Flowers [15 words or less poems]

Photo: Laura Purdie Salas

Wake up your poetry brains with 15 Words or Less (guidelines here)!

15WOLs

I love taking close-up pics with my phone. Just ordered a little macro lens–can’t wait to try it. Maybe I’ll be able to do non-blurry close-ups! This image makes me think of:

1) Easter
2) fairy princess dolls or My Little Pony dolls (with purple curly hair)
3) parade floats

And here’s my?first draft. An angry girl, decorating a parade float, came into my head:

 

What’s SHE Doing Here?

I jabbed crepe paper flowers

into chicken wire,

pictured the float

in a funeral pyre parade

–Laura Purdie Salas, all rights reserved

 

Now it’s your turn! Have fun and stick to 15 WORDS OR LESS!??(Title doesn’t count toward word count:>)??

 

 

 

158 Responses

    1. I had to look up heliotrope. What a great flower word! Love amethyst. Your word choices wake up my mouth (and my mind) this morning.

    2. I was just writing about heliotropic flowers a few weeks ago for something! Love these strong words. Sea, heliotrope, storm, amethyst, streaks, sunlight, eye–THIS is concrete, vivid writing.

    1. I had to look up heliotrope. What a great flower word! Love amethyst. Your word choices wake up my mouth (and my mind) this morning.

    2. I was just writing about heliotropic flowers a few weeks ago for something! Love these strong words. Sea, heliotrope, storm, amethyst, streaks, sunlight, eye–THIS is concrete, vivid writing.

    1. Lovely, Donna. I’ve written a few different poems about that inability to breathe back in a word. Love your “Blue streams.”

    1. Lovely, Donna. I’ve written a few different poems about that inability to breathe back in a word. Love your “Blue streams.”

  1. April
    rains
    violet
    dragon
    kites
    topple
    streets
    dance
    A
    dance
    of
    raindrops
    dreams

    Poem By Jessica Bigi

  2. April
    rains
    violet
    dragon
    kites
    topple
    streets
    dance
    A
    dance
    of
    raindrops
    dreams

    Poem By Jessica Bigi

  3. I laughed that the image made you think of pomping floats for homecoming.

    Iris Eyes

    Bright yellow bursts
    streak across
    purple waves
    daring me
    to ride.

    1. Wonderful language, Margaret! (P.S. Did you see my plea for adjectives on Tuesday? Maybe your students would suggest 5 words for me?)

  4. I laughed that the image made you think of pomping floats for homecoming.

    Iris Eyes

    Bright yellow bursts
    streak across
    purple waves
    daring me
    to ride.

    1. Wonderful language, Margaret! (P.S. Did you see my plea for adjectives on Tuesday? Maybe your students would suggest 5 words for me?)

  5. Laura,
    Although these aren’t roses, your brainstorming made me think of the Rose Parade.

  6. Laura,
    Although these aren’t roses, your brainstorming made me think of the Rose Parade.

  7. Your picture is gorgeous! I love how your poem seethes with that poor girls pain. Here’s mine, with the recent winter storm fresh in mind.

    Under a white blanket,
    sleeping bulbs
    dream in color.

    1. Ellie, how fitting. I feel so for all in the path of the storm, apparently with another (milder?) one on its way. Beautiful image.

    2. Thanks, ellie. Oh, what great contrast between the first and third line. I love the idea of dreaming bulbs…

  8. Your picture is gorgeous! I love how your poem seethes with that poor girls pain. Here’s mine, with the recent winter storm fresh in mind.

    Under a white blanket,
    sleeping bulbs
    dream in color.

    1. Ellie, how fitting. I feel so for all in the path of the storm, apparently with another (milder?) one on its way. Beautiful image.

    2. Thanks, ellie. Oh, what great contrast between the first and third line. I love the idea of dreaming bulbs…

  9. Oh yes Laura — those infamous crepe paper flowers and streamers! Love the SHE and her visual. Maybe SHE was crowned homecoming queen.

    The Wedding at Sunset

    Lilacs and fireflies
    unite
    become one
    perfect place
    perfect time
    perfect life
    together forever.

  10. Oh yes Laura — those infamous crepe paper flowers and streamers! Love the SHE and her visual. Maybe SHE was crowned homecoming queen.

