Thanksgiving [15 words or less]

?15WOLs?

?Photo: Laura Salas
Wake up your poetry brains with 15 Words or Less (guidelines are here)!

Happy Thanksgiving! Well, I was trying to figure out what picture to post on Thanksgiving. I wanted it to be something I’m thankful for, but didn’t think you guys would be super inspired by a picture of my family or a picture of a book. Soooooo, the next best thing? A cupcake, of course. This is a White Hot Chocolate?one I ate in Boston, while I was there for NCTE. Sadly, it looked better than it tasted. But I made the sacrifice. You know, for you and for 15 Words or Less. Ha! Here are 3 things this photo makes me think of:

1) a pretty white wool cloche hat
2) a sledding hill
3) hot chocolate

And here’s my first draft!

Sledding

Launching off the mountain,
I taste sweet snow and sunshine
and gulp down winter

–Laura Purdie Salas, all rights reserved

Now it’s your turn! Have fun? and stick to? 15 WORDS OR LESS!??(Title doesn’t count toward word count:>)?

96 Responses

  1. Happy Thanksgiving one and all. Baby’s christening cap comes to mind.

    Christening day
    finds baby dear
    swaddled in white
    her family near.

  2. Happy Thanksgiving one and all. Baby’s christening cap comes to mind.

    Christening day
    finds baby dear
    swaddled in white
    her family near.

  3. Laura, that needed to be dark chocolate to tempt me. 🙂

    !!!!!!!!!!!

    Excited!! Delighted!
    It’s Thanksgiving Day!
    Hi, Grandma! Hi, Grandpa!
    Come to my room and play!!!!

    Hope you have a great day with family.

    1. I had a really nice Thanksgiving, Cindyb–thanks! Hope you did, too. I love the preschool-age excitement you capture here, especially with all those exclamation points!

  4. Laura, that needed to be dark chocolate to tempt me. 🙂

    !!!!!!!!!!!

    Excited!! Delighted!
    It’s Thanksgiving Day!
    Hi, Grandma! Hi, Grandpa!
    Come to my room and play!!!!

    Hope you have a great day with family.

    1. I had a really nice Thanksgiving, Cindyb–thanks! Hope you did, too. I love the preschool-age excitement you capture here, especially with all those exclamation points!

  5. Drool on My Pillow

    Skiing down frosting,
    skating with marshmallows
    on a cupcake mountain
    by a hot chocolate pond.

    I love “launching” and your second line best. Also, I am so grateful for 15 WOL, Laura. You’ve made Thursdays fun these past many years. I have learned much from reading other’s poems and all the comments. And, quite unexpectedly, rewrites of poems you’ve inspired have led to several publications. So thank you in the biggest way possible and Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours.

    1. The title is so funny. I didn’t look at it until after I read the poem and I was doing just that, drooling on my pillow.

    2. Thanks, ellie! Back to reread my poem to see what my second line was. I learn a lot from the comments, too. I’m always happy to see your work here, and it’s been so wonderful to see you rewriting and publishing your poems! Happy Thanksgiving–I hope yours was wonderful.

  6. Drool on My Pillow

    Skiing down frosting,
    skating with marshmallows
    on a cupcake mountain
    by a hot chocolate pond.

    I love “launching” and your second line best. Also, I am so grateful for 15 WOL, Laura. You’ve made Thursdays fun these past many years. I have learned much from reading other’s poems and all the comments. And, quite unexpectedly, rewrites of poems you’ve inspired have led to several publications. So thank you in the biggest way possible and Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours.

    1. The title is so funny. I didn’t look at it until after I read the poem and I was doing just that, drooling on my pillow.

    2. Thanks, ellie! Back to reread my poem to see what my second line was. I learn a lot from the comments, too. I’m always happy to see your work here, and it’s been so wonderful to see you rewriting and publishing your poems! Happy Thanksgiving–I hope yours was wonderful.

  7. Sorry about the word count, but I thought you might appreciate this. Happy Thanksgiving!

    Thanksgiving Lament

    Marshmallow
    met yams and
    whipped cream
    met pie. They all
    met my stomach?
    I think I will die!

