With Spring starting this week, we want you to put the stale old thoughts away and put a fresh, bright new outlook in your poems. Spring is the season of rebirth and renewal. It is when the first blooms appear to make this world a little easier on the eyes. Write a “new” poem. Be it a Spring poem, a rebirth, renewal or fresh poem, the arrival of Spring is right on schedule. Spring Ahead!
Marie Elena’s Ummm … What the heck is this, anyway?
(Kate, this one’s for you!)
SPRING BUNNIES
I love Spring,
and bunnies too!
And bunny stew?
And bunnies too!
How cruel of you!
Of me??
Of you!
But, I love you!
I know you do!
But, bunny stew??
Yes, bunnies too.
What’s WRONG with you?!
What did I do?!
I thought that you
Loved bunnies, too
That’s true! I do!
I just TOLD you!
Told me?
Told you!
Now, let’s review:
I love Spring,
and bunnies, too.
SEE? BUNNY STEW!
How cruel of you!
*sigh*
Okay now, let’s start anew.
I love Spring,
And bunnies too…
That’s it! We’re through!
What did I do?!
(If I keep this up, my partner is going to kick me to the curb. 😉 )
WALT”S ODE TO THE EQUINOX:
‘TIS SPRING (The Bloomings of Our Souls)
‘Tis Spring, and our souls bloom with these words.
Budding brilliance planted deep within our hearts and minds.
Nurtured and tended with the awakenings of life.
A good life made more perfect by we gentle gardeners,
who encourage the growth of these gifts.
The growth of these friendships.
An eternal sunshine beams forth by the glowing of our gardener hearts.
This sunshine brightens our days
and illuminates our thoughts,
making our growth fertile,
and fruitful and productive.
Thoughts brought to light
like the first flowers of Spring
as they break the earth
and show their potential.
You as gardeners, care for me
and loosen the soil around me,
as I free your roots to branch out
and allow you to grow full of life.
Full of our verbal beauty.
And we give back to each other,
of the bloomings of our souls.
We are the gardeners.
We bloom brilliantly together.
POETIC BLOOMINGS 
Responses
Though Walt and I don’t make it a practice to comment on our poems here, I just have to add my “amen.” Beautiful, Walt.
Marie Elena
“We are the gardeners.
We bloom brilliantly together.”
Walt, your eloquent poem stirs magic and a smile from within. Thank you for your beautiful gift of words and friendship. 🙂
And you, Marie, my friend, burst forth with another strain of pure magic. Busting at the seams with smiles! Love those bunnies! 🙂
a bunny-bunny-bunny bunnyful woild
BARBARA! YOU’RE BACK! 😀 !
Marie Elena
Marie and Walt, before I left this morning I took a sneak-peek;) I read your poem to Victoria, Marie and we shared a good laugh!! Walt, I savored yours on my own. ‘An eternal sunshine beams forth by the glowing of our gardener hearts.’ this is only one of the lines that drew a soft o-o-o-h! from me as I read it. Simply beautiful. Once again you amaze us. Thank-you.
:)!
The “gardeners” are also you and Walt. And Marie, the bunny poem? I laughed my “tail” off, hee hee. Both wonderful in their own ways… Amy
Hear Hear! A beautiful sentiment, Walt, and perfect for spring & “Poetic Bloomings”! 🙂
Marie, your poem made me laugh and I could easily envision it as a children’s picture book — loved it! :-))
Marie and Walt, thank you, your poems brought sunshine to a cloudy morning!
Mine was not written for this prompt, I’ve had it for some time, but I think, it fits.
~ Gardening ~
Last year’s leaves, old worries
Are lifted off her chest,
I pile them up and burn them,
The flames are high.
She moves, awakening,
Stirring a thousand of fragrances
That make my head spin.
The cardinal on the gray fence
Is so bright, I have to shield my eyes.
Life is good.
I’ll echo that last lingering sentiment, Happy, “Life IS good!” Thank you for such a lovely poem this morning. Brightens my day, I especially enjoyed, “Last year’s leaves, old worries..” those sound so good together! Smiles!
Thank you Hannah, a very bright day to you!
Thank you!! 🙂
Excellent job, Happy. I wonder how many of us think of the planet as a person with moods, attitudes, likes and dislikes. You’ve captured much of that in this poem. Loved it.
