THE TALKING CAKE BLUES
by
Gregory K.
I walked in the kitchen and there was your cake.
I know, Mom, it took you the whole day to make.
Its beautiful frosting was something to see.
If you said “it’s perfect!”, I’d have to agree.
But then something happened, though I’m not to blame --
‘Cause Mom, it’s the truth, the cake called me by name!
I said “please stop talking,” but still it called out.
I heard that cake plead. Heard it beg. Heard it shout.
So I did what it wanted. I sure won’t deny it –
I tasted its frosting in hopes of some quiet.
I started out slowly -- one finger, that’s all.
The line that I made in the frosting was small.
Then it begged and it whimpered and asked me for more….
So I pulled out a spoon from the silverware drawer.
I shouted “One mouthful. That’s it! Not another.”
But then the cake said “I’ll just call for your brother.”
Well, you know he’s so young he’d come in on the double.
He’d mess up that cake, and he’d be in such trouble.
That seemed so unfair, and because I respect him,
I kept right on eating. I had to protect him!
I ate and I ate ‘til my mouth was exhausted,
But now that cake’s quiet! (And also unfrosted).
I think you can see how there wasn’t a choice:
I had to do something to silence that voice.
I should stay right here to say “sorry,” I know…
But the TV is calling, so I gotta go!
The (last National Poetry Month) Poetry Friday roundup is here at the always faboo Miss Rumphius Effect. And I'm posting an original poem each day in April in celebration of National Poetry Month. Links to this and other poems here on GottaBook (and I post all year round, because poetry is NOT just for April!) are collected over on the right of the blog under the headline "The Poems".
If you want to get all my new poems (and only the poems) emailed to you for freeee as they hit the blog, enter your email address in the box below then click subscribe!
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Where is this swing? Who was swinging? What did it feel like? What's the temperature? What did the person leave to do? What is the swing thinking? Pick any thought this image inspires in you and write a 15 Words or Less poem. Here are yesterday's poems. They're so full of motion and energy! All day yesterday, LiveJournal was apparently having problems, and I was thinking, Wow, what a quiet day. Nobody's commenting. Turns out you were...I just wasn't getting notified! So I read these all as a batch, and they made me feel like I could go out and do anything!
The squeeee clank
of the empty swing,
while she waits
and waits
for a friend.
---Diane Mayr
Wind rests upon my seat
Waves to the rippled surf
Waiting...
---Marianne H. Nielsen
Creaking, Speaking
twisting chains
creak out spring’s
waking welcome
---Laura Purdie Salas
Transportation
to jump off
properly,
turn the swing
to face
the further shore.
Pump, pump, JUMP!
---Kim from Hiraeth
To the Swing:
Help me
fly-
so that I can hide
inside
those purple-yellow
clouds,
forever.
---Diane Davis
In the Land of Make Believe
Swing high,
Sweet chariot
Carry me to places
Not home.
---AND---
Seize
At the line
Where life meets mystery,
With eyes wide shut,
Jump.
---both by Robin Pensieve
Cloudy thoughts threaten,
Rain ahead?
Swing quietly,
Slowly,
Stop
And walk away.
---Dorothy from Field Stone Cottage
Empty swing
Swaying back and forth
Carrying memories
Of what's been lost.
---Marsha
http://justme1947.blogspot.com/
Swings can carry you
High enough to dream
Then bring you back
To realize them.
---Marsha
http://justme1947.blogspot.com/
Seaside Swing
Wishes
fly from the toes
and skip
across the ocean.
---John Mutford
Undefeated
Scrumptious sand stuffs,
choking child's chops;
dissatisfied with distance,
child contemplates, contriving
future, faraway fulfillment.
---http://noahthegreat.wordpress.com/2008/03/06/undefeated/
Up and Under
Swing high
as the spring
buds on tree
branches, but watch
out for mud
underneath!
---sister AE
http://havingwrit.blogspot.com
break of the morning
pink begins
a peaceful promise
for a busy day
quiet time
---amandzing.wordpress.com
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Blog: laurasalas (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
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Swings on playgrounds caught my eye this week, and I really wanted to take a picture of a moving, but empty, swing. But I was either too rushed or too cold to get out of my car, start the swing swaying, and take a picture!