    The Wedding at Sunset

    Lilacs and fireflies
    unite
    become one
    perfect place
    perfect time
    perfect life
    together forever.

  11. Wow, the last line surprised, changed the flavor of what I was imagining. Great turning…

    The flowers? needs
    from buried seeds
    are strokes of sun
    on every one.
    Linda Baie ? All Rights Reserved

    1. Thanks, Linda–it surprised me, too, as I wrote it, so I went back and changed a word or two (jabbed and the title) to support that last line a little. “strokes of sun” = brilliant image!

  12. Wow, the last line surprised, changed the flavor of what I was imagining. Great turning…

    The flowers? needs
    from buried seeds
    are strokes of sun
    on every one.
    Linda Baie ? All Rights Reserved

    1. Thanks, Linda–it surprised me, too, as I wrote it, so I went back and changed a word or two (jabbed and the title) to support that last line a little. “strokes of sun” = brilliant image!

      1. Kate, I love your take on the picture. Spring and Daylight Savings Time. Bring them on.

      1. Kate, I love your take on the picture. Spring and Daylight Savings Time. Bring them on.

    1. Love your “purple tribe” and the energy of blasts, dynamite, trumpets and thunder.

    1. Love your “purple tribe” and the energy of blasts, dynamite, trumpets and thunder.

  13. By Any Other Name

    Fleur-de-lis
    Is just an iris,
    Don?t you see,
    Dressed fancy
    For gay Paree

  14. By Any Other Name

    Fleur-de-lis
    Is just an iris,
    Don?t you see,
    Dressed fancy
    For gay Paree

  15. Bed of Iris

    Summer?s raging purple choir
    sings with tongues of blazing fire
    tempting bees to heed desire.

    1. This is amazing — every line and your rhyme. Love the purple choir and tongues of blazing fire. Fantastic images!

    2. Oh, my! This. Is. Wonderful. raging-blazing-desire-tempting Such great word choices!

  16. Bed of Iris

    Summer?s raging purple choir
    sings with tongues of blazing fire
    tempting bees to heed desire.

    1. This is amazing — every line and your rhyme. Love the purple choir and tongues of blazing fire. Fantastic images!

    2. Oh, my! This. Is. Wonderful. raging-blazing-desire-tempting Such great word choices!

  17. WRONG CHOICE

    Tongues bright yellow-
    what’d they eat?
    Lemon Ice cream?!?
    Won’t repeat!

    1. Hehe–a nice play on the purple/blue tongues we get from eating too much Icee or frosting (not that I would know from personal experience, of course!).

  18. WRONG CHOICE

    Tongues bright yellow-
    what’d they eat?
    Lemon Ice cream?!?
    Won’t repeat!

    1. Hehe–a nice play on the purple/blue tongues we get from eating too much Icee or frosting (not that I would know from personal experience, of course!).

    1. And this sounds Irish to me! I don’t know if it’s just because Iris is close, but it really feels like that rhythm of that last line is Irish somehow. (Of course, I have Ireland on the brain lately because I’m going there later in the year!)

    1. And this sounds Irish to me! I don’t know if it’s just because Iris is close, but it really feels like that rhythm of that last line is Irish somehow. (Of course, I have Ireland on the brain lately because I’m going there later in the year!)

  19. PURPLE HAZE

    Candle, candle
    burning bright.
    Illumine, Illumine
    violet haze of night.

    Ellen Vojnovic

  20. PURPLE HAZE

    Candle, candle
    burning bright.
    Illumine, Illumine
    violet haze of night.

    Ellen Vojnovic

  21. Appointment

    The prescription
    “Nature”
    I opened my mouth and said,
    “Ah”

    1. You nailed it! The flowers were breath taking.…“ah”…and just what the doctor ordered!

  22. Appointment

    The prescription
    “Nature”
    I opened my mouth and said,
    “Ah”

    1. You nailed it! The flowers were breath taking.…“ah”…and just what the doctor ordered!

    1. Love the alliteration here. And the way those first two line have effort, and then that third line is so relaxed and easy; the work is done, now just enjoy the beauty!

    1. Love the alliteration here. And the way those first two line have effort, and then that third line is so relaxed and easy; the work is done, now just enjoy the beauty!

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