Welcome to 15 Words or Less Poems Day! Are you ready to wake up your poetry brains with our weekly exercise (guidelines here)?
Sorry for the confusion last week–I had the settings to not allow comments (accidentally). We should be all good today, though! Thank you for your poems and good thoughts last week. My school visit was awesome (waving to the Poetry Club and Kim Doele at Wealthy Elementary)!
Addendum: Somehow, and thank you, cindyb, for telling me, last week’s comments are with THIS post! Aaaarrrrrrrrrrrrgggggggggggggh. I think I must have just done this post as a new version of that one, instead of cloning it and making a new one. Oi. Last week’s post is gone (though your poems are still here, in the comments). Please post your new poems for today in the comments, too. Some weeks, when I’m traveling, I probably should just skip 15 Words or Less. Too much rushing leads to…this!
OK, here’s this week’s picture. I took it on my way home last week at O’Hare Airport as I raced from the B concourse to the F concourse to catch my connecting flight. It’s actually the ceiling, but my phone put the pic on its side when I uploaded it here, and I like it better that way!
This image makes me think of:
- the throat of a huge, alien, metal snake
- being inside Space Mountain at Disney World with the lights turned on
- sleeping pods/bunk beds of the future (well, the future is here, but I haven’t yet tried a sleeping pod)
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)
75 Responses
Something weird was going on with this page today. Took me forever to try to find “Comment”. The URLs were exactly the same, but I had to go back and forth a bit through pages of the site before this page came up offering the Comment button. I had come here via the subscription email. The link from the email went to a page that had no Comment button.
Dentist Visit
Headlamp
Bib clamp
Chair Glide
Mouth wide
Spray mist
Water swished
Slide floss
Teeth boss!
©Donna JT Smith, all rights reserved
Perhaps because I had a recent visit to the dentist, this reminded me of the bright lights overhead and on his headlamp, and the misty spray emanating from your mouth as the teeth are cleaned!
Fun poem!
Spray mist! Teeth boss! Loved this. And I hate to go to the dentist. How did you see that in a street light? Can I borrow your imagination for just a day?
Donna, how appropriate. Did you know that February is the month to celebrate the patron saint of dentistry? St. Dapiacle–I love that name.
This has nothing to do with my poem, but I wish everyone a Happy Valentine’s Day! I heart 15 Words or Less poetry, by which I mostly mean the poetry people. 🙂
Streetlight paints
the rain
with a careful
night brush.
—Kate Coombs
Love the image of the painting the rain!
Kate, you’ve inspired me to continue to work on my free verse. Beautiful.
Thanks, Amy! And Donna!
snowy
cobweb skies
mooring
learners of
sunshine-
diamonds
W
I
N
T
E
R
Poem By Jessica Bigi
Lanterns
Love snowy cobweb skies and lanterns of sunshine.
Something was going on. Thanks Donna for confirming it wasn’t just my problem.
Game Called
Stadium lights
eerie glow
wet snow
empty seats
word made rounds
via texts and tweets.
I like your poetry vision of this picture.
Great imagery of a canceled game night, Martha. I really like this.
St. Elmo’s Fire
Ever present to protect,
Lighting with fireball,
Mast will not burn.
Our belief restored.
Wouldn’t that be something to see! And scary if you didn’t understand.
NOT IN THE FORECAST
Something else came with the snow-
Aliens!! OH, NO!!
Love it!
Cindy, we were feeling the same vibe today :). Love it.
Savoring syllables like candy,
15 WOL
lights up my Thursdays.
Love this one, Ellie.…and I agree!
Burnished by street lamps
snowflakes gleam
then fade,
like falling stars
blazing overhead.
Beautiful. Love how the snowflakes gleam then fade as the light catches them.
Deadline
Buried now in
snow and slush,
winter’s blanket
is a casket,
lowered into white earth
-Pamela Ross
Winter Invader
by Amy Smith
While walking
her pup
under sleeting skies
she looked up
and saw–
Two
Alien
Eyes…
The spotlight of life
Is marred with
A myriad of questions
That cannot be
answered
Anne McKenna
“Myriad” is one of those amazing words that everyone should use! Isn’t it great that there are so many life questions that we don’t know the answers to yet. Love puzzles!
Not sure everything is good to go, Laura! These are last weeks comments I find with today’s posting. (Or is it my computer that’s messed up?)
My spirits lifted
when my world shifted-
light at the end of the tunnel!
To the point Cindy. Love this.
Thanks, Cindyb (see my addendum in my post–another week, another screw-up!). I love how you capture this moment when our mood totally changes.
I can’t think of anything to write today but I live this pic very space like and new world like a further ride to outer space
I am in a pensive mood this morning. I will giddy up later! Ha! It may have already started…get it? “Giddy” up — “Giddy up”? Hope I didn’t destroy my pensive intent here with that… I have trouble staying serious for very long.
Empty me.
Polish within.
Fortify me.
Steeled to pressures,
Fill me
With light.
©Donna JT Smith, all rights reserved
I was going to write that I can’t believe you don’t have a thought this morning, Jessica! I love your thoughts. They always bring me to places I never thought of. I’m checking back later! I’ll bet your brain can’t leave this one alone!