So this photo is courtesy of Gracey Stinson through morguefile.com! Thanks!
Where is this swing? Who was swinging? What did it feel like? What's the temperature? What did the person leave to do? What is the swing thinking? Pick any thought this image inspires in you and write a 15 Words or Less poem. Just take a couple of minutes to do it--this is just a fun exercise about playing with words and sharing our voices. No pressure!
Put your poem in a comment, and I'll post it tomorrow! (If you've never played before, see the 15 Words or Less sidebar link for guidelines.) Thanks for playing.
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Happy Leap Day!
I love trees, and though as a kid I thought they were boring in winter, now I see all sorts of neat things in their sculptural look once the leaves are gone and the birds have flown (nod to Gordon Lightfoot here).
What does it make you think of? Death? The imminent arrival of new life? Sledding? Swinging? Spring? Pick any thought sparked by this image and write a 15 Words or Less poem (and share it in a comment!). Below are yesterday's poems, including by some folks participating for the first time. Welcome! We're happy to have you here. Enjoy the poems!
the starkness
of the tree before
the sparrows' return
--Diane Mayr
weeping??
i'm not weeping
i'm frozen to the bone!!
run along now...
go home...
--Paisley
Winter Trees
They stand distinct
as skeletons
We clearly see the
form of each.
--Carole Gerber
(From my book, WINTER TREES,
Charlesbridge Publishing, Fall 2008)
I am
dressed in the
drab garb
of winter,
waiting for
the gowns
of spring.
--Miss Rumphius
Waiting
Naked
Waiting
To be dressed
--Marianne
Despite circumstance
And elements beyond control
Eyes set Godward
Rising above.
--Robin Pensieve
Lonesome branches
bared to all
stripped to nothing
after Fall.
--Robin Pensieve
Phoenix risen from the ashes
Life renewed, season's flashes.
--Robin Pensieve
Winter Sky
sky gray blue.
limbs bare.
nature sleeping.
--Marsha
Emerging from the listless sky
The barren tree slumbers through the winter.
--Marsha
Tinkling chimes
tree music
surprise gift
of ice and wind.
--Jan Fields
The tree rests among
the soft white sheets
of winter.
and covers itself
in down.
--Diane Davis
Swaying
with the winter winds
waiting
for spring to burst
from its buds
--Janice Harfam
These limbs are
static electricity
branching from the Earth
at a tree's pace
--John Mutford
My muse's hair,
swept by his fingers,
into a tangled wave
in the breeze
fails to inspire.
Guess that leaves me
tearing mine out by the roots.
--Kathy Q.
with touch of wind
tree branch paintbrushes
graze invisible strokes
across sky canvas of blue
--Carol-Ann Hoyte
upside down I climb
along rope and tire swing
james bond spy movie
--Michelle Johnson
In The Beginning
My roots are
showing
in the window
Now you know
underneath
I am nothing,
rootless.
--Pamela Ross
Leaping Beauty (in honor of Leap Day, February 29th, 2008)
Will you remember
beauty
ebbs and flows,
comes and goes?
Will you age with
me?
--Pamela Ross
wild branches
conduct the sky
keeping time
with the wind
--Laura Purdie Salas
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Blog: laurasalas (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
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I love trees, and though as a kid I thought they were boring in winter, now I see all sorts of neat things in their sculptural look once the leaves are gone and the birds have flown (nod to Gordon Lightfoot here).
What does it make you think of? Death? The imminent arrival of new life? Sledding? Swinging? Spring? Pick any thought sparked by this image and write a 15 Words or Less poem. It doesn't have to actually describe the image, though it can if you like!
Just take a few minutes and write a poem, even if you don't consider yourself a poet! Put your poem in a comment, and I'll post it tomorrow! (If you've never played before, see the 15 Words or Less sidebar for guidelines.) Thanks for playing.
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Blog: laurasalas (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
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Yes, no, maybe?
Pick any thought sparked by this image and write a 15 Words or Less poem. It doesn't have to actually describe the image. Maybe it'll be about a hard decision to make. Or a cool car you saw yesterday. Or the weeping willow down the road.
Just take a few minutes and let your mind roam -- it's just for fun! Here are the poems from yesterday! Thanks for playing.
Why Did I Think I Should Learn Web Design?
