Patchwork Prose and Verse
Merlin was going strong
helping me identify the birds
by their birdsongs
Prairie Warbler
Orchard Oriole
Northern Cardinal
Tufted Titmouse
Brown Thrasher
Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher
Eastern Bluebird
Eastern Phoebe
….when my husband walks up
and kisses me right on the lips
then asks
what did that register as?
a lovebird???
and this is the kind of humor
I love about him
and how I know
he’s a keeper
Today’s topic for the tiny writing shared by Georgia Heard on her May calendar is A Secret You Keep. I’m using the Shadorma form this month for most of these poems (3-5-3-3-7-5). My poem today is inspired by the prankish secret I’m keeping. A few weeks ago, I cleaned out the silverware drawer and put the holder back in a different direction. A week or so later, I noticed my husband had flipped it back to the original position. And so I turned it back. He flipped it again. Again, I turned it, in a different direction from either of the first. And now, this game – more of a prank than a secret – is part of the fun of the morning.
A Secret You Keep
suddenly
after 18 years
there’s a tiff
over which
way the silverware tray goes ~
so now it’s a game!
My sister in law and I have been making various salves, lotions, balms, and body butters. It all started in April. She found a recipe for Bergamot Body Butter, and it’s been fun ever since. We each ordered some of the ingredients and a slew of containers, fired up the stove, and got to stirring and mixing, making our own magnesium and shea butter foot creams.
Today’s poem is a simple tricube – three stanzas of three lines with three syllables!
Sister Time Tricube
bergamot
shea butter
olive oil
lavender
mixing bowls
minerals
beeswax flakes
kitchen fun
sister time
When I saw Margaret Simon’s blog post on May 1 with Georgia Heard’s calendar inviting tiny writing, my soul breathed a sigh of relief. Tiny writing. Yes, I need a month of tiny writing after the double marathon months of the Slice of Life Challenge in March and VerseLove in April. Tiny writing sounds dreamy right now, like a shade tree with a hammock and a warm, gentle breeze.
I glanced at the topics, and one caught my eye. May 16’s prompt is the meaning of your name. It’s been with me all my life – since I was a curious child who wanted to find answers to things like that.
Kimberly. From the Royal Fortress Meadow.
From the Royal Fortress Meadow
Kimberly
means from the royal
fortress meadow ~
and I’m no princess here,
but I drink my
velvety green
rolling hills
cloaked in wildflowers
crowned with a sunshine-drizzled
scepter of rain clouds
casting a gold-tipped
swing-choir grass breeze
strumming harp strings
across my countryside kingdom
I’m engaging in tiny writes this month, introduced by Georgia Heard on her monthly writing topics. Margaret Simon shared it on her blog earlier this month. Margaret also introduced me to the Shadorma form, which is a poem consisting of six lines with lines of the following numbers of syllables, in this order: 3,5,3,3,7,5. I’m using a tiny form for the tiny write topics and finding that it is a breath of fresh air after the marathon months of March with the Slice of Life Challenge at http://www.twowritingteachers.org and April with #VerseLove at http://www.ethicalela.com.
Today’s topic on Georgia Heard’s calendar is Where You Belong.
Where You Belong
you belong
to adventure winds
that beckon
you to seek
all-new possibilities ~
discovery quests!
I’m engaging in tiny writes this month, introduced by Georgia Heard on her monthly writing topics. Margaret Simon shared it on her blog earlier this month. Margaret also introduced me to the Shadorma form, which is a poem consisting of six lines with lines of the following numbers of syllables, in this order: 3,5,3,3,7,5. I’m using a tiny form for the tiny write topics and finding that it is a breath of fresh air after the marathon months of March with the Slice of Life Challenge at http://www.twowritingteachers.org and April with #VerseLove at http://www.ethicalela.com.
Today’s topic on Georgia Heard’s calendar is A List of Last Times.
A List of Last Times
you hugged me
your body quivered
we both knew
this was it ~
the reason I’d made the trip
was to say goodbye
I’m engaging in tiny writes this month, introduced by Georgia Heard on her monthly writing topics. Margaret Simon shared it on her blog earlier this month. Margaret also introduced me to the Shadorma form, which is a poem consisting of six lines with lines of the following numbers of syllables, in this order: 3,5,3,3,7,5. I’m using a tiny form for the tiny write topics and finding that it is a breath of fresh air after the marathon months of March with the Slice of Life Challenge at http://www.twowritingteachers.org and April with #VerseLove at http://www.ethicalela.com.
Today’s topic on Georgia Heard’s calendar is a goodbye.
A Goodbye
some goodbyes
are long awaited
sweet partings
like high school
and college graduations
portals to next worlds
I’m engaging in tiny writes this month, introduced by Georgia Heard on her monthly writing calendar. Margaret Simon of Louisiana shared it on her blog earlier this month. Margaret also introduced me to the Shadorma form, which is a poem consisting of six lines with lines of the following numbers of syllables, in this order: 3,5,3,3,7,5. I’m using a tiny form for the tiny write topics and finding that it is a breath of fresh air after the marathon months of March with the Slice of Life Challenge at http://www.twowritingteachers.org and April with #VerseLove at http://www.ethicalela.com.
Wednesday’s topic on Georgia Heard’s calendar was What the Moon Might Say, but I missed writing that topic, so I picked it for today.
Goodnight Moon
moonbeams shine
Heaven’s messages
on pillows
sweet dreams, Love
is what the moon might say, a
ghostly kiss goodnight
Today is a great day for a tricube! A tricube has 3 stanzas with 3 lines each, with 3 syllables on each line. Last weekend, while camping at FDR State Park in Pine Mountain, Georgia, we hiked the Mountain Creek Nature Trail with the dogs and saw spring in full bloom. It’s great to be outdoors, and to capture what you can in short forms!
primrose sweet
daffodils
bluebells grow
wind dances
on a breeze
pine trees blow
green grass sprouts
buds unfold
earth's green coat
For My First Daughter – A Pickled Egg Princess
pickled egg princess
boiled peanut queen of the south
moved to Nevada
left her roots behind
she’s a gypsy vagabond
sweet pea with sweet tea
missing her culture
while creating a new one
living her best life
Common Threads 