Thank you very much for your comment, Claudsy!
The flames and that cardinal just lit up your poem. Lovely.
Thank you, Jane! We don’t have cardinals back where I come from, they were new and exotic birds to me when I first saw them. I love watching them.
I was trying to decide this week what last years leaves remind me of…this is PERFECT!!! A bright bloom here indeed! I wish I could see a cardinal once again. In our neighborhood they are rare!
Janet, thank you!
All the cardinals are in Maryland, where the temperatures are soaring! You have to fly over here, too!
Ahhh… “old worries, Are lifted off her chest…” Time to take a new, fresh breath!
I love cardinals; we had one that still visits our home in Austin, TX!
Thanks, Hen, so glad you’re back!
🙂 :)!
I don’t know what it is either, Marie Elena, but it’s funny! 🙂
Thanks Magic! 😀
meg
~A NEW SONG~
Let’s do away with
slow snow falling,
stormy attitudes.
Let’s instead
grace our faces
sprightly smiles,
gifts of gratitude.
For Spring has risen
break out with
puddle-stomping
and side-walk chalk.
Get yourself a-grinnen’
we’re goin to go a-fishin’
there’s trout to be had.
So slip away pout,
somber sigh and sad,
replace with traces
of fulfilling happiness;
sprout instead songs
of worth and warmth,
be uplifted and glad.
Burst forth bright energy
lying dormant in your soul
See and feel the sun’s pull
Live loudly, bloom, be full.
© H.G. @ P.B. 3/18/12
Good sentiments, all, Hannah. We all need to take an adjustment at the attitude chiropractor. Good one all around.
“attitude chiropractor!” I need to visit regularly! Thank you, Clauds! 🙂
You’re welcome.
Lovely poem and great suggestion!
Thanks, Linda! 🙂
I say yes to all of this!
I meant to say, ‘yes’ to all you’re calling us to do, but I say ‘yes’ to all the previous comments, too!
I appreciate your like-mindedness, Happy!! 🙂 Thanks!
Burst forth bright energy! Yes, please, a double dose!
A triple for me today!! But I’m not going to let them get me down! Thank you, Jane! 🙂
“Live loudly, bloom, be full.” Hannah, you’ve just been on a 2012 poetic rampage! I’m lovin’ it!
meg
“poetic rampage!” I LOVE THIS! Thank you meg, it certainly has felt like a rampage a mad-rhyming-dash!! Big sweet smiles!
Burst forth bright energy
lying dormant in your soul
See and feel the sun’s pull
Live loudly, bloom, be full.
Wonderful, Hannah, I feel like dancing!
Wonderful, me too, Hannah!!!
Let us dance together, poetic friends!! I so appreciate your sentiments, both!! ❤
Lovely affirmation!!!
🙂
Hannah, you are SO ready for spring, you’re practically champing at the bit! Loved your enthusiasm and the colloquial usages. Very sweet, very fun. Peace, Amy
Thank you, Amy!! I’ve been basking in the glory of Spring-ness the last two days around our neighborhood! Such fun! 🙂
“puddle stompin and sidewalk chalk” I’m on your block!
Wouldn’t that be a blast! All the poets out in the street whoopin it up old school style! Smiles!
If we’re going out to stomp in puddles and play with sidewalk chalk, count me in! 🙂
The more, the merrier, Mary!! Stomp away, friends! :)!
Hannah,
what a lovely reminder that spring–and every season–is only its best when it is intentionally welcomed…inside of us as well as around us. Loved this.
Thank you, for this thoughtful comment, SevenAcreSky!! So very true, I like how you’ve stated this.
[…] Poetic Bloomings is blooming with Spring Poems today! Rate this: Please feel free to circulate.TwitterFacebookLike this:LikeBe the first to like this post. […]
As I Was Walking
The sun made my skin smile,
the brilliant sky delighted my eyes
and the soft scented breeze
tickled my nose.
I wanted to laugh out loud,
sing praise songs
at the top of my lungs
and dance in the street.
At that moment,
I was homesick for heaven
where I would be free
to do all of those things.
Yes, there is a heaven!
For if there was no home,
how would my soul
know to be homesick?
Connie, this is wonderful. You ask a poignant question and only faith answers.
Hear, hear!
meg
Great happiness well expressed!
