Photo: Laura Salas
Wake up your poetry brains with 15 Words or Less (guidelines here)!
Look at what Patty,?my sister visiting from Fla., spotted as we walked Captain Jack (who totally ignored it). Here’s what this turtle makes me think of:
1)?moving boxes (which they don’t have to go get from grocery stores)
2)?room cleaning (which would be the easiest job ever for them)
3) a reptile knight with bony armor
And here’s my?first draft.
Turtle Jousting
We gallop fearlessly
s?? l? ?o? ?w? ?l?? y
on?waterlogged log,
weedy lances hoisted
relying on bony armor’s
protection
–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:>)?
96 Responses
Laura I like your poem and this pic I have a poem I wrote about sea turtles glad your having a visit with your sister
Turtle Sadeb
S
l
o
W
D
O
W
N
Stop
C
a
N
S
o
M
O
N
E
Tall me where is
H
o
m
e
I love the idea of the turtle looking for its home and not thinking of its shell that way.
I like how reading vertically forces us to read more slowly. I’m a turtle!
Laura I like your poem and this pic I have a poem I wrote about sea turtles glad your having a visit with your sister
Turtle Sadeb
S
l
o
W
D
O
W
N
Stop
C
a
N
S
o
M
O
N
E
Tall me where is
H
o
m
e
I love the idea of the turtle looking for its home and not thinking of its shell that way.
I like how reading vertically forces us to read more slowly. I’m a turtle!
Sed
Sed
Badge of Honor
Barren land
camouflages
helmet
of fallen hero:
rest in peace
may your soul soar.
Martha, this is so eloquent. Paints a vivid image in my mind of that fallen soldier’s helmet left behind. Beautiful and sad.
Badge of Honor
Barren land
camouflages
helmet
of fallen hero:
rest in peace
may your soul soar.
Martha, this is so eloquent. Paints a vivid image in my mind of that fallen soldier’s helmet left behind. Beautiful and sad.
spring again
a gravid turtle in its
singlemindedness
Diane Mayr, all rights reserved
They are single-minded when laying eggs–love the word gravid.
I love how the one descriptor “gravid” informs every other word in your poem!
spring again
a gravid turtle in its
singlemindedness
Diane Mayr, all rights reserved
They are single-minded when laying eggs–love the word gravid.
I love how the one descriptor “gravid” informs every other word in your poem!
Laura, what poetic fun one can have with the little and not-so-little turtles. Whether marching to the sea after hatching or sunning themselves on a lazy summer day, or trying desperately to remove themselves from harms way, they prompt our attention. I took your “reptile knight” in a different direction. July 4th approaches!
Laura, what poetic fun one can have with the little and not-so-little turtles. Whether marching to the sea after hatching or sunning themselves on a lazy summer day, or trying desperately to remove themselves from harms way, they prompt our attention. I took your “reptile knight” in a different direction. July 4th approaches!
Small boat, ark
of kindness, saving
the green soul
of one small turtle.
?Kate Coombs
Love “ark of kindness” and “green soul.” We seem to understand the turtle.
I think that is beautiful also
I love single-mindedness.
I really like your line breaks and how “the green soul” sits on a line by itself.
“ark of kindness” + “green soul” = swoon!
Lovely–especially that ark/of kindness and the repeated smalls.
Small boat, ark
of kindness, saving
the green soul
of one small turtle.
?Kate Coombs
Love “ark of kindness” and “green soul.” We seem to understand the turtle.
I think that is beautiful also
I love single-mindedness.
I really like your line breaks and how “the green soul” sits on a line by itself.
“ark of kindness” + “green soul” = swoon!
Lovely–especially that ark/of kindness and the repeated smalls.
Turtle’s Request
Please, dear friend,
don?t knock on my door?
it rattles my house
from the roof to the floor!
(Sorry I went over.)
I bet our friend fell.this this way when we tall the sad news this is wonderful
Love the way you’ve extended the house metaphor with specifics–rattling door, roof, floor. Very nice!
I’m picturing the cutest little sign gently stuck on the turtle’s shell:>)
Turtle’s Request
Please, dear friend,
don?t knock on my door?
it rattles my house
from the roof to the floor!
(Sorry I went over.)
I bet our friend fell.this this way when we tall the sad news this is wonderful
Love the way you’ve extended the house metaphor with specifics–rattling door, roof, floor. Very nice!
I’m picturing the cutest little sign gently stuck on the turtle’s shell:>)
Hiding inside,
I am a stone.
Can you feel my heart beating?
–Margaret Simon
I love the last line
We had similar thoughts, Margaret–I like the heart in yours!
Awww, wonderful contrast between stone and beating heart. Marvelous!
Hiding inside,
I am a stone.
Can you feel my heart beating?
–Margaret Simon
I love the last line
We had similar thoughts, Margaret–I like the heart in yours!
Awww, wonderful contrast between stone and beating heart. Marvelous!
I like your poem, Laura — especially the way you wrote the word slowly.
Now Captain Jack may not have noticed that turtle, but I bet the turtle noticed him.
Myrtle the turtle
likes to hide.
