This summer I have been participating in Tabatha Yeats’ Poem Swap. In writing a poem a week, I have been discovering threads in my writing. I love nature, not to be confused with a love of gardening. But I often look to nature for my poetry wisdom. I recently sent a group of poems to a contest. I titled the group “Among the Oaks.” When I walk in my neighborhood, I look to nature for inspiration, everything from the water of the bayou to the birds in the trees, and, of course, the trees themselves. When Tabatha sent me my 4th name, I was thinking, “OK, this time I will write something for that person.” But the poem turned out to be another nature poem. I give up. This is where my pen wants to move, so I will follow it.
A poet friend once told me, “Write a poem every week and by the end of the year, you have 52 poems. A whole manuscript!” I have not put together a whole manuscript of poems. I’m frankly scared to think about it. Perhaps I can follow this nature thread to a whole book? Then I fear the inspiration will end. Hah, you thought you knew what you were doing. Nope, not yet.
I have gotten so much inspiration and encouragement from this Poetry Friday community. We seem to have unwritten rules of respect and appreciation. Since many of you will stop in today to link up, I just wanted to thank you. Thanks for reading, commenting, encouraging, and being a lover of poetry.
I took these pictures in my neighborhood. It had rained the night before, so the resurrection fern was full and green. The moss was particularly shiny and wiggling in the wind. The title came first, which is seldom the case. It came from a statement my father made about a heron on his dock, “She is queen of all she surveys.” I loved the line and thought how it would apply to the live oak. The poem did not come as easily, and I am still not completely satisfied. It started off much more prose-like. I cut words, moved stanzas around. All this work ended up taking me to the same place a few other poems have this summer, to the idea of the mother, the mother in nature that loves us unconditionally and protects us always.
(I want to thank Tabatha for her suggestion for this poem’s ending. I have made these changes. See what I mean about a supportive and helpful community?)
What threads do you see in your poetry? How do you follow or resist these threads?
She is Queen of all She Surveys
Mother oak stands
for generations,
her long arms
clothed in fern,
open and green.Here the mockingbird
defends her nest, squawking
at the passing squirrel.
Hanging moss wiggles grey fingers,
tickling the wind.I want to live here
in her branches
among the birds
nestled in fern,
swaying, free,
still holding on to my mother
with tight fists.–Margaret Simon, all rights reserved
Father Goose is here with light verse poems from the new online Light Quarterly today from his perch in the treehouse at the FATHER GOOSE Blog
Matt has a poem about George.
Myra at Gathering Books continues with her Loss, Heartbreak, and Coming of Age bimonthly theme with Frida Kahlo’s letter to Marty McConnell.
Mary Lee Hahn has a poem about habits at A Year of Reading.
At Random Noodling, Diane Mayr has an illustrated poem that she wrote to send to a Summer Poem Swap partner. Kurious Kitty is looking at snakes today with a poem by Margaret Atwood. KK’s Kwotes has a quote by Frances Clarke Sayers.
Laura Shovan has a tree poem today, too. Hers is told from the point of view of a fifth grader with learning differences. Author Amok
Tara was inspired by an exhibition of Georgia O’Keefe’s leaves at A Teaching Life.
Tabatha Yeats at The Opposite of Indifference is writing about sirens and their irresistible songs.
Liz Steinglass is writing about nature, too, observing herself observing the natural world.
Carol at Carol’s Corner is sharing Bob Raczka’s seasons series and even giving away a book!
Robin Hood Black has an August poem by Albert Garcia.
Today at The Poem Farm, Amy has a small how-to poem and a visit from Margy Grosswendt. She tells about her recent travels to Bosnia where she volunteered in an orphanage and shared creative movement exercises with the children there.
Mandy joins in at Enjoy and Embrace Learning with a Hello original poem.
Steven Withrow has an original poem at Crackles of Speech, Chain Rhyme for Goldilocks.
Violet Nesdoly has a review of a friend’s chapbook, Humble Fare.
Anastasia posted a small poem about a large number of steps.
MM Socks has royalty on the mind with an original poem “Playing King.”
A short poem by Richard Brautigan entitled April 7, 1969 is on the menu at the Florian Cafe.
Semicolon Sherry has some thoughts on the Korean poems called Sijo, and on Linda Sue Park’s book called Tap Dancing on the Roof.
