My “Playing with Poetry” workshop participants are playing around with ekphrastic poetry this week. We shared images with one another for inspiration — paintings, photographs, wood block prints, etc… Some of you here know me well enough to know that I leapt (bad pun intended) at the chance to write to the vernal pool photograph taken and shared by participant Marilyn Miner.
Pondering where to go with it, several influences came into play. The first was that we have had record amounts of rain here in New England this summer, giving vernal pools a much longer active season that usual. The second was that I’ve been reading Natalie Goldberg’s Three Simple Lines: A Writer’s Pilgrimage into the Heart and Homeland of Haiku. I love knowing that the haiku masters often ignored what we now consider the standard 5/7/5 format and were pithy and humorous. And lastly, we will soon begin a week in a vacation rental, which has me pondering the busyness of changeover day process.
Many thanks to this week’s hostess, Molly, for hosting this week and keeping the glass half full in regards to the progression of summer. (Anyone else live with someone who proclaims “Summer’s over!” each and every Fourth of July? Honestly!) Add porch rocker to the list for me, Molly! That’s where you’ll find me morning, noon, and night, reading, dozing, writing, and listening to my “every day birds” and the Assabet River rolling by. You can find Molly’s roundup on her blog, Nix the Comfort Zone. Thanks for hosting, Molly.
Wondering and Wandering 
We are soaking to the bone down south. As I write this, yet another shower is pounding outside. Great image and summer-slow-down poem to go with it.
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Lots of rain here in Ohio, too. (Including showers that just ended…) Thank goodness we don’t have it as bad as they do in Germany right now. The devastation there is horrifying. Be thankful for small delays and soggy sneakers.
Thanks for the book recommendation. My TBR stack is teetering, but I put it on my “for later” library “shelf.”
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Christie, it is good to hear that you are enjoying your workshop presentations and filling your day with reading, writing, and just being in the moment. It is so hot here and a good downpour would make sense to my gardens. The other day, clouds threatened, thunder cried out, and a very, very short rainstorm landed. When I went outside, I could not believe that no water was noted because the heat dried up everything. There’s a poem in there some place.
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Love your Haiku! I’ll definitely have to try my hand at a few.
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I love your haiku. Isn’t it rather freeing to leave behind the 5-7-5 that was instilled in us. I need that book to add to my haiku collection.
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I look forward to seeing how Walden looks this fall. Thank you for the book recommendation!
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I’m glad you could use my photo for your inspiration! I hope summer extends a good long time for all the tired teachers!
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I love picturing you on your rocker, enjoying the special rhythm of summer days. It’s pouring here as I write this and more rain is in the forecast. It looks like a lazy inside sort of day–or perhaps a motivated, cleaning, reorganizing one. We’ll see which way the drops fall. I love your haiku and thinking that vernal pools have had their sojourn extended a bit. Yay for silver linings, vernal pools and happy frogs! PS I’m also intrigued by the Goldberg book you mentioned.
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“Summer sojourn extended”—it’s what we all hope for! I hadn’t realized that about the vernal pools, but that makes total sense with all the rain here in the northeast. One of my favorite hiking spots is the greenest I’ve ever seen it. I’ll look for that Natalie Goldberg book. Thanks for the recommendation
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I hope you are enjoying a WONDERFUL vacation full of wonder and nature. I just know you are. I’m delighted to see you playing with words at a vernal pool. When does your collection come out? I’m ready!
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