Branches [15 Words or Less Poems]

Hello, and welcome! This is 15 Words or Less Poems, a low-pressure way to wake up your poetry brain (guidelines here), and I’m glad you’re here.

Here’s a picture I took while my husband and I were walking our beagle down by the lake. These barren branches leaning over the water caught my eye, but the pic was…eh. So I used a filter to reverse it. 

reverse branches 15wol
Photo: Laura P. Salas

This image makes me think of:

  1. Antarctica (ooh, and The Thing, an excellent horror movie set there)
  2. my sister Patty’s darkroom when I was about 9, and I would look at film and reverse images
  3. when lightning makes the world go all strobe light‑y

And here’s my first draft.

 do you feel that chill 15wol

It’s your turn! Have fun and stick to 15 WORDS OR LESS! (Title doesn’t count toward word count)

18 Responses

  1. She dives in,

    ignoring the crowd-

    the “Look at that old woman”

    comment too loud.

    1. This is awesome. The straightforward and direct language totally portrays the personality of the woman–whom I like already:>)

  2. Before Jonson & Johnson

    Each morning
    she avoided
    the brush
    with tears;
    Nothing could
    alleviate
    her fears.

    This reminds me of my daughter’s hair when she was little. My daughter’s hair was so fine as a little girl, it would mat on the back of her head each night into a terrible tangle that could barely be brushed through, leaving me frustrated and her in tears. It took so long to do and it always hurt, no matter how careful I was. Ah, but then I discovered Johnson & Johnson’s No More Tears”! What a lifesaver!
    “Avoided the brush with tears” was meant to be read either way.…

    1. this I beautiful and I remember those days of fine hear I hated when my mom would brush my hear it felt like she was polling it out

    2. That title makes the whole situation perfectly clear, Donna, which is awesome. Nice wordplay, and I love the backstory. My older daughter, Annabelle, has hair at least as thick as mine, but curlier, and we went through gallons of detangler at our house:>)

  3. Clever idea Laura. The mundane made beautiful — it’s cathartic to see the beauty in everything. An acrostic comes to mind.

    The Water Nymph

    Ageless
    Graceful
    Illusive
    Lithe
    Ethereal

    1. your poem is wonderful I love these word used together and love the tittle

    2. Ooh, these are great words. I always love acrostics, but I especially admire the one-word-per-line ones where the words really work–aren’t just shoehorned in there!

  4. (I’ve given up on having the first line line up with the rest…)

    crickle crackle

    pop and hiss

    static snaps

    sounds like this

    reaches, spreads

    electric kiss

    1. Fabulous–electric kiss! And that first line works great–hiss/this/kiss are all you need!

  5. I love how odd the reverse image looks.

    ghostly branches
    gracefully glimmer
    pooled in moonlight

    1. Isn’t it bizarre? Oh, this is lovely. I’m picturing a formal gala at a big country mansion in an old black and white movie…

  6. poem By Jessica Bigi

    blue popsicle wails
    swim marmalade seas
    giant splashes
    icicle tails swishes
    fountains of lemonade

    1. I love everyone poems today

      poem By Jessica Bigi

      blue popsicle wales
      swimming marmalade seas
      giant splashes
      icicle tails swishes
      fountains of lemonade

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