Onion [15 words or less poems]

Photo: Laura Purdie Salas

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

15WOLs

I just got a nifty little macro-lens for my iPhone. The other day, I was filling our onion powder spice jar, using a funnel. When I set the funnel down on the stove, tip up, I saw there was this little rim of onion powder, and it looked kind of statically charged. So I grabbed my phone. This is a little blurry–I’m still figuring out the best circumstances to use this little lens under. But…isn’t that cool? This image makes me think of:

1) a snowflake
2) fake eyelashes
3) an eclipse

And here’s my?first draft.

A Sad Day in February

What winter storm
can make you cry?

An onion blizzard
blowing by!

–Laura Purdie Salas, all rights reserved

I am holed up with Lisa Bullard today working on a Children’s Writer Insider Guide about writing rhyming picture books! Wheee! I will pop in throughout the day to read your poems. If you’d like to try writing your poems in rhyme today, I’d appreciate the extra inspiration. But they still have to be 15 Words or Less. (And it’s totally fine to not write in rhyme, too.)

Now it’s your turn! Have fun and stick to 15 WORDS OR LESS!??(Title doesn’t count toward word count:>)??

64 Responses

  1. Ring of fire
    round the eye
    onions make even
    Sauron
    cry

    It looks like an eye behind the powder to me.. Very cool picture 🙂

    1. Yeah, I see that monster eye, too. Love this. Who knew an onion was the “one ring to rule them all”? Hehehehe–thanks for the laugh. Love this.

  2. Ring of fire
    round the eye
    onions make even
    Sauron
    cry

    It looks like an eye behind the powder to me.. Very cool picture 🙂

    1. Yeah, I see that monster eye, too. Love this. Who knew an onion was the “one ring to rule them all”? Hehehehe–thanks for the laugh. Love this.

    1. Thanks, Jessica (I deleted the two Comments you made with corrections). Some days it IS hard to know what to write:>)

    1. Thanks, Jessica (I deleted the two Comments you made with corrections). Some days it IS hard to know what to write:>)

  3. Great riddle poem, Laura. Loved it. So unexpected–an onion blizzard. I can imagine a whole book of these. Maybe with photos of your own. What creativity!

  4. Great riddle poem, Laura. Loved it. So unexpected–an onion blizzard. I can imagine a whole book of these. Maybe with photos of your own. What creativity!

  5. Laura,
    Congratulations on being contracted for a rhyming picture book guide project! Awesome! Wishing you a great experience!

    1. Well, that would be lovely, but this is a book we’re indie publishing. We have several books for children’s writers that we’ve done ourselves:>)

  6. Laura,
    Congratulations on being contracted for a rhyming picture book guide project! Awesome! Wishing you a great experience!

    1. Well, that would be lovely, but this is a book we’re indie publishing. We have several books for children’s writers that we’ve done ourselves:>)

  7. OUR TEAM WON!

    She opened her mouth
    to let it out,
    a joyful, exuberant,
    golden shout.

    Loved your onion blizzard.

  8. OUR TEAM WON!

    She opened her mouth
    to let it out,
    a joyful, exuberant,
    golden shout.

    Loved your onion blizzard.

  9. The First Cup

    Hurried, scurried
    filled the cup
    poured milk too quickly
    a mess I’ll clean up.

    I was out of creamer for my coffee this morning and drank it black. Wishful thinking
    when I saw your photo. Stay warm everyone.

    1. Aw, sorry about that. I don’t drink coffee, but black would be like hot cocoa with no marshmallows, I think!

  10. The First Cup

    Hurried, scurried
    filled the cup
    poured milk too quickly
    a mess I’ll clean up.

    I was out of creamer for my coffee this morning and drank it black. Wishful thinking
    when I saw your photo. Stay warm everyone.

    1. Aw, sorry about that. I don’t drink coffee, but black would be like hot cocoa with no marshmallows, I think!

  11. I want a macro-lens, too! What a picture captured! Love the idea of the tears from the “onion blizzard”.

    Here I Go Again

    Starburst curiosity leads me
    down the rabbit hole again,
    looking for answers-
    hopeful.
    Linda Baie ? All Rights Reserved

    1. LOVE that first line, Linda! Also, did you see my ? back on my adjectives post? How would you like your school, class, city identified when I credit you guys on Rock can be… photos using your words? Thanks!

  12. I want a macro-lens, too! What a picture captured! Love the idea of the tears from the “onion blizzard”.

    Here I Go Again

    Starburst curiosity leads me
    down the rabbit hole again,
    looking for answers-
    hopeful.
    Linda Baie ? All Rights Reserved

    1. LOVE that first line, Linda! Also, did you see my ? back on my adjectives post? How would you like your school, class, city identified when I credit you guys on Rock can be… photos using your words? Thanks!

  13. I love your creative little poem today, Laura.
    You are going to have fun with that camera.

    Outer Space

    Satellite spinning
    out-of-control,
    enters the dreaded,
    enormous black hole.

    1. So glad you wrote this, Pat. I saw a black hole, too! But not until I had written my post already. Love this little rhyme–it’s tight!

  14. I love your creative little poem today, Laura.
    You are going to have fun with that camera.

    Outer Space

    Satellite spinning
    out-of-control,
    enters the dreaded,
    enormous black hole.

    1. So glad you wrote this, Pat. I saw a black hole, too! But not until I had written my post already. Love this little rhyme–it’s tight!

  15. Powder Power

    Powdered sugar
    Powdered milk
    Powdered cocoa
    Powdered onion
    Powdered garlic
    Take a powder
    Don?t sneeze!

  16. Powder Power

    Powdered sugar
    Powdered milk
    Powdered cocoa
    Powdered onion
    Powdered garlic
    Take a powder
    Don?t sneeze!

  17. I really liked your poem today!

    Frostbite
    The salt-crystallized tears
    Round-rimming her eyes
    Forever flash-frozen
    In betrayed-trust surprise!

    1. Thank you, Karen! Ooh, this is evocative. Great image–I’m seeing a dead woman who died of frostbite/hypothermia. No idea if that’s actually what you meant, but that’s what I get out of it!

  18. I really liked your poem today!

    Frostbite
    The salt-crystallized tears
    Round-rimming her eyes
    Forever flash-frozen
    In betrayed-trust surprise!

    1. Thank you, Karen! Ooh, this is evocative. Great image–I’m seeing a dead woman who died of frostbite/hypothermia. No idea if that’s actually what you meant, but that’s what I get out of it!

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