Connie, I love this! And you know, I just posted a wordle called “Homecoming” about the same thing. Interesting how our thoughts crossed their paths.
Connie, this brought tears to my eyes…wow!
“…The sun made my skin smile…” Loved this line!
Beautiful! Love that last stanza 🙂
Connie,
a blend of rejoicing and longing…beautifully said.
The sun made my skin smile,….
Yes, that’s the feeling captured perfectly, Connie!
Ah, Marie. I see you with our friend, having this conversation, hearing the frustration in her voice as misconception follows misunderstanding that follows a simple expression of joy. I can see her grin when she realizes that you’ve come to and Abbott and Costello routine, only to make it a personal one.
Walt, how you come up with such moving and memorable verse is beyond my ability to imitate. It was lovely and soothing to the soul.
Now I’ll have to think for a few minutes before trying to ut something together for this. I’ll be right back.
Last Stand
Winter stole in on a sigh again,
Flakes, massive and wet,
Filled sky and covered ground
Until… all was white and gloried.
Silence descended on my world,
Forcing ears to prick, eyes to squint,
Against the purity that Winter brought
To hide its withdrawal from our midst.
Others have blossoms of Spring’s joy
To liven their mornings, scent their days,
While rivulets of winter’s passing flow
Across our path into Spring’s arrival.
Winter’s last stand is melting now,
Disappearing from view, not memory.
Spring rains will veil his visit’s traces,
Promising better scenery to come.
Beautiful words here: “Silence descended on my world… Spring rains will veil his visit’s traces…” Enjoyed!
Thanks, Happy. I wrote about yesterday’s experience in Glacier Park.
Beautiful images. I wrote something like this when we had our last surprise (reprise?) snow falling on crocuses and daffodils.
Yesterday’s was one of the biggest for the season. It was glorious. We managed to find small signs of spring the day before at a restaurant where a brave daffodil was poling its first leaves out of the ground.
I’m glad you liked it, Jane. Thank you.
I especially like “Winter stole in on a sigh again.” 🙂
meg
Thanks, MEG.
This poem reminds me of life…I also love your first line! ‘Spring literally and metaphorically, really does not happen for everyone in the same way at the same time…and sometimes we think it is here and then winter steals back in on a sigh’…
Thank you, Janet. It’s been such a strange season here. Snowing again today and tonight.
“…Silence descended on my world…” I love silence.
And it’s getting harder to find in today’s world.
Thanks, Hen.
Oh, don’t I soooo know this! I have had to “hurt a few feelings” in order to Honor my need for solitude and blanket-silence. My words, laugh, sing, dance and shout on the page, but my life is mostly one of great, grand solitude. 🙂 ! When I do venture out, everyone is thrilled to see me :)! Quirky, huh? LOL!
“Absence makes the heart grow fonder,” so it’s said, until someone comes back with “out of sight, out of mind.”
Which is true is up for grabs or situation, it seems to me. Your freshened presence may be the breathe of clean air that people need within their lives, which makes them miss you until their lives become contaminated to the point where they no longer notice. Hence, the opposing adages.
Could be.
You are sooo danged Charming! Love ya, Claudsy! :)!
Wow! such beautiful imagery.
Thanks so much, Purple. I’m glad you liked it.
“Spring rains will veil his [Winter’s] traces…”
Wow Claudsy, that’s hope in a few beautiful words. Love it.
Thanks so much, Seven. That’s one of the good things about hope. It comes in unexpected places and unforeseen times.
While rivulets of winter’s passing flow…
Such beauty in passing, too. Very nice, Clauds!
Thanks, Hannah.
Absolutely!
It’s Poetic. This morning it comes with the (new on the menu) Silly-Sweet Sauce. 😉
(back later)
b
😀
THE WINE GLASS
When I looked at my wine glass
The trees turned upside down.
The grass was on the top now
The clouds were on the ground
As I touched my wine glass
My thoughts were all aspin.
The eyes so used to looking out
Were somehow looking in.
When I stared at my wine glass
I saw a whole new world.
The once uncertain future
Before me now unfurled.
When I picked up the wine glass
My spirits lifted too.
My gray and dreary prospects
Now looked bright and blue.
When I put down the wine glass
Much to my surprise
A more enlightened wholeness
Did it suddenly comprise.