Heidi at My Juicy Little Universe has a reentry poem about the joy of 5-year-olds and a little dip-your-toes-in original.
Keri at Keri Recommends is sharing a poem gift from noodle-icious Diane Mayr for the Summer Poem Swap.
Joy Acey is waving to us from the top of a wavy poem at Poetry for Kids Joy.
What a beautiful photo collage! I can see why you find your surroundings very inspiring. I agree with you about the Poetry Friday community. It’s a very supportive, genuinely thoughtful group of poetry lovers.
My post is live now 🙂 It’s about sirens and their irresistible songs: http://tabathayeatts.blogspot.com/2013/08/sail-to-me.html
Thanks for hosting, Margaret. I, too, “want to live in the branches.” 😉
We’re sharing a couple of light verse poems from the new online Light Quarterly today from our perch here in the treehouse at the FATHER GOOSE Blog
I know what you mean about being inspired by nature, Margaret! Lovely poem, and so tender. Today, I have a poem about George. Sorry, that’s all I can tell you! http://mattforrest.wordpress.com/2013/08/02/poetry-friday-george (The link doesn’t go live til just after midnight)
Thanks for hosting!
Hi there dear Margaret, thank you for being such a lovely host this week. I appreciate your thoughts about the Poetry Friday community, as I also feel the same way. I am also glad to be a part of such a warm and affirming community of like-minded individuals who are as in love with words as I am.
I also enjoyed your poetry, particularly these lines:
Hanging moss wiggles grey fingers,
tickling the wind.
– Matt is right, nature does not fail to inspire.
Here is my Poetry Friday contribution this week as we continue with our Loss, Heartbreak, and Coming of Age bimonthly theme. I have Frida Kahlo’s letter to Marty McConnell.
http://gatheringbooks.wordpress.com/2013/08/02/poetry-friday-frida-kahlos-message-to-marty-mcconnell/
Thank you again for hosting!
Hi Margaret! The best choice of subjects–nature. It’s always with us, always changing, and always surprising! Keep up the good work!
My links will be live after midnight, too.
At Random Noodling I have an illustrated poem that I wrote to send to a Summer Poem Swap partner, but I didn’t end up sending because of printer persnicketiness! http://randomnoodling.blogspot.com/2013/08/poetry-friday-summer-swap-time.html
Kurious Kitty is looking at snakes today with a poem by Margaret Atwood. http://kuriouskitty.blogspot.com/2013/08/poetry-friday-psalm-to-snake.html
KK’s Kwotes has a quote by Frances Clarke Sayers. http://kkskwotes.blogspot.com/2013/08/poetry-friday_1.html
Hi, Margaret. Beautiful tree poem! I have a tree poem today too — told from the point of view of a fifth grader with learning differences, daydreaming about the woods outside his classroom window.
LDs and summer reading assignments are the theme of my post (rant, really) this week. Thanks for hosting.
http://authoramok.blogspot.com/2013/08/poetry-summer-stinks-friday.html
[…] So I hope you like it…and for more poetry, please visit Margaret at Reflections on the Teche! […]
Thanks so much for hosting today, Margaret!
What an interesting reflection on the threads that keep showing up in your poems. I would say I too have a nature thread. I also often write about the passing of time—probably a symptom of my own aging 🙂
My Poetry Friday contribution is a review of a friend’s chapbook. Humble Fare (review) is at this URL: http://vnesdolypoems.wordpress.com/2013/08/01/humble-fare-review/
What a magnificent tree, Margaret, and I just loved these lines:
her long arms
clothed in fern,
open and green
So inviting and comforting. My contribution today is a poem about…leaves! inspired by an exhibition I just viewed:
http://tmsteach.blogspot.com/2013/08/poetry-friday-of-georgia-okeeffe-and.html
Thanks for hosting, Margaret. Today I have an original poem at Crackles of Speech called “Chain Rhyme for Goldilocks”:
http://cracklesofspeech.blogspot.com/2013/08/poem-chain-rhyme-for-goldilocks.html
Steven Withrow
[…] For more Poetry Friday visit Margaret at Reflections on the Teche. […]
Margaret,
Thanks for hosting. I absolutely love the last two lines of your poem. And your photographs!
