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.
Photo by Laura P. Salas
My sister Patty has always been the artist in our family. She is crafty and artistic, though she hasn’t had much time for any creative outlets other than teaching in recent years. Lately, though, she’s been coloring. What I love is that she colors postcards and sends them out. So occasionally, among the junk mail and bills, I get a little piece of beauty and love in the mailbox! This image makes me think of several things:
- whale tattoos
- what a whale trapped on a piece of paper would think
- what if the sea were made of ink?
And here’s my first draft.
It’s your turn! Have fun and stick to 15 WORDS OR LESS! (Title doesn’t count toward word count.)
67 Responses
Laura, love the rollicking rhythm in your poem!
WRONG FIRST IMPRESSION
Intimidating,
big and blue
What’s inside?
WOW! Who knew?!
Glad I got to know you!
ha! Don’t judge a whale by it’s thick skin or it’s tattoos. Fun prompt today
Yes, love the figure out the inside is often very different from the outside.….makes me think of beautiful new lives, babies, so sweet and then what happens? Thinking of kids in situations where their lives are so troubled and tough and these beautiful babies, beautiful on the inside, change on the outside and then maybe some really do change on their insides (for a while) but I am like Anne Frank.…people are really good at heart. I keep thinking about that. Fun poem, important idea.
Cindy, love your verse. Hard not to love this big blue. Wow says it all.
Ha! That last line is fabulous, Cindy! So clever–and a whole change of scene and all the action implied by just that WOW!
LOL! Funny.….the harpoon tattoo and the octopus ink. I love a good challenge and this is one for me! I am so happy to be meeting my goal of completing 15 words or less for a month. It helps keep my mind off the “real” world which I find so disturbing lately. Hugs to all. Can’t wait to see your words.
Whales
sing
oceans
deep.
Navigating
sound
frequencies.
Calling
mates
as rain
beckons
light waves—
Rainbows
“…as rain beckons light waves..” Lovely!
Linda, I like your style (length) very much; the words shout depth, sounds and beauty.
I’m impressed with how you got four stanzas out of 15 words–amazing!
What a beautiful gift from your sister! I agree with Linda. This is a nice distraction.
The whale reflects
the sea.
purple waves,
color-filled playground,
life in harmony.
I like the sense of colors and calm in your poem.
So true Margaret. Even the little fish being ingested for food add to the harmony.
Love the use of “playground” here! So joyful:)
Channeling Raffi here…
Cetacean Dream Down by the Bay
No polka-dotted tail,
this fine whale
flourishes floral brocade
and curlicued waves
…until she wakes.
Oh how cute. This whale is styling, or wants to be.
To mbhmaine: Awesome!
I love Raffi, and this poem.
A harpoon tattoo in octopus ink–Love it, Laura!
Laura, what a beauty and what a gift. Your poem is perfect, but also a jumping off point for the rest of your “community.” When I saw the “line” from nose to tail, I immediately thought of the Russian nesting dolls, painted, varnished and ready to be gifted.
Nesting Whales
Lift my top
what do you see
a smaller mammal
just like me!
et cetera
Like Russian dolls — how fun. I believe you played on (et) cetera for Cetacea: scientific classification for whales, a wonderful leap for this picture.
Lauren, thank you for your kind comment but I’m afraid I can’t take credit for the word Cetacea, but I appreciate that bit of knowledge. My et cetera (etc.) was just to impart the fact that every time you lift a whale out, another one appears. My grandma would be proud; she instilled in us the need to learn one new thing every day of our life. You helped me fulfill that for this day!
I love this concept, which brings to mind food chains and the interconnectedness of life!
Your sister has an eye for color, Laura. I just love today’s picture and the rhythm of your last two lines. Fun to say out loud. For my poem, I had to be the whale.
Decked Out
Wearing my best
for the Krill-Fest.
Do you think
I’m overdressed?
This is great fun, Lauren. “The Krill-Fest” made me laugh out loud. Well done!
Thank you. I thought I had imagined it, but when I Googled for spelling, apparently Red Lobster has offered a krill fest at some point. I had already written my poem so I just went with it.
Lauren, love krill-fest and over-dressed.
Waving my whale tail here! LOVE this.
Thanks, Lauren. Love your fashion-timid whale!
What a fun poem!
Gorgeous image AND I love how you got octopus ink in there!