The problem with the wine glass
Was that when the liquid was done
I was back to my reality
And all those dreams were gone.
Oh the dangers of that wine glass! Your poem made me… thirsty!
Happy, you made me laugh! :)!
Cheers! Love it.
Lovely…this flowed so well, thought to thought…a gentle musing, Linda.
A more enlightened wholeness…
I find this to be refreshingly true, too, Linda! Great way to capture this!
Marie, someBunny loooooooves your poem, and is so glad that she will be able to say she knew the next Shel Silverstein “when.” 😉
And Walt, “A good life made more perfect by we gentle gardeners…” Indeed. Just beautiful.
Aww, thanks De!!
meg
Marie! BUNNIES!!! (Okay, I’ve used up my quota of exclamation marks… )
Marie Marie, I love you, too;
I know you won’t make bunny stew.
(The bunnies aren’t so sure of you,
but, then, they seldom have a clue… )
Walt, I like your poem, too, even though it has no rabbits in it. And now I’m off to read the others–so many already!
I’m so glad you like it, Friend Kate! And of COURSE you replied in the cutest possible way. 😀
Thanks, y’all, for the fun and sweet and generous comments. Whatever it was, it was fun to write. 😉
What a great start we’re off to today! You guys ROCK!!
Marie Elena
Loved everyone’s work, thus far! Springtime has brought allergies so I am just hoping to feel better. Have fun! Hen
Oh Hen, I’m sorry… I know what allergies are like, too, but surprisingly mine haven’t kicked in yet, soon I’m sure 🙂
Feel better!
Thank you, Happy; this year they are particularly bothersome! I hope to be back to normal this week! :)!
I miss your voice, the garden’s not the same without you…
What a sweet thing to say…. ! I would feel the same way if your voice were absent, Happy, dear friend! Hen :)!
🙂
!!! :)!
Oh no! That can be miserable. Feel better, Hen!
meg
Thanks, Meg! 🙂
I Planted A Dream
I planted a laugh
a sand box burst forth
I planted a smile
a rainbow smiled back
I planted a toy
songs that children sing flourished
I planted despair
harvested secrets we keep from ourselves
I planted hate
a hungry sinkhole appeared
I planted love
a marriage blossom endeared
I planted a whimsical moment
sap squirt me in the eye
I planted a four-leaf clover
a leprechaun waved goodbye
I planted a snowscape
a pathway grew
I planted a dream
that led me to you
by Randy Bell
Very nice, very spring-like, light and airy!
Thank You
Musical in every way! thank-you for sharing this. ..for planting your words here and growing a bloom!
Thank you for your very kind compliment!
This was MAGICAL!!!
Thank You So Much
Outstanding, Cloud. The planting theme was perfect.
Thanks Sara
Randy,
I could see and hear and feel all of this so well! Bursts of change…liked this.
Mmm perfect two lines to end it with, Cloud! Enjoyed!
Thanks Hannah
Your welcome!
Walt, yours is a bloomin’ beautiful poem today. Marie, yours is such a frolic of Who’s on First? with bunnies! Loved ’em both.
Spring’s To-Do List
Turn up the sun a flame or two
and let the moon reflect like new
in skies so deep and clear that ponds
mirror up’s depth below, beyond.
Send rain to wake the wintering ground
and stir the trees ‘til leaves abound
with flowers and first golden hues
painting with pinks, whites, yellows, blues.
Release the pollen! Send a wind
to pollinate the earth and then
send birds and bees and butterflies
to fill the air with wings and sighs
that nudge each seed and bulb and bloom
to seek the light and dress its room,
spreading green tendrils up and out,
a living, flowering new day shout.
Send flocks of birds and herds of beasts
back to their springtime grazing feasts
to raise up a new generation
of their kind, a celebration
of life that says the world is greening
to hope and light and love and meaning.
If people don’t praise spring anew,
let them breathe deep, and sing “Aaaachhooo!”
Hee, hee….. “Aaaaachhooo!” But, with your words, I also loved thinking about how our Planet nurtures and supports every living being…
Thank you, Hen. You’re right about that wonderful nurturing system. For me today, flonase has helped me hail spring more lovingly. 😉
:)!!!!! Lucky you! I can’t take ANY sort of medication, as I have an extremely sensitive-to-chemicals system. All natural products only, and even some of those bother me. So….. I will sing and dance instead! :)!