    ?Kate Coombs

    1. Cute! I’m glad I saw this before the “word counting police” took it down! (Maybe they’ll be for-giving on Thanks-giving.)

    2. Hehehe. Sadly, my Thanksgiving did NOT include sweet potato casserole, which I do love. I made up for it with plenty of other sweet things. I like the contradiction of your serious title and silly poem:>) Hope you had a terrific Thanksgiving…

  8. Sorry about the word count, but I thought you might appreciate this. Happy Thanksgiving!

    Thanksgiving Lament

    Marshmallow
    met yams and
    whipped cream
    met pie. They all
    met my stomach?
    I think I will die!

    ?Kate Coombs

    1. Cute! I’m glad I saw this before the “word counting police” took it down! (Maybe they’ll be for-giving on Thanks-giving.)

    2. Hehehe. Sadly, my Thanksgiving did NOT include sweet potato casserole, which I do love. I made up for it with plenty of other sweet things. I like the contradiction of your serious title and silly poem:>) Hope you had a terrific Thanksgiving…

  9. White Castles

    In a marshmallow kingdom,
    the princess wears
    a white chocolate gown
    dancing with Prince Fondant.

    –Margaret Simon-> Happy Thanksgiving to all!

    1. Ha! Love this–very fairy tale. And Prince Fondant made me laugh out loud. Especially since fondant is all looks but no substance/taste. :>)

  10. White Castles

    In a marshmallow kingdom,
    the princess wears
    a white chocolate gown
    dancing with Prince Fondant.

    –Margaret Simon-> Happy Thanksgiving to all!

    1. Ha! Love this–very fairy tale. And Prince Fondant made me laugh out loud. Especially since fondant is all looks but no substance/taste. :>)

  11. Like that you carried out the ‘tasty’ part, Laura.

    Dreamin’

    Snowballs — packed.
    Piled — high.
    Pelting — everyone
    walking by.

    Satisfied!

    1. Thanks, Linda. So great to see you in Boston! Oh, this is funny. I love that you got the pile of snowballs out of this pic. And I like that last word. It takes what could possibly be construed as mean or aggressive and clearly puts it in that kids’ horseplaying fun frame of mind. I wish *I* had grown up somewhere with snowball fights. Sigh…

  12. Like that you carried out the ‘tasty’ part, Laura.

    Dreamin’

    Snowballs — packed.
    Piled — high.
    Pelting — everyone
    walking by.

    Satisfied!

    1. Thanks, Linda. So great to see you in Boston! Oh, this is funny. I love that you got the pile of snowballs out of this pic. And I like that last word. It takes what could possibly be construed as mean or aggressive and clearly puts it in that kids’ horseplaying fun frame of mind. I wish *I* had grown up somewhere with snowball fights. Sigh…

  13. Thanksgiving Walk

    Leafless trees
    guard the
    ragged
    stone wall;
    its boulders
    recall
    oxen, plow,
    harvests,
    neglect,
    rebirth.

    For some reason those white chocolate chips reminded me of the boulders of abandoned stone walls that you see in woods in New England and upstate New York. (That would be a teeth cracking cupcake!)

    Happy Thanksgiving to all! I’m thankful for your weekly inspiration 🙂

    1. Wow, lovely moody poem, Buffy. I especially like the choice of ragged to describe a stone wall. So unexpected. And I love the way you go from extremely concrete images to larger abstract ideas. It works! Hope you had a terrific Thanksgiving. I’m thankful for your 15 Words or Less participation and support:>)

  14. Thanksgiving Walk

    Leafless trees
    guard the
    ragged
    stone wall;
    its boulders
    recall
    oxen, plow,
    harvests,
    neglect,
    rebirth.

    For some reason those white chocolate chips reminded me of the boulders of abandoned stone walls that you see in woods in New England and upstate New York. (That would be a teeth cracking cupcake!)

