Enjoy some birthday cake with me.
It’s Day 22 of our 2016 daily write-in. This year’s theme is FOUND OBJECTS. We have a new writing prompt for every day in February.
For those of you who are new to my blog, please read my introductory post about the February daily write-in. You’ll find more information and all of the Week 4 FOUND OBJECTS at this post.
PLEASE NOTE: This year, a few friendly bloggers have volunteered to host a day or two. Tomorrow’s post, which is DAY 23, will be at Jan Godown Annino’s blog, Bookseed Studio. Leave your Day 23 responses here, in the comments, or you can leave them at Jan’s blog. We will both make sure your poems get posted.
FOUND: STICK INSECT
Thanks to Poetry Friday blogger Buffy Silverman for finding this handsome master of camouflage for us today.
Mary Lee Hahn is looking at the symbiotic relationship between creature and tree.
Partners
You can’t see me.
I’m not here.
I freeze.
I blend.
I pose.
Glance away, then.
Lose attention.
I’m gone.
Gone where?
Tree knows.
©Mary Lee Hahn, 2016
Check out Mary Lee’s post here: http://www.maryleehahn.com/2016/02/found-object-poem-project-partners.html
***
Remember when we wrote about moth eggs, all the way back during week one? Donna Smith’s poem reminded me of that prompt.
ONE With the Tree
I freeze on the tree
I am ONE with the tree
I AM the tree
To act like a tree
One must BE the tree
When I am the TREE
You don’t see me
I am the perfect
Camouflagee
Even my eggs like free-
Falling seeds
Drop from me
When I am
The tree
I AM the perfect
Camouflagee
Or am I
The tree?
©2016, Donna JT Smith, all rights reserved
***
Carol Varsalona is backtracking and catching up on prompts (something I need to do also). You can find her Day 22, Day 21, and Day 1 poems at http://beyondliteracylink.blogspot.com/2016/02/daily-writing-workout.html.
hidden on a tree
game playing with predators
camouflage ante
©CVarsalona, 2016
***
I’m going to attempt some formatting with Jessica Bigi’s poem. I like how the form resembles our stick insect.
Walking Stick
By Jessica Bigi
One
Two
Three
Pick
Up
Sticks
Walking
On stilts
Eating
French-fried
Sticks
Making
Silly
Pictures
Out of
Pretzel
Sticks
Laughing
Out loud
At the
Funniest
Stick
I have see
Walking on
Stick legs
Up our
Apple
Tree
***
Here’s a wonderful portrait poem from Diane Mayr.
Gran Called Her, “My Walking Stick.”
By Diane Mayr
Afraid to ask why,
she pondered its
meaning in relation
to herself–did Gran
think she was skinny
like a stick insect?
Did she move slowly,
stiffly, awkwardly?
Was her complexion a
bit on the green side?
On a summer’s noon
Gran put a hand on
on the young girl’s
shoulder, “Let’s go
into lunch, My Walking
Stick.” She leaned into
the child who guided
her, while the girl
thought only of her
elbows and knees.
***
Another haiku from Charles Waters, this one focusing on the texture of the tree.
Tree Bark
By Charles Waters
tree bark follicles
peel away, fall like snowflakes
on frosted earth.
***
It’s interesting that many of us wrote today about what the insect is doing, the act of camouflage. Jone MacCulloch has a poem on this topic.
Camouflage
inconspicuous
tree bark
veiled twig
feigning death
until
the predator
vanishes
© 2016 Jone Rush MacCulloch all rights reserved
***
Linda Baie turned her response into a little love poem.
Unrequited
At this time it’s trying hard
to find a proper mate.
Crawling slowly up a tree,
it spies a winsome date.
But brownish gray, tall, thin and rough
tree twigs tend to trick
the hidden branching insect
we call the walking stick.
Linda Baie ©All Rights Reserved
DAY 23 FOUND OBJECT PROMPT (February 23 at Bookseed Studio)
Reminder: Tomorrow, we’ll be spending Day 23 at Jan Godown Annino’s blog, Bookseed Studio.
Interested in what we’ve written so far? Here are links to this week’s poems:
Sunday, February 21
FOUND OBJECT: Antique Sewing Machine
Poems by: Diane Mayr, Linda Baie, Jone Rush MacCulloch, Jessica Bigi, Matt Forrest Esenwine, Donna Smith, Carol Varsalona.
Note: You will find links to all of the Week 1, 2, and 3 poems at this post.