Delightful….I could see God checking off the items on a scroll….neat!
Thank you, 7AcreSky!
Begun at PA, this is the rewritten version of a poem for my mother. Spring and growing things always stir her in me, and I find myself talking with her as I weed and plant. She would have loved these poems today, all sprouting and green, for she was a poet herself of two collections. I miss her every day.
Chances
Some days my memories with you fog,
and I cannot imagine your voice
or mine, as we were when you were
most yourself. Still, my hands are yours,
worn and busy, stained with foliage,
and my hair, white long before its time,
traces a gene back to your mother.
I carry you in me, as I concentrate
on opening earth to seedlings,
trying to sense seasons’ change,
smelling soil and new buds,
spring rains and twilight,
checking old growth bark for new life—
all learned from you.
I gather words together, arranging them
like posies, pruning and shaping
just as you taught me,
a poem helping us share a moment
of observance, a recognition
of overlooked wonders in need
of second chances: the first crocus,
a jay’s feather, a gnarled twig like a cross,
a stone laced with red veins pulsing
the heart of the earth,
a dead hummingbird
curled like a small fist,
lying still
among wild flowers.
I know when you became uprooted
from yourself, you longed for death,
but I could not wish you gone,
even knowing all I’d learned
of pain and loss, that death is not
the worst thing, still I could not imagine
a world depleted of you.
I cannot now say “never” in a line
that has you in it. You are ever.
As long as I can remember,
I will feel you living
and seeding in me
and take every spring’s resurrection
as a chance to hold you again.
Jane, I don’t have the words to tell you how much I love your poem.
Breath-taking from beginning to end! This line really struck me…of overlooked wonders in need
of second chances: the first crocus,
So many great lines and a most wonderful tribute.
So much intense Beauty!!!
Jane, your mention of resurrection stirred me. My own mother spent most of Lent 1992 preparing to die, and she let go just before Easter. This loving remembrance of your mom brought tears to my eyes, truly – you should publish this. Nothing like a daughter’s recollections of her mom… Love, Amy Barlow Liberatore
Beautiful tribute with a heart-touching ending.
Oh, my, thank you all so much for your kind words. This poem hurt me a little in the writing, as all lovely things do. Amy, I’m hugging you for sharing this lovely memory of your mother. It makes me believe all the more in all sorts of resurrections…just like my mama. Thanks so much to all of you.
Jane,
No words to say how real this is…only tears can tell.
We are all seeded by them, they grow in us, recognized or not. Some of us are fortunate to know that, as you are.
Thanks.
Thank you, 7AS. I’m glad it was meaningful to you. I guess we grow into our mothers, as they grow up in us. Is that fair to say?
Yes! Fairly said.
I gather words together, arranging them
like posies, pruning and shaping
just as you taught me,
Such a brilliant poem, this part really struck me. Great, Jane!
spring
If I
were
a fainting goat
I would be lying on my stunned hairy side
in constant goat-shock at the
white *faint*
white *faint*
white white white white whitewhitewhite
petals falling off the trees
and this happens every spring
*faint*
Your poems are always a surprise, anything but predictable: “a fainting goat’ Fun!
She’s a hoot, isn’t she, Happy?! 😀
meg
Big time, too!
Too funny! I’m still chuckling over Marie’s and now this! This is why I love this garden…you never know one will find. Bunnies and goats!
LOL!
Fainting goats are definitely funny little creatures; I would never have thought to write a poem about them. Hilarious! 😀
I enjoyed the effect of whitewhitewhite on fg. Goats in the garden! Love it!
I saw blossom snow just last week in an easy wind…
and now I will never view it again without seeing a fainting goat in my mind as well. You have branded me with an image–which is GOOD poetry.
“…blossom snow… in an easy wind…” Great poetic line!!!
Read this on your blog, B!! LOVE it!! *faint*
Another’s Spring
I pause to watch the robin perched
atop the viciously pruned crape myrtle,
surveying the partially green yards and
announcing his arrival to the females present.
Cardinals, bluejays, sparrows (and based on
my dawn awakening, an early rising woodpecker)
all vying for airspace and prime nesting spots.
Wipe the sweat, a drink of water,
grab the shovel and bend my back to
another of many loads of mulch.
