Black Forest Face [15 Words or Less]

Hello, and welcome! This is 15 Words or Less Poems, a low-pressure way to wake up your poetry brain (guidelines here), and I’m very glad you’re here. 

Black Forest Face
Photo: Laura P. Salas

This guy, which we bought at the first Renaissance Festival we ever went to, shortly after moving up here to Minnesota 27 years ago, was boxed up in our basement for a long time. Now it’s one of the few things on our walls!

This image makes me think of several things:

  1. Gandalf
  2. the totally foreign-to-me art of carving/whittling/sculpting
  3. how scary it would be to come across this in an empty forest, carved on a tree!

And here’s my first draft. Since this forest man is on my wall right near where I do most of my writing, I  imagined a writer feeling very unconfident, sitting there with art made from a tree (as paper is made from a tree). It gave me a chuckle, so I put it into a poem.

tree spirits 15wol

It’s your turn! Have fun and stick to 15 WORDS OR LESS! (Title doesn’t count toward word count.)

PLEASE NOTE: I’m on school visits and won’t be able to respond to your poems, but I will read every one!

 

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25 Responses

  1. Ha Ha! You made me look at the calendar! Thought I’d missed a day- but you’re just staying a step ahead.

    SUMMERTIME PROBLEM

    So hot-

    I felt
    that I would melt.

    Turn AC on
    before I’m gone!

    1. Cindy, that is exactly how I feel every summer! And I pubbed this post on wrong day! It will reappear (and so will your comment) tomorrow. Sorry!

  2. In every tree
    lives a spirit
    waving
    holding
    protecting
    giving its breath to air.

    1. Love this feeling of generosity, Margaret. And I pubbed this post on wrong day! It will reappear (and so will your comment) tomorrow. Sorry!

  3. What a beautiful sculpture. I’ve never tried carving beyond a block of ivory soap decades ago. I like the wry humor in the question at the end.

    Cindy, you make me giggle.…please don’t forget the AC for that guy!

    Margaret, I agree with Laura’s word generosity.…your tree gives freely. Lovely.

    Linger
    in this wood.
    Amber ages
    memory–
    pages of
    our book

    Remember,
    remember.

  4. Good morning. Double postings and repurposing Renaissance man makes for a sense of deja vu! Enjoy your school visits Laura.

    HE
    was
    an attraction
    whatever his use
    he is now, for sure,
    Laura’s muse.

    1. Sorry 15 WOL. My fingers got ahead of my brain and my verse posted as anonymous. I’ll try again! Anyway, I’m still Martha!

  5. Just having fun with this and the sideways flowing grain. (You know I write a note at the beginning of these posts so my poem will show up nice and straight instead of bent around the photo image circle!)

    wind of the wood
    blowing wood
    forest music
    woodwind

    —Kate Coombs

    1. Kate, love all of the intertwining with words; woodwind performing a forest musical.

  6. I love the pic today and your poem

    poem By Jessica Bigi

    Father Time

    Flaming leaves

    On earth’s

    Birthday cake

    His holing breaths

    Wind makes one wish

  7. I love the pic today and your poem

    poem By Jessica Bigi

    Father Time

    Flaming leaves

    On earth’s

    Birthday cake

    His howling breaths

    Wind makes one wish

  8. Your poem made me laugh, Laura. The colors of your forest man reminded me of petrified wood.

    Petrified?

    Wood that I could
    read your expression,
    but it seems
    set in stone.

  9. Just realized what was missing from my Thursday! Your poem made me laugh, Laura.

    Underground Philosopher

    Chipmunk regards tree’s wooden stare,
    retreats to earthen hole,
    ponders the root of the problem.

    1. Your title sets the scene, then your last line made me laugh out loud. Who would have guessed today’s picture would lead to humor.

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