After hours spent
with charts of
browser safe colors,
traffic light
FF0000 ffcc33 00FF66
--Diane Mayr
Mist at the Crossroads
Stop or go?
Blinking into the mist;
Drenched by degrees
I debate.
--Kim from Hiraeth
mixed signals
yes means no
stop means go
common sense
drowns in the fog
--paisley
Don't walk, run.
Hurry, slow down.
Whatever you do,
hold hands. Streets
can be dangerous.
--Kelly R. Fineman
Green means go
go go go
but take my hand, be careful.
slow. slow. slow.
--Deb Marshall
Hurry!
Go! It's green!
Why hesitate?
Move along quickly
I'm running late!
--http://justme1947.blogspot.com/2008/02/hurry.html
Stop or go?
Will you say yes?
Will you say no?
Let the wind blow.
--Catherine Ipcizade
A light, a hand...
What will you choose?
If you say STOP,
What will you lose?
--Catherine Ipcizade
Love Advice
Go as slow
as your heart
can handle.
Children
bind you
forever.
--Diane Davis
Red-Handed
"HONK! HONK!"
No, I DON'T need new specs
You just caught me writing a text.
--Steve, www.lostmyplace.com
Some think it's merely suggestion
Which greatly disrupts my digestion
And causes mass-traffic congestion!
--Robin Pensieve
Red says "Stop!" Green says "Go!"
Yellow shouts a loud "OH NOOOOO!!
--Robin Pensieve
Signs of time, signs of life
Yielding order, causing strife
Quietly, give direction
Keeping safe each intersection.
--Robin Pensieve
Hand Of Time
Hand of time
Youthful freedom; moving
Adulthood, maturity; caution
Golden years reflecting; stillness
Go wheels, stop feet
that's how we got into trouble
in the first place,
but talking to the hand
will get us nowhere.
It's time to get our feet in gear.
--Kathy Q.
Traffic Light
green
safe, go
watching, protecting, allowing
permission, saunter, accelerate, target
scrambling, scanning, scolding
vulnerable, danger,
red
--Marianne H. Nielsen
To walk or not to walk?
That is the
Question indeed.
The sign says
Don't Walk
But the Light
Says go!
--copenator
Trapped
The air is full
of indecisions,
twisted dreams
entwined in visions
Fearing
choices
and
collisions
--Pamela Ross
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Blog: laurasalas (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
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Yes, no, maybe?
Pick any thought sparked by this image and write a 15 Words or Less poem. It doesn't have to actually describe the image. Maybe it'll be about a hard decision to make. Or a cool car you saw yesterday. Or the weeping willow down the road.
Just take a few minutes and let your mind roam -- it's just for fun! Put your poem in a comment, and I'll post it tomorrow! (If you've never played before, see the 15 Words or Less sidebar for guidelines.) Thanks for playing.
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Blog: laurasalas (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
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We're going a little more abstract today. What does this make you think of? I can list 5 or 6 things immediately that it kind of reminds me of, but I bet y'all will come up with plenty of stuff that didn't even occur to me!
Pick any thought sparked by this image and write a 15 Words or Less poem. Just take a few minutes -- it's just for fun! Here are yesterday's poems. Don't they show a terrific variety of things in this cantaloupe rind? It's not too late to write your own poem. Share it in a comment when you're finished! Thanks for playing.
STICKY BUNS
The cute boy
slides a tray
in the case.
He's wearing
a hairnet?
Wasted calories...
--Diane Mayr
Still life with cantaloupe
(with special thanks to Wikipedia)
The surface of the cantaloupe can contain harmful bacteria.
Inside, pholyphenol antioxidants.
--John Mutford
EUROPA
Net of golden yarn
Cast off by Jupiter
To snare a mighty moon
--Elaine Magliaro
Letters lost
Alphabet soup
Turned to broth
--Marianne Nielsen
Early morning.
Hard frost-frozen dirt
webbed like canteloupe skin,
only not as tasty.
--Kelly R. Fineman
Insects
create roadways
more intricate
than California superhighways
or New England
Rotaries.
Caution: Merge Right.
--Diane M. Davis
We're Lost
Turn left!
Go, this way!
Turn right!
No that way!
Good heavens,
we've gone astray!
