalaurasalas  , is taking the month of July off from blogging. She asked if I would like to host 15 words or less photopoetry for the month and I said sure! This is no pressure, lots of fun. If you're not familiar with it, you can read the guidelines here.

Here's this week's picture.

What does this make you think of? Are you holding it in your hand, waiting to make a wish? Are you yanking them out of your yard before more can grow? Where does the picture send your imagination?

If you'd like to play, just choose any topic this image makes come to your mind and write a quick 15 Words or Less poem. Your poem doesn't have to describe this photo. The picture is just a jumping-off point.  Basically look at the picture and write a poem of 15 words or less inspired by the photo. Please add your byline to the poem so I can include it in the poetry Friday roundup.

Go on. You know you want to.

Susan Taylor Brown is hosting 15 Words or Less poems for August! Yay--thanks, Susan. Here's today's picture.

Laura Salas, akalaurasalas  , is taking the month of July off from blogging. She asked if I would like to host 15 words or less photopoetry for the month and I said sure! This is no pressure, lots of fun. If you're not familiar with it, you can read the guidelines here.

Here's this week's picture.

What does this make you think of? Are you going down or freezing at the top in fear?

If you'd like to play, just choose any topic this image makes come to your mind and write a quick 15 Words or Less poem. Your poem doesn't have to describe this photo. The picture is just a jumping-off point.  Basically look at the picture and write a poem of 15 words or less inspired by the photo. Please add your byline to the poem so I can include it in the poetry Friday roundup.

Go on. You know you want to.

 


 Credit: Catarina Carvalho

Another close-up image this week! What does this grass make you think of? Jungles? Daisy crowns? Making music with a blade of grass?  If you'd like to play, just choose any topic this image makes come to your mind and write a quick 15 Words or Less poem. Your poem doesn't have to describe this photo. The picture is just a jumping-off point. Leave your poem in a comment, and I'll repost it tomorrow!

Please remember to put your byline after your poem. Thanks!