Happy Birthday, dear Lady!
We’re off to a good start this week!
Here are today’s and tomorrow’s offerings:
Day 22
Gran Called Her, “My Walking Stick.”
Afraid to ask why,
she pondered its
meaning in relation
to herself–did Gran
think she was skinny
like a stick insect?
Did she move slowly,
stiffly, awkwardly?
Was her complexion a
bit on the green side?
On a summer’s noon
Gran put a hand on
on the young girl’s
shoulder, “Let’s go
into lunch, My Walking
Stick.” She leaned into
the child who guided
her, while the girl
thought only of her
elbows and knees.
Day 23
Practical Considerations
I had rather be shut up in a very modest cottage with my books, my family and a few old friends, dining on simple bacon… Thomas Jefferson, letter to Alexander Donald (1788)
Knowledge of space
is one thing, physical
space is another.
How do you arrange
six thousand four hundred
eighty-seven books to
make them both accessible
and usable? Alphabetically?
Chronologically? By subject?
Our well-read, yet practical,
third president chose
to shelve them by size.
Read more about Jefferson’s library and his donation to the Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/jefferson/jefflib.html
The Jefferson quote I attempted to put in italics. It obviously didn’t work, so, if you could put it in quotes (or italics), I would appreciate it. Quote is “I had rather be shut up in a very modest cottage with my books, my family and a few old friends, dining on simple bacon.”
Sounds like a little bit of heaven to me!
And it’s topped off with bacon! As my boss likes to say, “everything is better with bacon.”
Day 23
In Excess
The elementary school lost and found:
a regurgitation of hats,
mismatched gloves,
jackets thrown off and left behind
after a warmish winter recess.
Is this where it all starts?
Is this what leads to
eternal cereal aisles in the grocery store,
suburban sprawl,
and industrial laundry bins full of unread manuscripts?
Is this the price we pay
for wanting more out of life
rather than living in satisfaction with
enough?
©Mary Lee Hahn, 2016
http://www.maryleehahn.com/2016/02/found-object-poem-project-in-excess.html
Excess and entitlement–it will be our downfall.
Day 23 poem by Jessica bigi
S
T
O
C
K
Palls
O
F
Letters
S
T
O
R
E
D
In
A
L
P
H
A
B
E
I
T
I
C
A
L
Order
O
U
R
Life’s
S
T
O
R
I
E
S
I hope you had a great birthday, Laura, and were busy. I think you missed my poem posted yesterday for Day 22. Here it is again:
Day 22
Unrequited
At this time it’s trying hard
to find a proper mate.
Crawling slowly up a tree,
it spies a winsome date.
But brownish gray, tall, thin and rough
tree twigs tend to trick
the hidden branching insect
we call the walking stick.
Linda Baie ©All Rights Reserved
Thanks, Linda. I’ve got it now. Sorry about that.
Hope it’s been a great day. Here’s mine:
Camouflage
inconspicuous
tree bark
veiled twig
feigning death
until
the predator
vanishes
© 2016 Jone Rush MacCulloch all rights reserved
I hope you had a wonderful birthday, Laura.
Thanks, Carol!
Hope your birthday was great. Here’s my belated Day 22 poem:
Camouflage
inconspicuous
tree bark
veiled twig
feigning death
until
the predator
vanishes
© 2016 Jone Rush MacCulloch all rights reserved
Also on my blog.
[…] Monday, February 22 FOUND OBJECT: Stick Insect Poems by: Mary Lee Hahn, Donna Smith, Carol Varsalona, Jessica Bigi, Charles Watesr, Jone Rush MacCulloch, Linda Baie, Diane Mayr. […]
[…] Monday, February 22 FOUND OBJECT: Stick Insect Poems by: Mary Lee Hahn, Donna Smith, Carol Varsalona, Jessica Bigi, Charles Watesr, Jone Rush MacCulloch, Linda Baie, Diane Mayr. […]
[…] Monday, February 22 FOUND OBJECT: Stick Insect Poems by: Mary Lee Hahn, Donna Smith, Carol Varsalona, Jessica Bigi, Charles Watesr, Jone Rush MacCulloch, Linda Baie, Diane Mayr. […]
[…] Monday, February 22 FOUND OBJECT: Stick Insect Poems by: Mary Lee Hahn, Donna Smith, Carol Varsalona, Jessica Bigi, Charles Watesr, Jone Rush MacCulloch, Linda Baie, Diane Mayr. […]