--Janice Harfam
Left--no, right Right!
Aargh! You missed it.
That was our exit.
Now we'll never get off this freeway!
--wordsrmylife
Celtic knotwork
intricate tracery
harkening back
to distant days,
a world still
threaded
together.
--Kathy Q.
What is it?
The problem is
it's a pile of cantaloupes.
The problem is
which one to buy?
Pick it up
shake it
smell it
tap it
hmmm, sounds like a hollow drum?
It's ripe.
Buy it.
Eat it.
Yum.
--wendieO
Vintage Love
We belong
together.
If you get
close enough,
even varicose veins
and wrinkles
are beautiful
--Pamela Ross
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Blog: laurasalas (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
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We're going a little more abstract today. What does this make you think of? I can list 5 or 6 things immediately that it kind of reminds me of, but I bet y'all will come up with plenty of stuff that didn't even occur to me!
Pick any thought sparked by this image and write a 15 Words or Less poem. Just take a few minutes -- it's just for fun! Put your poem in a comment, and I'll post it tomorrow! (If you've never played before, see the 15 Words or Less sidebar for guidelines.) Thanks for playing.
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Blog: laurasalas (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
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Does the dining hall of every camp look pretty much the same? The ones I've seen seem to.
Does this bring back memories? What do you think those banners hanging over the windows say? What does lunch consist of? Who will be the kid sitting alone at dinner time?
Pick any thought inspired by this image and write a 15 Words or Less poem. Just spend a few minutes on it--this is just for fun! Here are yesterday's poems, to get you started! (If you've never played before, see the 15 Words or Less sidebar for guidelines.)
First Grader's First Day
Defeated by a milk container
that wouldn't open
and a sixth grader's taunts.
--Diane Mayr
Facing the Challenge
It's better to eat with
someone
than alone, better to be
in any group
than none.
---Diane M. Davis
Highschool Cafeteria
We hung the windows
with multicoloured silks
to stop the mashed potatoes
from killing us.
---John Mutford
"Lights. Camera. Action!"
the recess bell
All
is
swell...
RING!
REBEL YELL!
Moments After?
Recess Hell!
---Pamela Ross
Shielded
Pink stained
glass with markers:
our rose-colored telescope
to view the
harsh sunlight of
adulthood
---Laura Purdie Salas
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Blog: laurasalas (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
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Does the dining hall of every camp look pretty much the same? The ones I've seen seem to.
Does this bring back memories? What do you think those banners hanging over the windows say? What does lunch consist of? Who will be the kid sitting alone at dinner time?
Pick any thought inspired by this image and write a 15 Words or Less poem. Just spend a few minutes on it--this is just for fun! Put your poem in a comment, and I'll post it tomorrow! (If you've never played before, see the 15 Words or Less sidebar for guidelines.)
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Blog: laurasalas (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
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Have you ever seen a wind turbine? They are so cool! Here's one that's smack dab in the center of the retail area of our suburb. I love to watch its blades swoop and scoop as I'm driving around town.
What does the wind turbine remind you of? What sound do you think it makes? What does it feel like? What does it see from its perch overlooking the town. Please share with us!
Pick any thought inspired by this image and write a 15 Words or Less poem. Take just a few minutes to write a first draft of this short poem, and put it in the comments. Here are yesterday's entries. I love these. What a terrific variety of comparisons and language and motion verbs!
1928
Propeller engages.
The biplane inches forward...
Wingwalker pastes on her smile,
then climbs aboard.
---Diane Mayr
Wind Turbines ~ A metaphor for life?
Spinning wheel
Never ending
Drafted motion
Time expending.
---Robin Pensieve
turbine
quietly spinning and timeless
no worries or fears
calm becomes the turbine.
---acaligurl.blogspot.com
Al Gore's Dream.
Gas-less car; wind-driven instead.
Just watch for this sign: Low bridge ahead.
---Stephen, www.incompletethoughtsblog.com
Earth Matters
Tall white turbine,
slices deep blue sky.
Keeping the planet green,
shouldn't we all try?
---Hay
Blue and white water mountain stream,
Rushes over discarded litter.
Diesel fumes still need cleansing.
---Anonymous
newfangled approach
to old fashioned charm
harness the wind
pole dancing turbine
---paisley
Modular, kinetic sculpture
or environmental alternative?
