Leaf Necklace [15 Words or Less Poems]

Welcome to 15 Words or Less Poems Day! Are you ready to wake up your poetry brains with our weekly exercise (guidelines here)?

OK, hopefully I’ve finally got it right this week!

This is a picture of a gift given to me by Kim Doele, a 3rd-grade teacher at Wealthy Elementary. She was hugely instrumental in getting me to Wealthy, and seeing the poetry magic she has created at that school was amazing. She gave me this delightful ceramic leaf necklace (which I think the school’s art teacher made–I wonder if she has an Etsy shop…). 

Necklace from Kim Doele
Photo: Laura P. Salas

This image makes me think of:

  1. leaf skeletons that I occasionally find at the end of a dry autumn
  2. a creature’s tracks in the snow
  3. the lovely scratchboard art (by Beth Krommes) I was looking at yesterday for Joyce Sidman’s next book, Before Morning

And, here’s my first draft, which ended up being about none of the above, but about the way people (real or in books) leave their imprint on us.

even after my friend left

 

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

32 Responses

  1. Wow, this is was a challenging exercise! Thanks for sharing!

    Small Dog Finds A Home

    Pavement is hot
    cold
    hard,
    movement.
    Curled by her hip,
    None of these.

      1. I know the connection’s not obvious, but my when I think of my small rescue dog’s life on the streets, I always picture him as a drifting leaf.

  2. Lovely emotional landscape, Laura.
    I am a terrible cheat today — Sorry! Guess those annoying Valentine’s ads are still stuck in my head.

    neither gold nor diamonds
    bought because
    the-TV-says-you-must
    can equal
    a plain gift
    from the heart

  3. “Dotted my heart’s landscape” is a beautiful metaphor.

    Leaf Fall

    One leaf fell
    on my path
    Curled and flipped
    like a cat
    saying
    “Pet me.”

  4. Good morning all. A lovely work of art Laura. Your “leaf skeleton” triggered my verse.

    Survivor

    Autumn’s last leaf
    molded
    emboldened
    gilded
    heart-warmed
    heirloom
    for generations.

    1. Love all those wonderful ‑ed words you chose, Martha! Esp the sounds of molded and emboldened.

  5. I was struck by the perfection and beauty of the leaf’s imprint, and then realized that part of its beauty lay in the fact that it was not perfect. Is anyone or anything on earth perfect? A Haiku for an imperfect leaf:

    Perfect Beauty

    In imperfection
    A perfect beauty abides
    Drawing us inward

    ©Donna JT Smith

  6. Preservation

    One perfect leaf
    Placed in center of family Bible
    By little hands, words not understood.

  7. Marked With a I

    I
    Have
    Written
    A
    Million
    Leaves
    Warhol
    Wind
    Of
    Colorful
    Poems
    Circling
    October’s
    Skies

    What a beautiful gift to be given thanks for sharing this experience with us Laura 🙂

  8. What a lovely gift! I stole my title from your description of the teacher you met (and wrote what I imagine the impact of your visit was on the lucky students you met.)

    Poetry Magic

    Her words touch hearts
    with impressions that linger
    like fallen leaves
    turned to stone.

    1. Oh, this is beautiful, Buffy. As teachers or writers or poetry sharers…we have such power to make an impact, and we don’t even realize it much of the time!

    1. I love how you use the specifics of the leaf’s circulatory system to talk about your heart. Beauteous!

  9. Laura, loved the picture of friendship your words painted in my mind.

    THE LUCKY LEAF

    Caught in its prime,
    framed for all time.
    What a close call-
    escaped its downfall.

  10. A leaf should be
    Completely free
    No immersed in clay
    Please set me free

    Expediently !

    Anne McKenna

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