    Happy Thanksgiving to all! I’m thankful for your weekly inspiration 🙂

    1. Wow, lovely moody poem, Buffy. I especially like the choice of ragged to describe a stone wall. So unexpected. And I love the way you go from extremely concrete images to larger abstract ideas. It works! Hope you had a terrific Thanksgiving. I’m thankful for your 15 Words or Less participation and support:>)

  15. Tantalizing temptation
    Sweet sugar sensation
    Tap dances on tongue
    ?Til the tasting is done.

    ~~Barbara Turner

  16. Tantalizing temptation
    Sweet sugar sensation
    Tap dances on tongue
    ?Til the tasting is done.

    ~~Barbara Turner

  17. Puffs of white
    On bed of brown
    Now it’s time
    To scoff it down

    Yum!

    - Anne McKenna

  18. Puffs of white
    On bed of brown
    Now it’s time
    To scoff it down

    Yum!

    - Anne McKenna

  19. It’s rather late to be posting today, but we had Thanksgiving dinner early.
    Here goes.

    Sheep were sheared,
    shaved, forlorn.
    Their wool became
    this shawl I’ve worn.

  20. It’s rather late to be posting today, but we had Thanksgiving dinner early.
    Here goes.

    Sheep were sheared,
    shaved, forlorn.
    Their wool became
    this shawl I’ve worn.

  21. We’re finishing up, so I have a few minutes to contribute. I hope everyone had a great day!

    Nighttime Ritual

    Milk heated
    gently
    steam rises
    blend in cocoa
    marshmallows
    plop plop
    stir sweet
    dreams
    welcome.

    Diane Mayr

  22. We’re finishing up, so I have a few minutes to contribute. I hope everyone had a great day!

    Nighttime Ritual

    Milk heated
    gently
    steam rises
    blend in cocoa
    marshmallows
    plop plop
    stir sweet
    dreams
    welcome.

    Diane Mayr

  23. Yikes, that cupcake looks like a little much!!! So here’s my 15-W-O‑L (with hyphenated words which count as one each, I hope…or am I cheating?) poetic tribute to our collective sugar highs:

    A Little Much: A Love Poem

    You tidbit‑o’-cupcake,
    You marshmallow treat,
    I love you, little yum-yum,
    You’re so..so…
    soooooooooo
    sweet.

    1. Ha! A tidbit-o-cheating never hurt anyone:>) Actually, I do count hyphenated words as one word, so you’re fine, anyway. I love the way this sounds like a chant I would say to a baby!

  24. Yikes, that cupcake looks like a little much!!! So here’s my 15-W-O‑L (with hyphenated words which count as one each, I hope…or am I cheating?) poetic tribute to our collective sugar highs:

    A Little Much: A Love Poem

    You tidbit‑o’-cupcake,
    You marshmallow treat,
    I love you, little yum-yum,
    You’re so..so…
    soooooooooo
    sweet.

    1. Ha! A tidbit-o-cheating never hurt anyone:>) Actually, I do count hyphenated words as one word, so you’re fine, anyway. I love the way this sounds like a chant I would say to a baby!

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 2,492 other subscribers

Are You Looking For?

Poetry Friday posts

Classroom Connections posts

All my poetryactions

Go to my Poetry page for:

