[15 Words or Less Poems] Lion


Photo: Laura Purdie Salas

Wake up your poetry brains with 15 Words or Less (guidelines here)!

The lion in the MGM lobby at NCTE in Vegas was in a boxing ring to promote some upcoming big boxing match. It was an arresting image, this gold lion in a velvet-roped cage. Here’s hwat it makes me think of:

1)?Have I gone through the looking glass?
2) The crunching, tinkling, shattering noise that walking in fallen leaves would make if they were all stained glass.
3) The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

And here’s my poem first draft:

Savanna
Velvet grasses ride the breeze.
I wait like stone
for lesser beasts
to venture
near.

–Laura Purdie Salas, all rights reserved

What do you think of when you look at this picture? Take any quick idea and jot down a 15 Words or Less poem. It doesn’t have to rhyme or describe this picture. It’s just about whatever you think of when you look at it.

I should be back here on Monday, January 7! I hope you’ve had wonderful holidays, and I’ll see you soon.

114 Responses

  1. Teensy tail twitches
    Impatience takes over
    He pounces! CRACK!!!
    Leaves left scattered

    I love your poem, Ms. Salas! Gives hunting almost a whimsical feeling. Good picture!

    1. I love the action–the teensy tail twitches, the pounce, and then the leaves.

  2. Teensy tail twitches
    Impatience takes over
    He pounces! CRACK!!!
    Leaves left scattered

    I love your poem, Ms. Salas! Gives hunting almost a whimsical feeling. Good picture!

    1. I love the action–the teensy tail twitches, the pounce, and then the leaves.

  3. Library Lion

    King of all
    that’s known
    he sits
    determined
    to fight for
    survival–
    qui legit regit.

      1. Love this Diane. I don’t know the words in Latin but they feel right in this poem. Strong and determined. {} Can you tell me what they translate into? Guessing…“What is legitimate is right?”

        -Pamela, who should know this but my 5000 years of espanol are not helping me here xoxo

        1. Pamela, it means “He who reads, rules!” I found it the other day in an old book and I love it! I googled it to find its meaning, and after I did, I found all sorts of uses for it. The poem is a personal comment on the role of libraries (and librarians) in the near future. We might have to change, but we prevail. And we will still read.

          1. That is a perfect quote and I believe you were born to discover it and use it: a picture book with that frame? A non- fiction mss? It is true and the — most- golden of rules. (())

  4. Library Lion

    King of all
    that’s known
    he sits
    determined
    to fight for
    survival–
    qui legit regit.

      1. Love this Diane. I don’t know the words in Latin but they feel right in this poem. Strong and determined. {} Can you tell me what they translate into? Guessing…“What is legitimate is right?”

        -Pamela, who should know this but my 5000 years of espanol are not helping me here xoxo

        1. Pamela, it means “He who reads, rules!” I found it the other day in an old book and I love it! I googled it to find its meaning, and after I did, I found all sorts of uses for it. The poem is a personal comment on the role of libraries (and librarians) in the near future. We might have to change, but we prevail. And we will still read.

          1. That is a perfect quote and I believe you were born to discover it and use it: a picture book with that frame? A non- fiction mss? It is true and the — most- golden of rules. (())

    1. I love this but I would lose the words still and forever to pack even more punch. Immortal shows forever.

    1. I love this but I would lose the words still and forever to pack even more punch. Immortal shows forever.

  5. Laura,
    I enjoyed your poem and admired your form. Here’s mine.

    Golden morning, Savanah grasses wave
    with a quiet breeze.
    The silence breaks–
    a lion
    ROARS.

  6. Laura,
    I enjoyed your poem and admired your form. Here’s mine.

    Golden morning, Savanah grasses wave
    with a quiet breeze.
    The silence breaks–
    a lion
    ROARS.

  7. Laura: I love your poem so much this week. It has a different feel and tone for me. The meter meshes so well with the words. It as if the lion wants to pounce out of the ring of your rhythm. Keep going.

  8. Laura: I love your poem so much this week. It has a different feel and tone for me. The meter meshes so well with the words. It as if the lion wants to pounce out of the ring of your rhythm. Keep going.

      1. Thanks, Janelle. I played The Cowardly Lion in a summer camp play. I was perfect for the role. I had zero courage. I’m still trying to get some. I’ve been off to see the wizard for 40 years and counting… :>

      1. Thanks, Janelle. I played The Cowardly Lion in a summer camp play. I was perfect for the role. I had zero courage. I’m still trying to get some. I’ve been off to see the wizard for 40 years and counting… :>

  9. Good Day!
    What a treat having waited for the poems and comments to build for 2 days!

    My contribution:

    Query

    “Well … let’s see…
    They’ve got the stool,
    the tamer.
    Where’s the fiery golden hoop?”

    Jeanne Poland

  10. Good Day!
    What a treat having waited for the poems and comments to build for 2 days!

    My contribution:

    Query

    “Well … let’s see…
    They’ve got the stool,
    the tamer.
    Where’s the fiery golden hoop?”

    Jeanne Poland

  11. Oooh, I love “velvet grasses”!

    I’m a huge Narnia fan, so this is what I thought of.…

    ASLAN

    All my life
    I’ve opened doors,
    wishing-hoping-praying
    I’d find you
    on the other side.

  12. Oooh, I love “velvet grasses”!

    I’m a huge Narnia fan, so this is what I thought of.…

    ASLAN

    All my life
    I’ve opened doors,
    wishing-hoping-praying
    I’d find you
    on the other side.

    1. Hehe–I was just reading the “Medusa” poem from MONSTEROLOGIST at an inservice the other day. And guess which poem I shared from POETRY FRIDAY ANTHOLOGY?

    1. Hehe–I was just reading the “Medusa” poem from MONSTEROLOGIST at an inservice the other day. And guess which poem I shared from POETRY FRIDAY ANTHOLOGY?

Subscribe to Blog via Email

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

Join 2,548 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 FlynnccbcCCRA.W.3CCRA.W.4CCRA.W.5centoschapter booksCharles Waterschoral 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 SweeneyLine Leads the WayLion of the Skylist poemslittle free librarylive writingLullaby and Kisses Sweetlyricsmadness poetrymagnipoemsmargaret simonMarilyn Singermary lee hahnmask poemsMatt Forrest EsenwineMeet My FamilyMelissa StewartMentors for Rentmentor textsmetaphorMichelle Myers LacknerMillbrookMinnesota Book Awardsmoneymoonmy 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)National Poetry Month 2024 (magnipoems)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 poemsrefugeesresearchreview copiesreviewsrevisionrhyming 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 conferencesYouTubeZapZap Clap Boomzenozentangle
Show More Show Less

Discover more from Laura Purdie Salas

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading

Join Laura's monthly newsletter for eductators

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