Hello, and welcome! I’m interrupting the normal broadcast to let you know that Tina Cho has an interview with me today, which you can read here. Thanks, Tina!
It’s all moon, all week long, since my launch party is tonight for If You Were the Moon. (And that means today is the last day to order your personalized, signed copy of If You Were the Moon from Addendum Books!)
OK, resuming our regularly scheduled program now! This is 15 Words or Less Poems, a low-pressure way to wake up your poetry brain (guidelines here), and I’m very glad you’re here.
This image makes me think of several things:
- magic (I can’t believe humans have actually LANDED on the moon!)
- acne (on a more prosaic note)
- ancient ocean maps
And here’s my first draft.
It’s your turn! Have fun and stick to 15 WORDS OR LESS! (Title doesn’t count toward word count.)
39 Responses
Pocked and weathered
Turning still
Pirouetting through stars
to give us a wave
I like your third line! Brings a lovely picture to mind.
I love how this poem feels like like it’s in beautiful slow motion. Very dreamy effect!
Oh that graceful pirouette!
OOPS! SORRY!
Aren’t you in bed?
Well, yes I’m red.
You caught me here,
mid-phase. Oh, dear!
I love this! Super fun and light! Caught mid-phase.….ha ha ha ha
Hahaha–poor, embarrassed moon:>)
Good Morning Laura and poets,
Oh, those contradictions. The moon IS such a mystery.…always mysterious to those of us who imagine. I really like shadowed, glowing, slivered as an almost poem within the poem.
15 words is SUCH a challenge for me. But, I have surpassed my goal of keeping to each Thursday in February and I’ve gone right into March with 15 words or less. Thank you, Laura for this. Thursday mornings are far less about social media for me now than waking up to a fun challenge. And, I love writing from photograph prompts!
I saw a marble when I looked in the photo and I had to look up how to play marbles for some of the lingo. I’m so glad I did. There are expressions from that old fashioned game that are a part of our language that I didn’t realize.…including playing for keeps, knuckle down and more.
My 15 words with apologies to Laura for the title!
The Moon Can Be
Skipped stone
from another galaxy
A marble shooter
in earth’s ring…
Playing for keeps,
orbiting.
Linda and Laura, doing the Slice of Life Challenge is about all I can handle, but I love to pop over and see what’s up here, too. This is a wonderful poem with such powerful word choice. Love playing for keeps.
I took pictures yesterday on my morning walk of the full moon. Maybe I can work on a poem today.…we’ll see.
I’m trying to figure out what I can keep up with, too, Margaret. Always a conundrum of what to keep and what must go! Love the mural you helped with. SO cool!
Linda, this is FABULOUS! I adore it. And I’m so happy you’re enjoying 15WOL on Thursdays. I am in the midst (still, again, always?) of figuring out what the heck to do with my blog. What to share. How to reach readers and educators. But 15WOL will stay, definitely, because of those of you who remind me that it means something to you–that it brings something good to your day. Thank you!
I agree with Laura — this is FABULOUS.
The rhyme here, Linda, is just perfect!
Yes! Luna is THAT always — you’ve captured our mystery ball in the sky, Laura. I love your 15 words or less on her. Happy Book Birthday Launch Party with moon glow on top!
Under the Florida nearly full moon,
Jan
Thank you, Jan–and thanks for often sharing my stuff on social media. I really appreciate it! (Trying to figure out SM!)
When I’m online sometimes they write breathless articles about an actress or actor if they so much as frown or shop for groceries.
The moon is a silver-gowned
actress. Tired of being talked about,
she hides her face.
—Kate Coombs
Wouldn’t it be awful to be famous and be on display all the time? I think your poem says that beautifully. I especially like that quiet last line.
Good morning everyone. Marbles and orbits and blushing — I love it. The colors caught my eye.
From Luna’s Locker
So tired of gray.
Today I think
I’ll try on purple
green and pink.
I like this, Lauren–the moon is always beautiful to me, so I almost felt guilty filtering it to give it colors. This is a nice reward for that:>)
The moon followed us in the car a few nights ago, and I remembered when I was a child and thought it was following us as we drove at night. I’d just stare at it and try to figure out how this was happening. I was enthralled with the night sky, and still am.
Stray
Look what followed me home!
May it sleep on my bed
in darkest nights?
…Please?
I. love. THIS! So sweet and such a universal question from young to old to oldest
I love your take on this — taking the moon to bed with you.
One of the first children’s stories I sold was to Spider (I think) and was about the sun “following” a little girl. Thanks for the memory:>) Love the kindness and yearning in this one, Donna.
The photo looked like beautiful ancient pottery to me. Wonderful poems this morning. Your book launch party sounds like it’s going to be wonderful, Laura. I’m too far away (California) at the moment to make it, but I’m looking forward to reports.
POURUS MOON
Tipped on its side,
this ancient bowl
pours blessings
on these souls below.
Oh, Yvonne–this is just lovely! Love the wordplay on the title, too!
Really beautiful take.….I was thinking pregnant belly at first.…but couldn’t figure that one out in so few words. This is a generous thought in few words.
Oh that ancient bowl! And the internal rhyme with souls. Very nice. 🙂
So many lovely moon thoughts this morning! Congratulations to you, Laura, on your moon launch.
Luna’s Smile
sliver of light
beaming at night
washing her glow
on silvery snow
Yum. Moonlight on snow is magical, isn’t it? Thanks for the image, Buffy.
Good afternoon. A bit late joining in today. Life just gets in the way sometimes. At first glance I saw a scrap of Waverly fabric. (Anyone remember that home-décor rage?) Rainbow sherbet also came to mind. Then I saw the man himself!
No Space Available
The man in the moon
expecting aliens soon
willed himself away
disguised as rainbow sorbet.
I remember some lovely watercolory moire fabric I was obsessed with. Is that Waverly? Love the moon using camouflage to escape aliens!
Hmmmm! Not sure Laura. I know there are some moire cotton fabrics but do not recall seeing any in Waverly.
Thanks for your comment.
I love the pic today Later I plan to read every poem
poem By Jessica Bigi
Wail attempting
to take pictures
of the moon
big glowing
fingerprints
appear in
ever pitcher
could the moon really
a giant’s fingerprints?
Love that idea–a giant playing catch, maybe. The moon could be a giant’s baseball or something!
oooooooooooooooh! Fingerprints. that is super.
Poem By Jessica Bigi
glowing eyes
buttery popcorn smiles
giant footprint rumble
midnight sky’s
one giant swing
of windblown trees
calling Hay batter ‑batter
wailing the moon
across the starry night
YES!
The darkness
Overshadows the beauty
Within my core
Hidden beneath
Rough exteriors
Anne McKenna
These moon pictures are just so evocative! And this collection of poems is strong because of that pull.
The black cat, with eyes
like the yellowed moon,
finds me even
in the dark.