  • National Poetry Month projects through the years
  • Small Reads Roundups (poems grouped by topic)
  • Introductions to several favorite poetry forms
Tags
#waterpoemproject15 Words or Less Poems20for2030 Painless Classroom Poems50 State Poemsacrosticsactivity pagesactivity sheetALAA Leaf Can Be...Amy Ludwig VanDerwaterA Need to FeedanthologiesanthologyA Rock Can Be...art projectsaudiopoemsawardsbad newsBarbara Juster EsbensenBilly Collinsbiopoemsblog tourbookalikesbook festivalsBookSpeak!book spine poemsbook trailersbop poembyr a thoddaidcafepresscalendar poemsCamp Read-a-LotCan Be... bookscan be... poemsCapstoneCarol Varsalonacascade poemsCatherine FlynnCCRA.W.3CCRA.W.4CCRA.W.5centoschapter bookschoral compositionschristina rossetticinquainsCLAclassified ad poemsclassroom connectionclassroom connectionsClover Kittyconferences and conventionscrown sonnetscybilsdansaDare to DreamDavid Elliottdeeper wisdom poemdefinitosdiamantesdiversitydizaindodoitsuDot DayDouglas Floriandownloadablesdrum corpse.e. cummingsekphrastic poemsepistolary poemsequation poemsessentialethereeseventsexquisite corpseFairy Tale Garage Salefamilyfibonaccifiction picture booksfinding familyfirefightersforeign editionsfound poemsfree author zoomsfree versefrom studentsgeesegeorgia heardghazalGift Taggiveawaygolden shovelgoldilocksgratitudehaikuheart of aheart of a teacherHeidi MordhorstHelen FrostHighlightshow-to poemshow to make a rainbowI Am FromI Am poemsidiomsif you want to knit some mittensIf You Were the MoonILAimagepoemsinterviewin the middle of the nightIRAIrelandIrene LathamJ. Patrick LewisJanet WongJoyce SidmanKendraKerlanKidlit Comboslailaura's board booksLaura's booksLaura's poemsLaura's readingsLaura ShovanLee Bennett HopkinsLilian MoorelimericksLinda Booth SweeneyLion of the Skylist poemslittle free librarylive writingLullaby and Kisses Sweetlyricsmadness poetrymargaret simonMarilyn Singermary lee hahnmask poemsMeet My FamilyMelissa StewartMentors for Rentmentor textsmetaphorMichelle Myers LacknerMillbrookMinnesota Book Awardsmoonmy reading lifemy writing processN+7naaninarrative poemsNational Poetry Month 2012 (haiku a day)National Poetry Month 2014 (riddle-ku)National Poetry Month 2015National Poetry Month 2016National Poetry Month 2017 (#wonderbreak)national poetry month 2018 (haiku a day)National Poetry Month 2020National Poetry Month 2021 (#EquationPoem)national poetry month 2022 (sticky-note poems)National Poetry Month 2023 (Digging for Poems)ncteNerdy Book Clubnifty newsnifty stuffNikki Grimesnonfictionnonfiction booksNonfiction Writers Dig Deepnovelsnovels in verseodesOne Minute Till BedtimeoppositifyOskar's VoyagepadletpantoumsparodiesPatreonpeacepersonalpet poemsphotopoetryphrase acrosticspicture booksplagiarismpoempicspoemspoems for two voicespoemsketchpoetic pursuitsPoetry 7poetryactionspoetry activitiesPoetry Blastpoetry booksPoetry FridayPoetry Friday AnthologiesPoetry Princessespoetry promptspoetry sistersPoetry Tips for Teachersprogressive poempublishing processpuddle songPutridquotationsraccontinosRandy Salasread-aloudreadaloudreading poetry in the classroomRebecca Kai Dotlichrecipe poemsrefugeesresearchreviewsrevisionrhyming booksrhyming nonfictionrhyming picture booksRhyming Picture Books the Write Wayrhyming poemsRiddle-kuriddle poemsRock Can Be...Rock the Blogrondeau redoublesRudyard Kiplingsalas snippetsSCBWIschool visitsScotlandseasonssecrets of the loonSELsestinasshrinking daysskinnyskypeslice of lifesmall readssnack snooze skedaddlesnowman-coldsonnetsStampede!storm poemstorytimestorywalkstudent poemsstudent workSylvia VardellTanita Davistankatautogramteachableteacher resourcesteen/adult poemsterza rimasthankfulthank yous and referencesthe business sidethings to do iftracy nelson maurertrioletstunie munson-bensonvideosVikram MadanvillanellevillanellesWater Can Be...wealthy elementaryWe BelongWhat's InsideWhy-kuwinterwonderwonderbreakword of the yearwordplaywordsmithswork for hirewritingwriting bookswriting processwriting promptswriting the life poeticyoung authors conferencesYouTubeZap Clap Boomzenozentangle
Show More Show Less

Join Laura's monthly newsletter for eductators

Get three of Laura's favorite poetry activities when you subscribe to "Small Reads."