the country where she lives

I'm pleased today to participate in a photo-poetry exchange hosted by Margaret Simon over at Reflections on the Teche.  Back in April, Margaret got excited by a photo posted on Molly Hogan's blog, wrote about it, and wanted others to enjoy the challenge.

I love writing about art, particularly photographs, so even though I missed Margaret's sign-up, I was so thrilled to join in and even out the numbers.

My exchange partner is Ruth Hersey of the blog There is no such thing as a God-forsaken town, who lives in Haiti.  She sent me the below photo of her local geography, which prompted me to do quite a bit of reading about Haiti and its history. I found myself with very mixed feelings about the photo, my reading, and what I know to be true about Ruth's experience of her adopted country.  I hope my poem captures some of that.

Journey over to Margaret's today where she's rounding up all the photo-poetry exchanges, and enjoy.  We have such brave talents in our midst, cycling inspiration round and round to whomever might need some!  Thank you, Margaret, and thank you, Ruth.

these are days: maysong

Greetings from the sodden mid-Atlantic, where on Mother's Day I looked at my weather app and saw something I truly thought was some kind of misprint, user error, data glitch.

Alas, this ten-day forecast has been pretty much accurate, and although my class got lucky with outdoor recess on Monday and Tuesday, today will be our 3rd straight day of indoor recess--in May!

May, of all months, the most voluptuous and enticing of all months,
the month when April showers are to have brought swathes of flowers, when a young person's fancy turns to thoughts of

I CANNOT SPEND A SINGLE  'NOTHER MINUTE INSIDE THIS CLASSROOM EVEN IF TODAY IS THE DAY THAT OUR CHRYSALISES CRACK OPEN & BECOME BUTTERFLIES.


I personally will not be sodden and down-trodden (even as I think with respect and compassion on those of  Muslim students and colleagues who are navigating this dreary gray week of AP's and exams WHILE FASTING) because I will be playing this poem on repeat.  I posted it in April of 2016 as part of my "Lyrics as Poetry" series, but it was a Monday and no one was paying attention...

so here's Natalie Merchant, with 10,000 Maniacs and line breaks by me.

These Are Days

These are the days

These are days 

you'll remember
Never before and never since

I promise

will the whole world be warm as this
And as you feel it

you'll know it's true 

that you are blessed and lucky
It's true 

that you are touched by something 

that will grow and bloom in you.

These are days 

you'll remember
When May is rushing over you 

with desire

to be part of the miracles you see

in every hour
You'll know it's true 

that you are blessed and lucky
It's true 

that you are touched by something 

that will grow and bloom in you

These are days

These are the days you might fill with laughter 

until you break
These days you might feel a shaft of light 

make its way across your face
And when you do 

you'll know how it was meant to be
See the signs and know their meaning
It's true

you'll know how it was meant to be
Hear the signs 

and know they're speaking to you,

to you. 

Play loud against the rain-dimmed sunrise and the rain-bent trees and the rain-rusted azaleas.

"These Are Days" by Natalie Merchant and Rob Buck

from the album Our Time in Eden, 1992

The round-up today is with Rebecca at Sloth Reads.  Slog on over and see what sun peeks from between the clouds....I'm just no good at raining.

a little slice of earth: free verse poems by 2nd graders

No fancy introduction today;  just the glory of sensory poems
inspired by one "little slice of earth," composed by 7-8's!

the clover
      by Caleb

three leaves

smooth stem
clover blowing
in the wind
very fragile

purple flower

   by Eldana

purple bulbs

light scent

lemon orange

very peaceful

smooth and

hairie  soft

and greenie!

 

Black cracked stick     
                  by Eric

Its smooth wood

makes me slow
like a sloth, I hear
nothing. it’s peaceful like
a mouse.  all I smell 
is grassy dust.  that’s right.

 

clover

   by Max

clover   round    3

circles   soft   green

hole

  

plant 
    by Ines

green like
a pillow
long and
skinny
smells like
strawberries
a little blue
very good
for me!

purple poem

   by Xavier

a smooth stem

and

green and brown

quiet

air   purple flowers

green

leaves   the colors

                                are

                                green and purple

A Different Stick 

      by Patrick 

 

Browny
Broken
Dusty
Jagged
Grassy
Pointy
Cracked
    looks like 

         bamboo

dandelion 
    by Sophia

A hairy soft
dandelion
smells like
raspberries
looks like a lion
from the top.
Root is smooth and
smells like a soggy
wet dog!

Rocky Mountain
       by Elena

Gray and sparkly
rough and
bumpy     nothing
but  blank!
It’s just a thing
peaceful and quiet

Nothing to be
                                 heard but something
                                 to seek

 clover

     by Kathy

bright clover

light green

silent and fuzzy

smells vegetabley and

      cucumbery

Beautiful purple flower

    by Tyler

Purple flower smooth and
U purple flowe
R. green smooth leaves
Purple leaves smooth & soft
Like dog’s fur.
Elegant purple flower

  

Two Rocks

by Ziva

Piece by piece broken

and clean slowly chipping

away.  Clanking four

sounds, bink, chip, clip and pip. 

              white and light gray 

   building  together 

look like waves from an 

ocean’s weather.

 dandelion
       by Henry

fluffy dandelion

           white

       and green

           smells

       like vanilla

           and

      gasoline its

fluff is like

a lion’s mane

soft like fur

purple flowers
     by Arya

purpleflowers greenleaves wildbreeze

roots   leaves     slowly growing

wind  blowing    roots  growing

rain    pouring    sun  growing  

 

And there you have it!  I guess it's hard to bemoan my own slow pace of writing when I'm busy helping this happen.  Jama is helping us happen today by rounding up at Jama's Alphabet Soup.  See you there!
***************
MORNING ADDENDUM!  I forgot while wrangling all these poems and photos that my TLD Anthology Poem "A History of Your Voice" is featured at Michelle Kogan's Mother's Day blog post!  Please enjoy it, and a beach-day photo of me and my dear, delightful mother HERE!  In fact I will be with my mother and father this weekend helping them get ready for a move nearer to us--hooray!--and so my comments will be scarce, I'm afraid.  But thank you for yours!