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 very glad you’re here.
My regulars, I’ve missed you the past two weeks! I was on a weeklong school visit one week, a mini writing retreat last week, and now I’ve just returned home from the Texas Library Association conference in Austin. Whew! It’s good to be back:>)
I know I post a lot of tree images, and I’m REALLY trying to offer more variety here. But…I adore trees. I took this photo in the monuments area of Washington, DC.
This image makes me think of several things:
- showing up in completely the wrong clothes for something
- hall of mirrors
- holding on
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.)
21 Responses
Welcome home, Laura! I can only imagine the tremendous excitement of travel to poetry, taking part in poetry and then coming down from such encounters. How do you do that?! How do you pace yourself?
I was caught by the idea of the glass held by the trees for us to see ourselves. What a striking image. Trees are my friends. I have been delighted to see my friends leafing out here and coming back from their long winters. We have so much to catch up on!
My draft
Riddle poem
By land
riverplain
or sea
I stretch
I wave
stand tall
what am I?
Answer: A Tree
Love it! You know I love a good riddle poem:)
PS It was awesome! But this has been a full-tilt spring, and there is no pacing. Only survival–ha!
Your travels sound inspiring and tiring, Laura.
What an interesting perspective on trees, having them reveal us. Here’s my poem:
you wear yellow
I’ll wear purple
hope we can find each other
in the crowd
Oh, I love this–wish I had written it.
I’m working with paint chip poetry this month, so for today, I pulled out three chips (mustard seed, slow, and nest)
A mustard seed–
tiniest of all–
grows slow
enough, though
for every nest
to rest.
(based on the parable of the mustard seed)
every nest.…beautiful
I love your challenges to yourself, Margaret! Three chosen words–20 PERCENT of this poem–and you still created this little gem of a poem. Sigh…
Missed you Laura. Wifi problems last week. Same this week. Composing on my phone. Hope it works. I never cease to be amazed at those last remaining trees in Fall who refuse to follow the crowd.
All That Glitters …
Illumination
courage
for winter’s
stark
vulnerability
one last thread
on which to cling.
perfect title
Wow, such powerful and vivid words, Martha. Really gorgeous! (And happy to be back!)
Welcome back, Laura! I love trees, too, and this photo is wonderful! And the poems so far are just lovely! Here’s mine;
Big and Small
But these aren’t trees–
They’re shafts of hair
on giant’s scalp
I’m tiny there!
Oooooh, you made me look at this in a whole new way! Cool!
The Big Push
Come on, get ready,
start leafing; let’s go!
Springtime’s arriving!
Why are you so slow?
Haha–the impatience in your narrative voice here echoes what I’m hearing from my neighbors daily!
I love the contrast between dark trees and sky in this photo–very cool! Congrats on all your good busyness, Laura.
trunk, limbs, twigs
branching as they rise
holding up the sky
This so captures the solid, trustworthy nature of trees, Buffy!
tree haiku by Dianne Moritz
out my window
I see a hint of green
on the old willow
Love the juxtaposition of brand new growth on an old, graceful tree, Dianne.
sory it took so long had to think
on this one for abift
sory it so long
poem by Jessica Bigi
Freedoms Proms
Beneath braches of History
I carried our people
too freedom lands
upon my own life’s branches
broken and lamed
building stronger furthers
Branches of life’s of peace
Love that opening line, Jessica.