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.
I want to thank you all for your kind Comments, emails, and messages regarding my mom’s passing. It is a blow, and, as the cliche goes, it’s hard to believe that everything just carries on the same, even though the world has shifted. I am just keeping my head down, trying to get things done that have to be done. I probably won’t be posting much here the rest of the summer except for 15 Words or Less poems and the occasional Poetry Friday post. I need to just focus inward and on family right now.
This image makes me think of:
- how blurry tears turn everything
- dandelion fluffs look like beautiful alien life forms
- a submarine periscope
And here’s my first draft.
Blanket statement for July/August. Hope you’re having a wonderful summer. Mine is overwhelmingly busy and emotional. When you Comment, I get an email, and I will be doing my best to read every poem you guys write. But my availability over the summer to comment on each poem will be limited. I hope you’ll write because you love it and enjoy this community. Please know I value your participation, even if I am not able to respond much this July and August.
It’s your turn! Have fun and stick to 15 WORDS OR LESS! (Title doesn’t count toward word count)
8 Responses
A second try. Received a message that too much time elapsed between composing and sending. Hopefully this doesn’t come through twice.
Playing Grownup
My kitten’s face
provides such fun
either a roaring lion
or an over-processed perm.
I commented in my first try that tears are cathartic and offer a brief respite from grief. I love the way your camera portrayed this picture. I know there is a proper term for the process.
So sorry to hear about your mother passing away. Such sad news. Thinking of you. You are amazing, Laura, so focused and hard working. Try to take time for yourself. Don’t worry about posting or replying. Lovely poem!
The field by my office was full of dandelions, very pretty when they’re still yellow. Far prettier than when they’re in my yard!
Dandelion
Golden-haired child
is old now, gray
so light it looks like
it could blow away.
—Kate Coombs
Thinking of you, Laura, and hoping that you find time to care for yourself.
Dandelion Math
one head
one hundred seeds
ten thousand strands of fluff:
waiting to waft
Laura,
I think I sent you a message on FB, but again, you are in my thoughts and prayers. I am thinking of loss today as one of my writing-teacher friends died suddenly from a stroke. We just never know when the time will come. I have not done this exercise in a while. I pulled out my little 15 words journal again and edited down to this:
This world spins fast
blurring time.
I am a speck of dust
at dawn.
Margaret Simon
Laura, I don’t think the comments are loading properly. I received the same error message Martha mentioned.
Also, your site now tells me it’s not a secure form when I want to post a comment. It didn’t used to do that. (These relatively minor issues aside, I hope you and your family are well, or as well as can be expected during a particularly tough time.)
a mantra for loss
how blurry tears
turn everything
how blurry
tears turn
everything
how
blurry
tears
turn
every
thing
sending you peace, Laura