Whenever scared
she slips inside,
especially when seeing
DOG!
I love this I wrote a story about a turtle named Myrtle for a story time I cut the pic out of colored pare
Ha! Yes, the turtle was probably much more observant than my dog–so true. I love the short, all caps last line!
I like your poem, Laura — especially the way you wrote the word slowly.
Now Captain Jack may not have noticed that turtle, but I bet the turtle noticed him.
Myrtle the turtle
likes to hide.
Whenever scared
she slips inside,
especially when seeing
DOG!
I love this I wrote a story about a turtle named Myrtle for a story time I cut the pic out of colored pare
Ha! Yes, the turtle was probably much more observant than my dog–so true. I love the short, all caps last line!
Please go to:
http://thevibrantchanneledcreator.wordpress.com/2014/06/12/a‑vision-of-father/
for my poem and your photo.
My 37 year old son saw his father in a frog who manifested itself soon after his Dad passed away.
Jeanne Poland
Love the final line on your poem–makes the turtle, who we usually just see as quiet and slow, fierce and protective, too.
Please go to:
http://thevibrantchanneledcreator.wordpress.com/2014/06/12/a‑vision-of-father/
for my poem and your photo.
My 37 year old son saw his father in a frog who manifested itself soon after his Dad passed away.
Jeanne Poland
Love the final line on your poem–makes the turtle, who we usually just see as quiet and slow, fierce and protective, too.
Patient Warriors
He stares down prey,
deliberating time, like a ninja
then SNAPS–
hunting strawberries
in June.
Ha! I had no idea snapping turtles ate strawberries, until your poem inspired to me do a bit of research. Great contrast!
we have a turtle. His favorite food is red food or as close to red as possible, so he eats a lot of strawberries, melon and cat food. He also loves earthworms, despite their lack of color.
Well, who can resist an earthworm?
Your replies deserve to be published!
“Who can resist an earthworm?”
Jeanne Poland
:>)
Patient Warriors
He stares down prey,
deliberating time, like a ninja
then SNAPS–
hunting strawberries
in June.
Ha! I had no idea snapping turtles ate strawberries, until your poem inspired to me do a bit of research. Great contrast!
we have a turtle. His favorite food is red food or as close to red as possible, so he eats a lot of strawberries, melon and cat food. He also loves earthworms, despite their lack of color.
Well, who can resist an earthworm?
Your replies deserve to be published!
“Who can resist an earthworm?”
Jeanne Poland
:>)
I have two to offer today. Just this weekend I saw a large turtle crossing the road to higher, drier ground; and when I came back that way, she was returning marsh side.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Why did turtle cross the road?
To lay eggs sunny side
up in the sand.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Smug grin on her face
For Rabbit disgrace -
Losing the race
To Turtle’s slow pace.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I rely like the first one
Oh, I love those eggs sunny-side up!
I have two to offer today. Just this weekend I saw a large turtle crossing the road to higher, drier ground; and when I came back that way, she was returning marsh side.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Why did turtle cross the road?
To lay eggs sunny side
up in the sand.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Smug grin on her face
For Rabbit disgrace -
Losing the race
To Turtle’s slow pace.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I rely like the first one
Oh, I love those eggs sunny-side up!
relocating would be
hell
if I didn’t have my
shell
Ha! Love this one.
Wouldn’t life be simpler if we didn’t have so many possessions to drag around? Love this.
relocating would be
hell
if I didn’t have my
shell
Ha! Love this one.
Wouldn’t life be simpler if we didn’t have so many possessions to drag around? Love this.
Peering from my shell,
convictions concealed,
do I dare unfold
or stay a silent
stone?
Do I dare unfold? Brilliant!
Peering from my shell,
convictions concealed,
do I dare unfold
or stay a silent
stone?
Do I dare unfold? Brilliant!
Some good ones here, esp. yours & Buffy’s! Here’s mine. It took me longer to edit it down to 15 words than it took the write it!
The Animal Race
Animals raced
just out of town.
Turtle tried keeping up
while snail shouted, ?Slow down!?
- ? 2014, Matt Forrest Esenwine
Some good ones here, esp. yours & Buffy’s! Here’s mine. It took me longer to edit it down to 15 words than it took the write it!
The Animal Race
Animals raced
just out of town.
Turtle tried keeping up
while snail shouted, ?Slow down!?
- ? 2014, Matt Forrest Esenwine
So glad to see the prompt today. It made me edit an idea from a while back!
Enjoyed the poems today!
Turtle Opposite
Turtle-one who can?t excel
at sticking out his neck for staying in his shell.
So glad to see the prompt today. It made me edit an idea from a while back!
Enjoyed the poems today!
Turtle Opposite
Turtle-one who can?t excel
at sticking out his neck for staying in his shell.
Photo Finish
Your shell is
like a satellite
snapshot,
slowly
orbiting an ideal earth
of green goodness.
I love that comparison and the green goodness of earth. Lovely!
Photo Finish
Your shell is
like a satellite
snapshot,
slowly
orbiting an ideal earth
of green goodness.
I love that comparison and the green goodness of earth. Lovely!