February is Laura Shovan's birthday month celebration. In a group together, for a lot of years, some of us have been writing to a daily prompt. This year, each chose a date and posted a picture connected somehow to "water", our daily inspiration for a poem. As I think everyone would say, it's fun, a challenge, and some poems certainly are better than others to each of us personally. Perhaps it's because the picture really did bring inspiration or a memory from our lives? Perhaps we just wanted to try a new poem form? Laura's even posted a page for us to share a poem form! However the day goes, I've managed a poem for each day, so far. I'm not pleased with all, revision calls! But there are a few that are my favorites. Here are two!
Thanks, Laura, I hope you've had a marvelous birthday month. This group writing feels like icing on a cake!
This picture, which I don't have permission to share, but think you can imagine a river in winter, banks snow-covered, trees bare, from Ruth Lehrer.
The Prescription
R ancor (which often sends me reeling)
E ases (what I have been feeling)
F ollow (trails of a river’s path)
L uminous (sights remove the wrath)
E arth. (a blessed gift for all)
C alm (if I only heed the call)
T ransition (occurs when walking free)
I ntimate (whispering with the trees)
O blation (gift offered – water born)
N eeded. (now no more forlorn)
Linda Baie ©
Liege Lord Earth
Not wooing Lady Fairs with sash,
this courageous knight is wooing trash.
Canoe glides o’er his favorite stream,
gathering tires, nightmare, not dream.
His task accomplished, honor soared –
“Order of the Bath”, a just reward.
Yes, I imagined this short story,
no knights here, but there is glory.
For a cleaner world, we need to fight
all should mimic this good knight.
I guess you might say I love nature and want to help preserve it! Spring is coming!
Both are fabulous, Linda!! Especially like Liege Lord Earth -- honor of a special kind -- "Order of the Bath" made me smile. And yes, we would all benefit from your "Prescription." My favorite part is "whispering with the trees." :)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jama, it is always a pleasure to write with the poets during Laura's birthday month. Sometimes the writing surprises with the varied and wonderful prompts!
DeleteI'm so glad you're a part of our annual poetry project, Linda. I feel the same way -- writing every day, you have to give up the expectation that each poem is going to be a home run. Thanks for sharing two that you're especially proud of.
ReplyDeleteIt is both fun and challenging, Laura. Hard to believe it's been going for all these years! Thanks for including me!
DeleteBravo to that good night who has been tending to the river these fifteen years. Love this line in that first poem, Linda:C alm (if I only heed the call).
ReplyDeleteThanks, Tara. I need a little of that C alm today, struggling with some issues at the store - ugh! It's warm today, so may have a walk later!
DeleteA month of poetry is always a wonderful discipline - and shared with friends is even better. I love that poetry is so diverse - both in how people respond to the one prompt, but also here, with your two very different poems. Oblation is a new word for me!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Kat, it is both a pleasure and a real challenge. I will be glad to take a break soon, but still will miss the daily writing. I'll need to find another way to make myself sit and write!
DeleteI really like the point of view of this poem...a knight doing a noble deed. Wonderful!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Linda, the story made all of us happy to hear of their dedication.
DeleteFinally getting to some PF blogs this week. I like both of your poems. The first form is so interesting. I would like to know more about it and enjoyed your reflection on a river's power. And your poem from the days of knights and castles, coming to the present, is also intriguing. I love the idea of going out to clean up rivers this way. So glad you participated in this month's challenge from Laura. I recall the pantone month, but not others. I am trying to get to more writing. Not always easy but so important. Love your title Liege Lord Earth, and the variety in your poems. I take so long to be satisfied with my poems. You are brave and honest but without trying and writing where do you end up? Without any poems to revise eventually, right?
ReplyDeleteJanet Clare F.
Hi Janet, so nice to have you come by. Yes, Laura's birthday month writing is lots of fun. It's been going since 2015. This is the 6th year! I love the Pantone poem writing. Colors are inspiring! As for the first poem; it's my own devising, kind of just happened with trying the acrostic, and the parentheses for an aside. As for taking long or going with it, these daily prompts offer little time. I do return to some of my favorites to see about wording, sound, etc. But some I am not in love with really, so just let go! Thanks for the questions!
DeleteI liked both of these Linda, and I like this line especially, "I intimate (whispering with the trees), I think they hear us when we whisper to them… And yes to:"all should mimic this good knight." Hope others will get involved and head some of your calls!
ReplyDeleteLinda, life has been so busy lately with doctors, visits to Virginia (the little girls have colds and the parents are so tired that my husband and I have been trying to help out), and just life in general. I was all set to step into Laura's poetry challenge and time just flew by. You have been industrious and diligent though. I love the flow of both poems and think the format of poem #1 is unique. It will worth a try. Photo #2 is dear to my heart because Long Island has a volunteer group trying to keep our beautiful waterways clean. I think it is quite clever to have the main character a knight on a quest. Good job.
ReplyDeleteI love how different these two poems are, Linda. THough acrostics call out to me, your awarding of the trash knight really steals the show here for me. Brava!
ReplyDeleteThanks much, Michelle, Carol & Laura. The month has been lots of fun and learning, too, from reading all the others' marvelous poems.
ReplyDeleteTwo excellent favorites, I would say. I especially enjoyed The Reflection... I think I find solace in the same places you do. Thanks so much for sharing these.
ReplyDeleteWhat a fun writing project, Linda! I love the line:
ReplyDelete"Intimate (whispering with the trees)". Intimacy with nature is essential. =)
Thanks, Karen & Bridget, yes, nature, maybe especially trees, give us the gentle feelings we search for.
ReplyDeleteThese are both so wonderful, Linda! You all amaze me with the consistency of your challenges, and your prolific output.
ReplyDeleteVery nice, Linda! I can understand why these two are favorites. I've never been good with acrostics. The fact that you 1. came up with such appropriately "reflective" words and 2. then made the whole thing rhyme is so impressive!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Karen and Michelle. It was a fun, challenging, and terrific February writing with the group.
ReplyDeleteLinda, these are great water poems, especially Liege Lord Earth. The medievalist in me loves the first two lines of it: "Not wooing Lady Fairs with sash/
ReplyDeletethis courageous knight is wooing trash." What a wonderful image it evokes. Thank you for sharing your poetry so generously.
You're welcome, Alex. That canoe filled with tires is an image I loved writing to, and won't soon forget those who tirelessly continue to clean their river.
DeleteThis was a great month of writing. I didn't do every prompt or respond to every writer, but I have a document full of drafts. I'm glad you posted these here because it's hard to see them all in the FB group. I wrote acrostic poems with my students today and think we could delve even further into the form. I love yours with the parenthetical statements.
ReplyDeleteI do love hearing what you're doing with your students, Margaret. They're receiving gifts for a lifetime. I started a different kind of poem using one parentheses then noticed I could arrange a bit differently. Acrostics seem to be done in such different ways. Thanks!
DeleteYou kept up much better than I did, Linda. Love your reflection.
ReplyDeleteThank you! Every year is different, sometimes I didn't make it all the way, sometimes I did.
Delete