Tag: State Parks

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Verse Love Day 10 : Villanelle Vibes ~ Georgia State Parks

Susan Ahlbrand of Indiana is our host today for Day 10 of Verselove at http://www.ethicalela, com, and she inspires us to write love letters to a place we love. She challenged us to try a villanelle, a 19-line poem of five tercets and a quatrain with a rhyme scheme and refrain sequence. As I sit on the campsite of a Georgia State Park recharging my batteries this week, I could not think of a more fitting place to pay tribute.

Villanelle Tribute to Georgia State Parks

out in the woods on a state park campsite

nestled in shade by meandering creek

Pollock-splashed beams of breeze-filtered sunlight

shelter from life’s woes, respite from plight

renewal blooms hope when refuge we seek

out in the wild on a state park campsite

Swallowtails air-dance on blackened blue-brights

welcoming wings, meditative mystique

sashaying rays of oak-splattered sunlight

flame-flickered campfires on stargazing nights

embers leap up to kiss Pegasus’ cheek

out in the wild on a state park campsite

mosaic edges softened by twilight

for life’s jagged junctures, outdoors re-key

shadowy brushstrokes, dusk-darkened moonlight

birdsong awakens, euphoric daylight

new trails to hike, fresh air to seize

out in the woods on a state park campsite

canvassing nature, the soul re-ignites

In honor of National Poem In My Pocket Day…..

I have a poem in my pocket

a perfect way to start

hummer at my feeder

hope restores my heart

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VerseLove Day 9: Home/Hogar

Bryan Ripley Crandall, our host today for Day 9 of VerseLove at http://www.ethicalela.com, lives in Stratford, Connecticut, where he directs the Connecticut Writing Project and is Professor of English Education at Fairfield University. He co-hosts National Writing Project’s The Write Time. 

Bryan explains his process and directions for writing, which you can read more about here.

He shares his process and the directions by inspiring us to write about our homes and places we’ve lived. I’m not thinking past today – I’m thinking future.

Person driving a vehicle on a curved road next to a lake with snow-capped mountains and pine trees
Driving through stunning mountains alongside a clear blue lake on a sunny day

My Open Road Retirement Home

a teardrop

a fifth-wheel

a bumper pull

no tent

no yurt

no fort in a tree

a camper van ~

Class A, B, or C

anywhere I can take to the road

most any RV will do for me

but with this old back and

collapsible knees

no tearjerkers for me, please

a full tank of gas

a State Park Pass

dogs by my side, ready to ride

(husband can come, too, if he’d like)

pens to write and books to read

and that is all I’ll ever need

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VerseLove Day 23 with Barb Edler of Iowa – Things to Do: Write a Poem

Our host today for the 23rd day of VerseLove 2025 is Barb Edler of Iowa. You can read Barb’s full prompt here. Today, she inspires us to create list poems.

Things You Might See in FDR State Park in Georgia on a Springtime Weekend

a trio of Segwayers gliding over the Delanor Lake bridge

a pair of kayakers paddling in the late morning sunshine

a young barefoot boy running up a hill with a shovelful of something to dump in his bucket

a family fishing off the dock

a couple on bikes, one pulling a child seat, with a Collie running between them

a man paddling a jon boat with a woman fishing off the back

a lone female with worn boots and a tent backpack and hiking poles entering a trailhead

two squirrels flipping through the hardwood canopy like Cirque du Soleil gymnasts

a hammock strung between two trees with a reader flipping pages

a Brown Thrasher, the State Bird, breakfasting on worms on the mountaintop

a Magnolia tree with shiny leaves reflecting the sunlight like mirrors

campers and tents of every size and color nestled beneath the trees along the lake

a wooden footbridge with a mysterious cave entrance….a possum’s cottage?

a group of kids circling a table, working on a camp craft

me, raising a Mason jar of sweet tea, offering you a chair

come sit with me and watch the happy world for a while!