I have a different kind of nature poem today–http://elizabethsteinglass.com/2013/08/summer-scourge/
I’ve been thinking a lot (and with thankfulness in MY heart, too) about this Poetry Friday community. On the one hand, I miss some of the original members, but on the other hand, I treasure the new voices (like yours) and the new energy (like Tabatha’s). As I said in my post today (about habits): “Poetry Friday is one of my favorite habits of all.”
Thanks for hosting!!
http://readingyear.blogspot.com/2013/08/poetry-friday-habit.html
I love visiting Poetry on the Teche because I always get such a sense of being and of peace! Thank you! Today I’m sharing Bob Raczka’s seasons series and even giving away a book!
http://carolwscorner.blogspot.com/2013/08/poetry-friday-book-giveaway.html
Thank you for hosting today. I share an original poem about invitations and summer. http://enjoy-embracelearning.blogspot.com/2013/08/poetry-friday-hello.html
Margaret, I would love to live in this oak tree too. There is something so protective and wise about trees, and you capture this beautifully. I love how you tell the story behind it too.
We’re so darn lucky to have this community. I tell this to my husband all the time, and like you, I should tell the people themselves. I echo your sentiments.
Good good luck with the poem weeks. It is a gift to yourself and others too.
Today at The Poem Farm, I have a small how-to poem and a visit from Margy Grosswendt. She tells about her recent travels to Bosnia where she volunteered in an orphanage and shared creative movement exercises with the children there. http://bit.ly/1cvtz2L
Thank you for hosting!
xo, a.
Such a lovely post today, Margaret! And thanks to you, for hosting and for always leaving thoughtful comments all around. Your poem takes me immediately back to my childhood, where I felt that way about trees (still do!) – and I’m lucky to still have my wonderful mother, too. Those pictures are glorious. [So happy to see some Poem Swap poetry – I loved doing that in December, but this summer was too crazy.]
I’m in today with a poem for August by Albert Garcia:
http://www.robynhoodblack.com/blog.htm?post=921242
With such living images, it’s no wonder nature speaks to you, and wonderful the way you listen. Love this Queen of all she Surveys!
Delighted to be back on the roller coaster and thankful for your little tribute to the specialness of this community! Your photos are gorgeous and I know exactly what you mean about finding yourself back in the arms of nature no matter where we roam on our poetic roads.
I have a reentry poem about the joy of 5-year-olds and a little dip-your-toes-in original at http://myjuicylittleuniverse.blogspot.com/2013/08/a-roller-coaster-called-kindergarten.html.
Thanks for hosting, Margaret!
Thanks you for hosting. I have some thoughts on the Korean poems called Sijo, and on Linda Sue Park’s book called Tap Dancing on the Roof.
A short poem at the Florian Cafe. http://floriancafe.blogspot.com/
Thanx for hosting
Royalty was on my mind too with my latest original poem “Playing King” http://mmsocks.wordpress.com/2013/07/30/playing-king/ Thanks for hosting!
Thanks for hosting today – and for mentioning that a poem a week *will* make a poetry collection! (Small steps get the work done.)
At Poet! Poet! I’m sharing a “small steps” poem, too.
http://www.asuen.com/poetry/10000-steps-a-day/
I LOVE your photo collage & poem. Thank you for sharing!
I am new to Poetry Friday & am here because I realized through Teachers Write Quick Writes that I lean toward writing poetry. I’m not ready to post yet but will be back later today to share my link. I like what you shared about writing a poem a week and how that would result in a poetic anthology at the end of the year. I may have to pursue that further. I appreciate the supportive environment I sense her. Thank you!
Margaret,
what a lovely poem. I like the moss tickling with gray fingers. On hot summer days seeing draping moss gently move is very cooling.
I’ve been working on spine poems this week and I have been doing illustrations to help the reader see the direction the poem should be read in. Today I have a little poem about the wind and waves. I’m at
http://www.poetryforkidsjoy.blogspot.com
You might enjoy going back and seeing the poems for all week.
Thank you for hosting Poetry Friday.
Hi, friend! Oh, to be “clothed in fern, open and green”! Stunning imagery in this piece. I say go where the Muse leads you. 😉 Today at Keri Recommends I’m sharing a fabulous poem, a gift to me in the poem swap from the noodle-icious Diane Mayr, over at http://kerirecommends.com/2013/08/02/poetry-friday–diane-mayrs-reports-of-the-weather.aspx. Thanks for hosting!