Sometimes we never know
which way the winds
will blow.
---Diane M. Davis
Wind Turbines (2 poems)
A whoosh, a whirl
Blades slice through air,
Spinning invisible sparks
Pointed petals
Blossom on a stiff white stem--
Windflower
---Elaine Magliaro
WIND WATCH
Row!
So easy in the
breeze,
it seems
to stir air
in
electric dreams
Row!
---Pamela Ross
Energy, a Catch 22
Wind turbine,
providing warmth from the subzero blow,
winter bind.
---John Mutford
Turbine
My blades ask, " Y ? "
Y don't you use
more wind and
less oil?
Y ?
---Mary Lee (A Year of Reading)
Sailing
stationary
ship of the sky
great metallic sails
billow to gather
the wind
---Laura Purdie Salas
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Blog: laurasalas (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
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Have you ever seen a wind turbine? They are so cool! An energy company headquarters in our suburb has one outside its building, right in the middle of the retail area of town. I love to watch its blades swoop and scoop as I'm driving around town.
What does the wind turbine remind you of? What sound do you think it makes? What does it feel like? What does it see from its perch overlooking the town. Please share with us!
Pick any thought inspired by this image and write a 15 Words or Less poem. Take just five minutes or less to write a first draft of this short poem, and put it in the comments. I love seeing the variety of images and moods we come up with. Have fun! (If you've never played before, see the 15 Words or Less sidebar for guidelines.)
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Blog: laurasalas (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
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I love this glass Planet Earth paperweight and the window reflected into the curve of its side.
What does it remind you of? The fragility of our planet? The diamond stud earrings you borrowed from your big sister for prom night? The view from space? Playing jacks or marbles as a kid (or an adult)? Please share with us!
Pick any aspect/idea indea inspired by this image and write a 15 Words or Less poem. Have fun with it! Take just five minutes or less to write a first draft of this short poem. See the sidebar links for guidelines, and here are yesterday's poems.
My alternate title is El-Shaddai...
Weight of the world
on shoulders rests,
lightened, uplifted
by Holy Hands.
---Robin http://pensieve.typepad.com/pensieve/
ART CLASS
First graders
turned loose
to create art--
plasticene snakes
and near perfect
balls.
---Diane Mayr
“save the planet!!”
monetarily heated debate
earthly allegiance?
or cruel twist of fate?
---Catherine Ipcizade
Like glass,
our planet
reflects sunlight
beautiful
breakable
Earth
---Kelly R. Fineman
Global Warming
We need sand because
we need glass because
we need windows
to see the beach.
---John Mutford
So small but yet too big to hold
Our home
Our lives
Our future told
---Anonymous
Like a reflection
in a child's eye
the world spins by
at remarkable speeds.
---Diane M. Davis
Glass marble
fragile in sun's glitter,
chipped and etched by age
even its scars glisten
---Laura Purdie Salas
***Registration still open in two online classes about writing poetry for kids and teens.
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Blog: laurasalas (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
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I love this glass Planet Earth paperweight and the window reflected into the curve of its side.
What does it remind you of? The fragility of our planet? The diamond stud earrings you borrowed from your big sister for prom night? The view from space? Playing jacks or marbles as a kid (or an adult)? Please share with us!
Pick any aspect/idea indea inspired by this image and write a 15 Words or Less poem. Have fun with it! Take just five minutes or less to write a first draft of this short poem. See the sidebar links for guidelines, and I'll post the first several poems left today in tomorrow's post.
Enjoy playing with words and worlds today!
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What does this make you think of? Beginnings? Endings? A scary movie? An invititation? Animals burrowing in snow? Homeless people suffering in frigid weather? A surprise? You tell me!
Pick any aspect/idea that this image makes you think of, and write a 15 Words or Less poem about it. Have fun with it! Take just five minutes or less to capture a moment in a few words. See the sidebar links for guidelines, and here are yesterday's poems (aren't they terrific?). We had a couple of new people join us yesterday, and I hope you will, too! Enjoy!
Snow Day
Just for today
I welcome the silence
of the squeaky gate
stuck in the snow.
---Diane Mayr
On Time
Open gate
Don’t be late
Never ever too late for your life
You’re already inside!