I think I prefer the bird’s rites of spring.
Mine was about ‘the joys of yard work’, too! I love it, but sometimes wish for a professional crew to come and deliver my dream garden to me in a matter of hours… I’ve seen that happen! Some day, maybe…
And those birds! They do wake up early, don’t they?!
I do NOT like yard work, but that lottery ticket has not come through yet to hire the professionals. So I do it, grumble and get over by the time I am out of the shower.
That’s the willpower!
all vying for airspace and prime nesting spots. LOVE IT! Ah, yes the ‘delights of spring are not all equally delightful:) I enjoyed this, Mark.
My crepe myrtles are ‘viciously pruned’ too every spring. I identified immediately with this poem, as I love watching the birds each spring and wonder about their thoughts.
Love the birds of Spring, Mark, nice to indulge in moments of enjoying them!
Walt and Marie, Such different poems, and each one outstanding.
(Glad I don’t eat rabbit!)
Here’s mine:
Shoots in Stress (double shadorma)
Winter wandered off
Early spring
glided in.
Green shoots sprung up rapidly,
challenged and bullied
by a cold air snap.
We worried
watching buds
shivering `til Spring swept back
in. Buds yawned open.
‘Buds yawned open’ – great line, so true!
Yep, I loved that one too. Great poem.
Gorgeous! …and so true for this year! I also love that last line:)
Yes, that last line!
Thanks, Janet!
Thank you so much, sister poets.
Hey, I like that ‘sister-poets’:)
Me too!!! :)!
Love it when buds yawn…great imagery.
With seven, love that line, Sara! Great poem!
Great prompt! And surprise, surprise, this isn’t dark and depressing – yeah, I’m shocked too 😛
A New Season
Warming rays
Bring a welcome thaw,
Ending my
Infinite
Winter, leaving the drama
In my icy past.
Time has come
To spread my branches
In salute
To the sun,
Time to grow and blossom as
I always should have.
We love you rain or shine, Mary!
meg
I second that salute to the sun! HEAR! HEAR! Lovely words, Mary! Keep blooming.
Yes, I agree… rain or shine!
Leave it all in the “icy past” – I like that!
That line caught me as well.
Thank you all so much 🙂 This is why I just love poeming in the garden!
Salutes to the sun…love that! It’s a honor due to spring.
Love that salute to the sun! Cheers, Mary!
Sonnets of Spring…inspired by today:) as I spent the most unseasonably warm day outside!
The cattail sheds its ragged over-coat
The pond, released from winter’s icy clutch
Lies mute, an amber gem on earth’s dull throat
As sepia landscapes ache for April’s touch
The sun frolics among the tumbled hills
Of cumulus and cirrus rivalry
And in the maple tree a robin trills
In carols of dissonant harmony
Ah spring, push back stark winter’s stricken shroud
And wash the earth with tears from heaven’s cloud
Renew love’s song upon our tepid lips
And stir within our hearts re-surging hope
As earth responds to verdant fingertips
We tune our ear to heaven’s calliope
For nature throbs with newness and with life
The old has passed away and it is done
Come; thrust aside the chains of harbored strife
Redemption sings in violet undertone
No merit dwells in trampled husks of loss
Come, leap for joy, as sorrow sheds its dross
As surely as when winter turns to spring
As surely as the bud inspiring bloom
As surely as faith’s quiet offering
So too, God’s grace dispels our cloak of doom
Come; cast aside your worry and despair
Tomorrow’s needs have never yet been met
Inhale the passion tinting fragrant air
The darling of life’s seasons lifts her head
With promises, not coin-tossed in the dark
She spreads her garments over hilltops stark
The thunder meditates in vaulted plains
It rolls in afterthought along its berth
Delivering the tune of sudden rains
To limbs up-lifted from the patient earth
And now the dormant still-life bursts with zest
As emerald kaleidoscopes of glory surge
An ocean rushing to the azure crest
Where land and sky in one grand hymn converge
Ah spring, the harbinger of sun-filled days
We lift with nature’s voice our songs of praise
I’m not going to write another line in my whole life. I’m too intimidated.
So, you just strung those words together?.. And she doesn’t think she’s a poet.
Stunning…..!
