What the Water Says

Contented chuckling from the creek at Turkey Run State Park.

More painting than writing is happening these days, as you can see over at Paints in the Parks. However, I’ve been enjoying some poetry hikes in a local state park as part of our Indiana Poet Laureate’s Arts in the Parks grant. Poet in residence for the summer at Fort Harrison State Park, Shari Wagner has led us along poetic paths to history and nature, providing thoughtful prompts along the way. Last week, her prompt to write in an element’s voice inspired me to start a new poem by a creek in the woods. Though destructive at times, water has always had a calming effect on me, whether in the bath, near an ocean or beside a babbling brook.

What The Water Says: Fort Harrison Poetry Hike

Born babbling
from embattled
ground I could
not stop myself
from gleeful giggling
with the faster flow,
seeking a rush in
rapids, shouting
down the stone-
silent elders who
tried to hold
me back, before
cascading full of
laughter into a
reckless roaring
tide of carnival
tunes and siren’s
sea songs.

Please check out Shari’s website called Through the Sycamores featuring her workshops and wonderful poetry as well as submissions from poets all over Indiana.

Thank You For . . .

Finding me
after all these years

Seeing me
for who I really am

Telling me
that everything will be okay

Holding me
even though I can’t ask

Letting me
go, when it’s time.

April Love Prompt: Thank You For . . .

This year I’m celebrating National Poetry Month by combining  NaPoWriMo’s daily poetry challenge with Susannah Conway’s April Love daily photo prompts on Instagram. Each day of April, you will observe the same photo in my Instagram feed on the righthand sidebar that you see in my blog post along with an instapoem.

I’m actually sad that this is the last day of April. I’ve met a lot of lovely folks over the past month, and reconnected with some old friends. I want to give thanks first to Susannah Conway for her inspirational prompts that I’ve tried to capture with my own words and photos. And a big thank you goes out to all who took the time to like, follow or comment, especially , Meghan, Krissy, Lisa Mari, Sharon, Belinda, Sheeba, Beth and Shirah. Of course, this list wouldn’t be complete without my undying thanks to Maureen, my writing buddy in the creative trenches, and my wonderful blogger friend Bonny, who has supported this challenge for all thirty days. You deserve a medal, Bonny! I encourage my readers to check out the links provided to see what all these creative folks are up to.

All in all, my third year celebrating National Poetry Month by writing a poem a day, no matter how brief, was far from a fool’s errand. I stay convinced that poetry adds art and meaning to our hectic lives, and condences the best of existence into the sweetest of moments. But now, new leaves on the old oak in my neighborhood park are signalling a new month, and different endeavors. Time to leaf out.

Insight

Eyes may

grow dim

between you

and me, but

our souls

are as bright

as the day

they met.

April Love Prompt: My Eyes

This year I’m celebrating National Poetry Month by combining  NaPoWriMo’s daily poetry challenge with Susannah Conway’s April Love daily photo prompts on Instagram. Each day of April, you will observe the same photo in my Instagram feed on the righthand sidebar that you see in my blog post along with an instapoem. We shall find out at the end of the month whether this was a brilliant career move, sheer laziness or a fool’s errand. 

Until then, care to join me in these creative waters where even fools fear to tread? The water’s fine.

Hope

Who needs

the ground

when you

can see all

your dreams

foretold

in the sky.

April Love Prompt: Clouds

This year I’m celebrating National Poetry Month by combining  NaPoWriMo’s daily poetry challenge with Susannah Conway’s April Love daily photo prompts on Instagram. Each day of April, you will observe the same photo in my Instagram feed on the righthand sidebar that you see in my blog post along with an instapoem. We shall find out at the end of the month whether this was a brilliant career move, sheer laziness or a fool’s errand. 

Until then, care to join me in these creative waters where even fools fear to tread? The water’s fine.

Wordless

No matter how

many words

we use,

they can’t

completely

describe what

must be

felt.

April Love Prompt: Love Is . . .

This year I’m celebrating National Poetry Month by combining  NaPoWriMo’s daily poetry challenge with Susannah Conway’s April Love daily photo prompts on Instagram. Each day of April, you will observe the same photo in my Instagram feed on the righthand sidebar that you see in my blog post along with an instapoem. We shall find out at the end of the month whether this was a brilliant career move, sheer laziness or a fool’s errand. 

Until then, care to join me in these creative waters where even fools fear to tread? The water’s fine.

Art

With very

little

effort,

you can

find it

anywhere.

April Love Prompt: Something Beginning With A

This year I’m celebrating National Poetry Month by combining  NaPoWriMo’s daily poetry challenge with Susannah Conway’s April Love daily photo prompts on Instagram. Each day of April, you will observe the same photo in my Instagram feed on the righthand sidebar that you see in my blog post along with an instapoem. We shall find out at the end of the month whether this was a brilliant career move, sheer laziness or a fool’s errand. 

Until then, care to join me in these creative waters where even fools fear to tread? The water’s fine.

Cat Nap

A sip of sun,

no plans till

dinner,

the lullaby

to needing

nothing more.

April Love Prompt: Simple Pleasures

This year I’m celebrating National Poetry Month by combining  NaPoWriMo’s daily poetry challenge with Susannah Conway’s April Love daily photo prompts on Instagram. Each day of April, you will observe the same photo in my Instagram feed on the righthand sidebar that you see in my blog post along with an instapoem. We shall find out at the end of the month whether this was a brilliant career move, sheer laziness or a fool’s errand. 

Until then, care to join me in these creative waters where even fools fear to tread? The water’s fine.

Benediction

In spring

they will

wash away

all my winter

sins with

a shower

of

petals.

April Love Prompt: Trees

This year I’m celebrating National Poetry Month by combining  NaPoWriMo’s daily poetry challenge with Susannah Conway’s April Love daily photo prompts on Instagram. Each day of April, you will observe the same photo in my Instagram feed on the righthand sidebar that you see in my blog post along with an instapoem. We shall find out at the end of the month whether this was a brilliant career move, sheer laziness or a fool’s errand. 

Until then, care to join me in these creative waters where even fools fear to tread? The water’s fine.

Cross-eyed

When I was very
small I couldn’t see
any sharp-kneed
truths inside the
dark forest planted
by grownup legs, or
dim familial views
offered out of high
windows shaded with
long-held secrets.

All I remember
were those bright
celestial stars down
the hallway to where we
come from, refracted
into a billion
diamonds.

April Love Prompt: When I Was Small

This year I’m celebrating National Poetry Month by combining  NaPoWriMo’s daily poetry challenge with Susannah Conway’s April Love daily photo prompts on Instagram. Each day of April, you will observe the same photo in my Instagram feed on the righthand sidebar that you see in my blog post along with an instapoem. We shall find out at the end of the month whether this was a brilliant career move, sheer laziness or a fool’s errand. 

Until then, care to join me in these creative waters where even fools fear to tread? The water’s fine.

Rites

Gather your daffodils and
violets, place them
in a bud vase.

Check a nest for robin
eggs, make sure
they match the sky.

Listen to the tree
peepers, write some
lyrics for their tunes.

Dig down deep after
final frosts, and give
the worms their due.

April Love Prompt: Spring (Earth Day)

This year I’m celebrating National Poetry Month by combining  NaPoWriMo’s daily poetry challenge with Susannah Conway’s April Love daily photo prompts on Instagram. Each day of April, you will observe the same photo in my Instagram feed on the righthand sidebar that you see in my blog post along with an instapoem. We shall find out at the end of the month whether this was a brilliant career move, sheer laziness or a fool’s errand. 

Until then, care to join me in these creative waters where even fools fear to tread? The water’s fine.