---Sally Rae Rogers
Squeeze through!
Darkness is creeping
Dinner is ready
Mom is waiting
Hurry up!
---Kim from Hiraeth
An insincere gesture:
Frozen in place;
Impossible to read
Foolish to approach.
---Kim from Hiraeth
Low tide
ebbing foam
flushes the gap,
opens the harbor.
I beach my boat--
Almost home.
---Liz Jones
We'll keep the gate open
and the door unlocked.
Come by
any time.
---Diane M. Davis
Come a little closer
and visit with me.
Let's sit inside and
have some tea.
---HipWriterMama (Vivian)
Hop,
hop,
hop.
Whiskered glance behind.
"So kind of you
to leave the gate
open."
---Fiona Bayrock
Ideas creep in
through a crack
in the vigilant planks
standing guard around my plot
---LindaBudz
Breaking and Entering
The slats stand guard
over house and hill
but snow reveals
whose
footprints
will...
appear
---Pamela Ross
Forever Hopeful
She left it,
gently ajar
inviting.
And she wondered,
would he come
to close it?
---Hay @ http://hippyhappyhay.wordpress.com/
Fence Fractions
A gate a quarter open,
a thought half uttered,
a poem three quarters finished,
---John Mutford
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Blog: laurasalas (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: photopoetry, 15 words or less, Add a tag
OK, this picture would have looked better if I had remembered to take it a few days ago, when the snow was piled up higher, more noticeable forcing the gate into its stuck-open winter position. But there's still something I love about doors and gates...not to mention bunny tracks in the snow.
What does this make you think of? Beginnings? Endings? A scary movie? An invititation? Animals burrowing in snow? Homeless people suffering in frigid weather? A surprise? You tell me!
Pick any aspect/idea that this image makes you think of, and write a 15 Words or Less poem about it. Have fun with it! Take just five minutes or less to capture a moment in a few words. See the sidebar links for guidelines, and I'll post the first several poems left today in tomorrow's post.
Have fun with it!
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Blog: laurasalas (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: photopoetry, 15 words or less, Add a tag
Here's this week's image, which I thought was so cool that I had to pull over to snap a quick picture. It looked like it was raining upward or something!
What do you think that mist smells like? Feels like as it slides through your fingers? Looks like if you're enveloped in it.
What's the mood? Does it remind you of any particular person, day, event? Pick any aspect/idea that this image makes you think of, and write a 15 Words or Less poem about it. Have fun with it! Take just five minutes or less to capture a moment in a few words. See the sidebar links for guidelines, and here are yesterday's poems.
Patchwork sky,
Wondering why,
Wishing I could reach so high,
Settling for an awestruck sigh…
--- Fred Higgins
gold above the rain
gives even the atheist
pause...
--- Diane Mayr
Clouds of Maxfield Parish
shed colors
across the sky
where no brush can reach.
--- wordsrmylife
Ever see the clouds
from a toddler's eye?
Orange-sherbert mist
on a blueberry gumball sky.
--- Diane M. Davis
Lofty dreams
A vapored drift
Seek direction
Hearts to lift
Imagination
Hope-filled gift
--- Robin Pensieve
Advice For Joni
Don't ignore ice-cream castles,
or rain and snow.
(Unless you really want to know.)
---John Mutford
Bah-d Dreams
Sheep shorn sheer
sail sky to sky,
Serenity and sleep
are nigh
Surrender,
Slumber,
Lullaby
---Pamela Ross (beyond tired)
Rain Sheets!
Look at the
Rain Sheets!
Little bands of
Water boiling.
Look at them
Floating up.
--- Steve Cope
Water mists up
drawn to the cloud
eager to fit
in the cottony crowd
---Laura Purdie Salas
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Blog: laurasalas (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: clouds, photopoetry, 15 words or less, Add a tag
Here's this week's image, which I thought was so cool that I had to pull over to snap a quick picture. It looked like it was raining upward or something!
What do you think that mist smells like? Feels like as it slides through your fingers? Looks like if you're enveloped in it.
What's the mood? Does it remind you of any particular person, day, event? Pick any aspect/idea that this image makes you think of, and write a 15 Words or Less poem about it. Have fun with it! Take just five minutes or less to capture a moment in a few words. See the sidebar links for guidelines and previous poems, and I'll post the poems left in the comments today in my post tomorrow.
