In retirement, I’ve been dedicating more time to submitting my writing. I recently opened my Submittable page and saw what every writer wants to see: an acceptance among all the declined work.
Dear Art on the Trails Poets-
Congratulations on your acceptance into the 10th Anniversary Art on the Trails Chapbook!
We are thrilled to have both returning and new poets join the ranks of hundreds of poets who have participated in the program.
Today is the gathering along the trail in Massachusetts where attendees will gather to move progressively through this landscape of artist and poet joining to celebrate the visual art pieces and the poems that were selected by the artists to represent each work. Â When I saw the work of children’s woven moon phases in Selection 16: Phases, created with wire, wood, and yarn by Denise Johnson’s elementary school students who would be featured as part of the 2026 Art on the Trails: Time in Landscape, I thought of the young hands weaving this art, leaving their mark on the universe ~ a timestamp. And my poem was born.
Timestamp Tanka
children weave moonbeams
waxing, waning, wrapped in light
young hands shape vast skies
their marks on the universe
immense timestamps of presence
You can hear me read my poem Timestamp Tanka here (video). Or, hear the audio below.
I would like to encourage my writing friends to submit to next year’s call for poems. It’s revitalizing to be inspired by visual art that prompts writing.
Common Threads 
Congratulations!!! You are an inspiration!
That last line of immense timestamps of presence is hauntingly beautiful, like the image.
LikeLike