Poetry Friday * Celebrate This Week
I am celebrating National Poetry Month by reading poetry, writing poetry, and reflecting on poetry.
Reading Poetry.
Each morning this past week I’ve opened my screen to read a poem by Amy Ludwig VanDerwater at The Poem Farm where she’s sharing 31 ways to write poetry. And each morning, I also read a poem on Reflections on the Teche where Margaret Simon is sharing her ekphrastic poetry written in response to her father’s drawings.
On Wednesday, Margaret shared Afternoon.
It reminded me of my girlhood. Of hours spent on my bike. First on the streets of a sleepy mid-western town, going to the public library, delivering newspapers, or just riding for the sheer joy of the wind in my face and freedom. And then we moved. There my rides were on country roads, stirring up the dust behind me. loving the sound of the planks of the little wooden bridge that crossed a quiet stream where we always stopped to explore . . .
On Margaret’s page, I commented.
Writing Poetry.
I did not accept a poetry writing challenge. However, I am watching words, noticing poetry everywhere, and randomly writing poetry in my journal. So, when I read my words in my reply to Margaret, I saw a poem.
Balance
This is the place
I spent girlhood hours,
testing my balance,
riding free.
Now . . . thinking free,
balancing my tests,
I seek to spend hours
in this space.
I searched for a photograph to fit my memories, repainted it with Waterlogue, and inserted my poem.
Reflecting on poetry.
On Thursday, I wrote “My Journey,” a reflection of my #SpiritualJourney and how it has been saturated with poetry in the form of hymns and sermons and prayers and Scriptures.
I have committed to a personal challenge for National Poetry Month. Each day I’m pairing a quote about poetry with an image. I’ve titled the series Poetry is . . .
1. Poetry is… plucking at the heartstrings, and making music with them -Dennis Gabor
2. Poetry is... an echo asking a shadow to dance. –Carl Sandburg
3. Poetry is… an act of peace. –Pablo Neruda
4. Poetry is… language at its most distilled and most powerful. –Rita Dove
5. Poetry is… a form of mathematics, a highly rigorous relationship with words. –Tahar Ben Jelloun
6. Poetry is… the journal of a sea animal living on land, wanting to fly in the air. –Carl Sandburg
Amy at The Poem Farm is hosting
the week’s Round-Up.
Thank you, Amy!
#PoetryFriday
Poetry Friday Schedule
January – June 2018
Celebrate this Week
with Ruth Ayres,
Thank you, Ruth!
#Celebratelu.
What a terrific place to find a poem! Love the mirroring in the two stanzas.
Finding a poem in a comment. Openness is the key. Your poem makes me happy – and happy to think about riding again soon. Snow is gone – just about! Thank you for these quotes too. I think I will copy one or two into my notebook! xx
I love your pairing of quotes about poetry and the images. It is such a rich collection already. Isn’t it amazing how we can find poetry anywhere when we start to look.
I love your “almost a reverso” poem and your quote collection!
I love how Margaret’s words inspired your lovely poem. I especially like how you played with repeating key words, concepts. The presentation is wonderful–I’m definitely going to check out Waterlogue! As if that wasn’t enough, your poetry quotes are beautifully matched to photos. Those Carl Sandburg quotes are fabulous! I haven’t committed to a challenge this month, but inspiration abounds, doesn’t it? My notebook is being fed regularly 😉
It brings back my own bicycling memories, Alice. I went everywhere on my blue Schwin! Your poem is a lovely capture of such a free time. I love those quotes, too and that you are putting them with pictures.
I am honored that you were inspired by my poem to write your own. That’s as it should be with poetry. Your collection of quotes is great! Happy writing! I love this month!
Beautiful post Alice, I love the forward flipping balance to today, in your “Balance” poem! And what rich poetry quotes you’ve offered us. I especially like the Carl Sandburg ones, he’s a favorite of this city-prairie girl, thanks for all!
I really love the pairing of words to art….it’s such a meaningful experience to find or create just the right image to hold the words, isn’t it? I can tell that it’s fun for you. Balance is a beautiful poem. What rich memories for you to capture in a few simple lines. Thank you for sharing.
Yes, it is, Linda. It makes you go deeper with the meaning of words and of the whole quote and think symbolically. I’ve not done much quote and image pairing before. The thinking process reminds me of using images to create truisms. I always have fun with that in classrooms and workshops. Thanks for noticing Balance.
Love your balance poem (cool presentation!), and all the poetry quotes paired with images. So much inspiration. Thank you!
Thanks, Jama! It was fun to fool around with waterlogue. Wish I had time to do more.
These quotes about poetry and images are wonderful. I love them. I look forward to seeing the whole lot. What a treat that will be. Feel free to grab something off my collection here https://friendlyfairytales.com/2018/02/08/poetry-is-a-revelation/ if it appeals to you. The credit is there on each line.
I checked out your link and I saw some that I may have spots to incorporate. I’m so glad you shared the link, Brenda. Thank you.
I read your poem – inspired by Margaret’s – when you first posted it & I’m pretty sure I did not manage to comment. I’m so glad you posted it again today because I really appreciate its structure and the way it plays with words. I like how you play with the idea of freedom and balance – it speaks to me and helps me think about my experiences. And I loved the presentation with the waterlogue picture. Thank you for posting this!
Thank you, Amanda. Freedom and balance need each other, I think. Doing the waterlogue picture was fun. On this one I had to edit parts of the picture– blur them, so the waterlogue would “paint” it properly. It was overemphasizing the girl’s hair. I’m such a novice with these things, but love doing them.