When I was younger, Playboy magazine would annually list the best party schools, the colleges and universities, and my home favorite, Wisconsin, was not among them. Then I noticed a footnote which explained things, saying “Wisconsin is not a part of this equation because it would be unfair to compare amateurs to professionals.” When I read your words, Janet – even your comments below others’ poems – that’s how I feel. It is not going to stop me from writing, nor even from posting, but I certainly understand my place in the world. You are a positive miracle in our world.
Your poetry doesn’t sound amateurish to me, either, Daniel, I think you might be a modest professional.
But amateurs have a place under the Sun, too! 🙂
Absolutely! 😀
meg
Thank you, MEG! Your encouragement is a mighty force, always has been!
*blush blush* You leave me speechless…
meg
“A positive miracle in our world.” Most certainly.
meg
Janet, this is so lush and beautiful. And Madison is indeed beginning to bloom; I live on the East Side! All hail Miss Forward and the Badger State. Peace, Amy
I would like to thank each of you for your beautiful kindness in your words. Daniel, thank-you for your understanding in everything you didn’t say:) I think your poetry is wonderful. As for the rest of you…your words help me keep the fear demons at bay! Seriously. I feel blessed mightily by your friendships. There is no one like a poet to understand a…poet?! See? I said it:) I have a serious case of spring fever as I stroll through this garden bursting with renewal!
You said it! YAY US!! It is the truth, Janet. You ARE a poet, and one who is obviously greatly admired.
Your sonnet today blew me away. That is my favorite form (along with haiku), but it doesn’t just skip easily off my fingertips. I am truly painstakingly slow at writing. To pen one such as yours today would have most likely taken me 2-3 hours of thought, writing, and rewriting to get it “right.” You amaze me.
meg
Feels like I’m back in another century, reading an amazing poem.
Janet, I just love the beautiful images–I would paint it, compose it, dance it if I could. So rich and wonderful. In short, wow!
Meg, Sara, Jane, Thank-you so much:)
Work of ART!! ❤ Janet!
Spring Song of Praise
He fills the night sky with celestial diamonds
Imbues with enchantment, dirt road and dull field
He embellishes dawn with mercy resplendent
And covers the earth in Hope’s infinite shield
He fills each moment with uncharted mystery
Lavishes meadows with gold diadem
He breathes on the bud, stirring from tight-lipped prisons
Ravishing garments for nature’s bare limb
He nudges the pulse of the seed, deep in slumber
Urges the soil to unclench its cold fist
In translucent whispers He flings without number
Petals of promise to vales heaven-kissed
He brushes the sky-line with wonder, bold, blazing
Quiets the daylight with unfettered grace
From the height of the mountain to the floor of the ocean
To the hearts of mankind, He does not hide His face
Sing to the One who appoints every season
Victory embraces cold-hearted defeat
Praise be to Him who with love beyond reason
Showers His glory to bloom at our feet
And another one from a ‘non-poet!’
Pure GRACE…
Janet, both lovely wide-sweeping spreads of imagery and feeling! Loved them.
He nudges the pulse of the seed, deep in slumber
Urges the soil to unclench its cold fist…
That loving nudge, nothing compares. A treasure, Janet.
AT LAST
The long gloomy grey
grinds to a halt.
A glimmer of green
begins to be seen
against stark brown trees
Emerge from the winter cocoon
into sunshine and cheer
with primevere,
dandelion and daisy.
Your poem is spring itself! The way it should be really, I feel I’m cheated out of both winter and spring this year: feels like summer already… this is not right. Your poem is!
Thank you. I’ve added some really springlike pictures to the poem on my b log. http://vivinfrance.wordpress.com
Lovely… you’ve captured it, Viv. Photos are an added bonus!
Viv, I tried to comment on your blog…LOVE the photos! but I am suddenly having trouble commenting on wordpress blogs. I need to be logged in. Something that I never needed before. I think I’ll need to figure out what I have to do to comment on wordpress. Viv. I always admire the wonder you can pack into your poems! A spring beauty for sure!
Thank you, Janet I’m trying to address the commenting problems – have checked settings and they are as they always were. I think WP must have changed something, and will take it up with them.
We’re having the same problem here. It won’t let me comment anymore as myself (Marie Elena). It tells me I must log in … even if I am logged in. Viv, I think you’re right about it being on WP’s end.
Marie Elena
I believe I just bloomed!