Thanks for playing! Add a Comment
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Blog: laurasalas (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: poetry, photopoetry, 15 words or less, Add a tag
safe inside a building
nestled against the window
perhaps the better side
is outside?
---happyingreen
The updraft
off the lake is
fine and strong today.
No flapping necessary,
just gliding.
---Mary Lee, A Year of Reading
Between the encroaching city
and Lake Michigan,
a double-belted highway
and ribbon of sand.
---Kelly R. Fineman
ribbons of macadam
tie up crystalline boxes
--city's gifts
---Diane Mayr
window dreaming
hot summer day
down
down
down
to the beach
---Deb Marshall
Lake Voice
What next?
Will you take to the water too,
with your ugly, grey, greed.
---Hay http://hippyhappyhay.wordpress.com/
Not so safe and sound
I really miss the ground
Near a heart attack
Acrophobiac
---Annabelle Salas
Epitaph For A Beachfront Skyscraper
Ashes to ashes
dust to dust
silicon dioxide to sand.
--John Mutford
Chicago
Beaches and icy water
Cold steel towers
Industry and money
Camp near the edge
---anonymous
Ribbons of road
hold the city tight,
keeping towers together
as they scrape the night.
---Diane M. Davis
Genesis
Act One:
The floorshow
below,
where Earth has no
borders or beginnings,
until mankind appears
---Pamela Ross
Bird
my steel skeleton
and concrete feathers
cannot tether me to earth--
I nest in clouds
---Laura Purdie Salas
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Blog: laurasalas (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: photopoetry, 15 words or less, Add a tag
This is an image I took from the 94th floor of Chicago's John Hancock Building. There are about a million (scientifically counting) skyscrapers in this Northern view, plus the shore of Lake Michigan.
It looks like a view from an airplane, doesn't it? I felt like a gull swooping over the city when I perched close to the various windows. Can you imagine working/living this high up? Or being on the construction crew that built the tower? Does it look like a child's playset? Does it remind you of someplace else you've been or you want to go? Do you like heights? Are you afraid of them? Does this make you feel adventurous? Or do you feel a yearning to be down on the shore, with sand between your toes?
Pick any aspect/idea that this image makes you think of, and write a 15 Words or Less poem about it. Have fun with it! We're not aiming for publishable poems, just taking a few minutes to enjoy the beauty and excitement of words--that's all! See the sidebar links for guidelines and previous poems, and I'll post the first several poems left in the comments today in my post tomorrow.
Thanks! Add a Comment
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Blog: laurasalas (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: fuzzmail, poetry friday, 15 words or less, Add a tag
My husband is a writer and the Guardian of the Web for me. He points me to nifty things like the accent quiz from last week and the speech archive, and, now, Fuzzmail.
Fuzzmail is this webtool that lets you type an email. But here's the thing: the person reading your email gets to see it exactly as you typed it, with pauses, deletions, word changes, everything. In real time. It's very cool for revealing someone's train of thought and method of writing.
I decided it would be neat to see how a short poem is written. I needed to do a 15 Words or Less poem for this week, so I decided to write it in Fuzzmail. I only spend about 1 minute on a 15 Words or Less poem each day, so it seemed like a good fit.
Here's my first poem, which flowed right out with no changes along the way (although I did end up changing a few words later when I pasted it into my blog entry of all of yesterday's 15 Words or Less poems).
It was fun to write, but boring to watch, to say the least. So I wrote another one.
Here's the second poem, which is a bit more revealing, because you can see where I get rid of a cliche, reword things, pause to count and discover that I'm over 15 words, and then go back to condense. (By the way, you can tell the email is finished when the little asterisk below it reaches the far right border of its area.)
That was more interesting, I thought.
And then I thought it would be fun to write a rhyming poem. It's not really metered, and not even very clever. But I like seeing how, in about a minute, I brainstormed rhyming words and then used them for a 15 Words or Less poem.
Isn't that a cool tool? It would be really nifty to use for Poetry on Demand, where people give you a word, topic, form, whatever, and you instantly write the poem for them. Poetry Improv, kind of.