Seafood Platter
I was ambitious -
Though so delicious,
I’m too full of swishes
And tickles of fishes!
Perfect Donna. In hind sight I was wishing I had addressed the swishing fishies!
Donna–I love “tickles of fishes”!
This is so fun to read aloud. Delightful!
They say
esach fluke
has individuality
with my tatoos
I’m uniquely
ME.
Makes me think of every tattooed teen i know!
Poem By Jessica Bigi I love that your sister does this and this a beautiful card
Can’t You Just Imagine
Perhaps A wail
is A lullaby
why under the see
armfuls of waves
rocking us sleep
Me, too! Love this–whale songs are so beautiful!
Good morning everyone! Such great stuff today. I especially like “indelible, melanin/octopus ink,” the nesting whales, and “tickles of fishes.”
Whale
I’m a blue curl of waves,
an endless swirl of fish,
the ocean, engraved.
—Kate Coombs
Oh, that final line!
Oh! I LOVE this, Kate! You have such a way with metaphor.
Delightful. Love it and agree with Michelle and Laura. Yes, that last line.…ocean, engraved, brilliant.
Whale of a Difference
A Fabergé egg, dainty
But my belly’s so big
I belong in the sea
Great contrast!
That belly needs the “lift” from the ocean. And there is still plenty of room for Jonah.
An octopus-ink tattoo made me smile–very clever!
A Whale of a Journey
Sailing the sea
searching for krill,
a fishy flight
a swishy delight
a wave-riding thrill!
This makes me think of lyrics for a gorgeous Pixar whale movie:)
I really like this, Buffy. Kids would, too.
Can’t wait to read all the other poems. I was challenged by this but stuck with it since very early. I wanted to let my mind wander afield. I love the picture and what you did, Laura. I really would love to learn how you do the filter thing with photos. It is so “neat” and pretty!!!
Soup for Two
You brought the stone,
added love.
Chicken,
stock,
carrots,
corn.
Stirred, spiced.
Twice as nice !
I have to say I saw a whale-shaped salad bowl at first and then it lead me to stone soup. I didn’t realize it was a coloring piece and so creative on a postcard !! I tried to a sea-themed poem but alas got nothing I liked enough to share. Love all the cleverness in your poems. I am so glad I am keeping my oar in here at 15 WOL poetry!!!
Oh, this is lovely, Janet! Absolutely no need to limit yourself to a sea-themed poem. It’s wonderful to have you visiting regularly:)
Thanks for both, Laura. I love your harpoon tattooing with octopus ink, love the word play sound, too.….and I know it can go anywhere but I figured the others might truly wonder how on earth I ended up with soup!!!! Glad to be getting back to a place I really really like!!!
This has to be one of my all-time favorite photos. Swimming in a fantasy world. The rhythm in indelible melanin octopus ink is wonderful. The image prompted a batch of clever lovely poems.
Life in a Fishbowl
Swim in a bowl
of cloisonné colors
concocting a world
of joy and delight.
Thanks, Yvonne–yes, it’s a terrific batch today, isn’t it? I love all the /c/ sounds and the word “cloisonne”–which sounds just magical and also makes me think of cloister, then oyster, then the ocean!
That sister of yours is one snazzy “colorer!” Not sure how well this comment will keep my formatting, but I’ll give it a try.
Little fishies
follow the leader
s
l
i
p
down the slide
to the bowl
of my belly.
Nope. Didn’t keep the formatting… but you probably get the gist.
Ha! Love that slide. Hey…slip and slide:>) Very fun!
Michelle, I love that slip down the slide to the belly!!! Such a nice rhythm and fun poem kids would love to say!!
Very catchy poem, Laura.
Searching in the deep
For just the right colors
For my palette and for me.
What a lovely tribute to the creative process, Catherine!
Thanks!
I see how this so fits with your artistic journey, Catherine. So nice to meet up with you here again!! Have you ever been to the Great Barrier Reef? This poem made me think of it and all the gorgeous sea life.
Hi again Janet! That would be lovely, Janet. I haven’t been to the reef just some great aquariums.
Jonah sloshes inside,
Never guessing in the dark
The riot of color around
Him.
Oh, Annette, I like this! Makes me think about the beauty all around us that we’re constantly oblivious to. Lovely!
Love the idea of Jonah sloshing about in a beautiful spot!!!
Okay, that is really funny! And fun!
Being different
In a world of mundane
Quite impressive
I’d do it all again