Laura, I did not receive the message to confirm. I was able to reply to Cindy, but cannot access any of the other comments. Would not confirming be the reason? My post is showing and I can read all comments.
All is well. Forget the previous comment about inability to reply.
Something will come to you. Just give it time. I enjoy your depth.
Jessica, I have days like that, too. Days when I look at the picture and nothing comes. I’ll look forward to reading yours next week. (or later today, if something pops up.)
I am in a pensive mood this morning. I will giddy up later! Ha! It may have already started…get it? “Giddy” up – “Giddy up”? Hope I didn’t destroy my pensive intent here with that… I have trouble staying serious for very long.
Empty me.
Polish within.
Fortify me.
Steeled to pressures,
Fill me
With light.
©Donna JT Smith, all rights reserved
(Sorry Jessica. I put this in your reply line…must not be awake yet.)
Donna, I suppose pensive is the word for me. Thanks for your comment. I really like empty/fill, polish/fortify in your post.
Donna, you make me laugh! Steeled to pressures–what a strong line.
I like your poem, Donna. It seems prayer-like. I guess you did “giddy-up’ this morning. 🙂
Okay, so this poem goes with the photo of the concourse ceiling. I love how you find these shots, Laura! I need to get out my camera and try again. 🙂
Starship mouth
opens
and I carry
my small bag
into
the universe.
—Kate Coombs
“I carry my small bag into the universe”… great image of our small selves in this grand scheme!
Kate, small bag, big universe. Powerful!
Oh, this is stunning, Kate. That image of a small bag and the whole great universe…it kind of makes me tear up, and I’m not even sure why!
Yes, this does remind me of a space station. I love your take on it.
Thanks, you guys!
Not to worry Laura. As my grandma would say, “It’ll all come out in the wash.” In light of the recent anniversary of the Challenger disaster the photo prompted my poem.
Lift Off
Ten, nine, eight …
with bated breath I wait;
engines ignite,
soar toward the light,
prayerfully.
This can apply to the Challenger… and to us as well. Beautiful.
Thanks, Martha. Ah, the Challenger disaster. I get goosebumps remembering witnessing that in person. Lovely poem…Have you seen Joyce Sidman’s beautiful poem on this topic in Dare to Dream…Change the World? It helped me find some peace about this.
Wow! Martha, you have nailed it. Perfect, and touching. The memory still hurts.
O’Hare
Hurry, scurry
Hustle, bustle
Run on moving walkway
Check gate info
Never look up
So true Marian. I don’t remember looking up during my last trip by plane.
Boy, does that almost describe my moment! I hesitated, because I didn’t really have time to stop and take a picture. But…it only takes 10 seconds! Glad I didn’t talk myself out of it. I miss a LOT of things in my daily scurrying–your poem is a great reminder to look up:>)
Yes, Marian, that’s the way I remember those times.
Love the ending of your poem, Laura!
Steel Caterpillars
They creep, dig, mine, load, build.
But can they shed their skins
and fly?
Buffy, I love the analogy of steel caterpillars, especially shedding and flying and planes.
Love it, Buffy! This made me picture the huge drilling machines from the Big Dig in Boston suddenly taking flight:>)
You have a wonderful imagination. The picture was a question mark for me but robots sleeping, I could see it.
You do, too, Connie! For most of us, just a matter of taking a quiet moment to see what weird images/thoughts our brains come up with. We’re so used to tamping those down or ignoring them…
Curving, curling,
upwards, inwards,
we trace the inner shell of
the cyber-nautilus.
cyber-nautilus–love that!
What a picture! I know that it’s huge, but I am imagining it to be much smaller and confining.
Escape
Keep on going
’round this bend.
Hopefully, this
soon will end.
Freedom!
Pat, one can hope that freedom is just ’round the bend. When I first saw the picture and read Laura’s thoughts I could imagine the visual I had when my youngest granddaughter described her sleeping quarters on the Navy aircraft carrier to which she was assigned.
Yes! I love that you saw it as a small hall or tunnel:>)
words Staircases
whispering into
seashell pages
echo’s of thousand
stories whispers
her voice
Poem By Jessica Bigi
Jessica, I love staircases for words and echoes of stories.
maybe I should stop with stories wispered?
Oh, my–I love those echoes! I had a pic ages ago of the literal word staircase at the Loft here in Minneapolis and used it for a 15 Words or Less pic once. Your poem would be beautiful with it, too!
ROLLER COASTER
Tunnel
Rolling through
racing up
careening down
Loop-de-loop
one too many
hotdogs for lunch.
Oh, dear:>/ It was such an adventure–until that last couple lines–ha!
Just finally had a chance to jump in…it’s been awhile! Some nice poems here, but it appears my impression of the photo was a bit different:
Escher hallway bends
right, around and back to where
you are already
- © 2016 Matt Forrest Esenwine, all rights reserved
Yes! Definitely Escher-like (well, not in real life, so much, but in this picture). Hmmm…your poem kind of describes my revision process lately.
Into the depths
Of the earth
I willingly plunge
To find answers
To unanswered questions !
Anne McKenna
I love that third line, Anne!