And while it's kind of odd and fascinating to watch myself write, it would be much neater to watch other people write! How about it? Will you go to Fuzzmail, write a 15 Words or Less poem (or any short poem you want to), mail it to yourself, and then (when you get your email with the link in it) post the weblink in a comment so I can watch you write? Please?
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Blog: laurasalas (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: poetry, poetry friday, photopoetry, 15 words or less, Add a tag
You guys took this picture of a reconstructed pyramid room at the Field Museum in Chicago and ran with it! Wow!
If you haven't already participated...So, what does this make you think of? Whose story would you tell? What would be the hieroglyphic symbol for the most important thing in your day...or your life? What was life like for the people carving these figures? Did they have office politics back then? What do you think the stone feels like under your hands? Or what does this remind you of that's totally unrelated to ancient Egypt?
Choose any approach you like and write a 15 Words or Less poem to share. This is just to get your imagination going and your words flowing! See the sidebar links for guidelines, and here are the poems written yesterday. Enjoy!
Writer Mom and Her rock-Climbing Son visit the Museum
Son [climbing]: "Look, Ma! An Egyptian bridge."
Mom: "Where's my asp?" the Queen hissed.
---Diane Mayr
Explanation
This isn't really a poem, but rather a little playlet. An "Egyptian bridge" is a climber's term, and I could see my son climbing the wall if he thought he could get away with it! I, of course, would have written the dramatic demise of my offspring.
Hands,dusted,
worn. Old.
Illuminate the past
Stories told
---Deb Marshall
Like Tupperware treasures
tucked in the fridge;
words preserved
for later--
unidentifiable to me.
---Kim from Hiraeth
Ghost men walk
for eternity
to a city
they could not have imagined.
---Jan Fields
With
strict rules of
conformity
surely the gods will see
how virtuously
we exist.
---Diane M. Davis
As a writer today
I'm grateful terrifically
that I need not carve
my words hieroglyphically.
---Bob S.
Stalled History Lessons, aka The Eighth Wonder of the World
Checked out
the bathroom
at the ancient pyramid
and
wondered
what they
used for paper
---Pamela "Papyrus" Ross ;}
In the Sand Box
Men dance
across centuries
slowly
wearing away
sand,
never
(forever?)
reaching
their destination
---Laura Purdie Salas
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Blog: laurasalas (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: photopoetry, 15 words or less, Add a tag
OK, all my pix this week were of gorgeous snow-covered trees and various holiday foods, gifts, and gatherings. Too much of a good thing, since I've done all those pix recently.
So, I'm going back to Chicago...in my mind. The Field Museum had several reconstructed rooms from pyramids, using the actual stones with the real hieroglyphics on them. It was amazing to be that close, standing inside a small room, surrounded by the stories and prayers of people that long ago. It was like standing inside a giant book!
So, what does this make you think of? Whose story would you tell? What would be the hieroglyphic symbol for the most important thing in your day...or your life? What was life like for the people carving these figures? Did they have office politics back then? What do you think the stone feels like under your hands? Or what does this remind you of that's totally unrelated to ancient Egypt?
Choose any approach you like and write a 15 Words or Less poem to share. This is just to get your imagination going and your words flowing! See the sidebar links for guidelines and previous poems, and I'll post the first several poems left in the comments in my post tomorrow.
Thanks! Add a Comment
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Blog: laurasalas (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: photopoetry, 15 words or less, christmas treats, Add a tag
Holiday treats--yum!
Let's write a little poem about food. Or if not about food, inspired by it. What do these pretzel rods remind you of? What do your favorite holiday treats taste like, look like, smell like? How does your family eat them? What does a particular food symbolize in your chosen celebration?
Pick any aspect you'd like and write a 15 Words or Less poem to share. Have fun with it--no pressure. We're just doing a little word exercise here! See the sidebar links for guidelines and previous poems. I'll post the first several poems left in the comments in my post tomorrow.
Thanks for playing! Add a Comment
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THIS IS GREAT!!!
Why... thank you!
Love it! I am in awe of people who can dream up rhymes so easily.
Ugh. Stomach ache. I am remembering a day like this involving a cake with green frosting... Ugh...
Yay for food poems!
Wa! wa wa . . .
The ending is perfect.
I love the rhyme of exhausted and unfrosted!!