I’m wishing we’d had the ’emerge’ rather than the blunder we’ve had here in southeast Arkansas….this is how I picture lovely springs arriving. Great poem.
Ahh emerging from the cocoon…aptly captured, Viv!
Marie, your poem is so delightful (kept me giggling), and I do love Walt’s idea of blooming brilliantly together.
Blooming marvellous!
[…] San Juan Capistrano, Southern California More Straight Out of the Camera Sunday More Poetic Bloomings: “Spring Ahead” More We Write Poems: “Signs” More Shadow Shot Sunday 2 More Mellow […]
Please click to read my haiku “Savage Signs of Spring.” Thank you!
ten day hiatus
a fresh coat on the outside
her mind ignites
Cultivation
she shuttered her mind for ten days
stepped out of her routine
and for those ten days
she planted seeds
and now that she is back home
back into her routine
she is ready to open the shutters
and cultivate the seeds
to see what might bloom
Stepping out of routines is so refreshing! Usually something wonderful blooms out of it!
Most definitely!
When you open those shutters, Michelle, FLING “EM! Lovely. Amy
I felt it and then Amy said it..YES! fling those shutters. I said YES!! when I saw you were back with your new photo of the day. Riches for sure!
Thanks everyone! Thanks for noticing Janet!
A picture of the anticipation…the dreaming behind shutters of what might come with the nudge of cultivation. Liked this.
[…] “I Have a Little Shadow” More Straight Out of the Camera Sunday More Poetic Bloomings: “Spring Ahead” More We Write Poems: “Signs” More Poetry Picnic Week 28 More […]
Please click on the link to read my haiku, “Seven Signs of Spring.” Thank you!
Sanguine Spring
Yes spring, how I love you so
with your ravishing pinks, yellows, greens
blooming in front of my eyes like a helix
or a kaleidoscope of pastels washing away
winter’s sadness. No longer must I trod
through sullen fields of sticky maple
dreams, walking cane in hand, wishing
for relief in a later day. With a flip
of nature’s switch, almost overnight it
seems, I see the lily and tulip budding
sanguine promises of new beginnings, fresh
starts replacing gray winter’s grief
and doubt with hope-filled sunshine.
“…sullen fields of sticky maple dreams” – I like that image a lot.
Laurie, your palette of color is so welcome to these eyes, so tired of the greys, like you “wishing for relief.” I loved this. Thanks, Amy
“… replacing gray winter’s grief and doubt with hope-filled sunshine.” Lovely…
As soon as I saw the title I said O-o-o-oh! I love it! I kept saying that as I read the poem! One of those I WISH I’d written this! poems! Beauty! beauty!
I wish I could paint this!
You have created such nice tension between the grays and browns of winter and the vividness of spring. It really does seem that it bursts open over night. Nice work.
A lovely, hopeful, sensual poem.
I see the lily and tulip budding
sanguine promises…love this line. They’re whispering to us. I love it when nature responds to me, when my baby zinnias smile.
“… when my baby zinnias smile.” Sweetness…..!
Henrietta,
commenting on so many wonderful blooms here brings ideas around…see my poem I finally got posted below. Thanks.
Oh, I so agree, S…! So many of these comments are pure poetry in themselves; Love it all! I will go enjoy your poem now! 🙂
Oh, Laurie, your first bit, helix and kaleidoscope of bright, bursting Spring and hope! Gorgeous!
Thanks, Hannah!
Yuppers! 🙂
Metamorphosis
Her spring
has sprung
and she’s looking for something new.
This fling
has flung
her precarious petals far and few.
Something
has stung
her honeyed heart to the very core.
These wings
unwrung
she unfolds, and flies out the door.
Love this form and your description of the butterfly! Nicely done, De. Peace, Amy
I love the feeling of being ‘stung in the honeyed heart’! Nice.
I Love this!!!
De, you never cease to amaze…the other one you wrote today about the man at the grave…i hope you have many places to share it! the lines have stayed in my head all day…’ how does he hold a world of sorrow in two hands?’ your poetry is a daily highlight! Keep blooming!
What a great form and a great poem using that form. You always amaze me, de.
I love it when form fits theme, seems natural and unforced.
Ahhh! Nice quick bright and intentional change!
Wings unrung! Such, beauty and hope! 🙂
[…] (honest – a bit of poetic license, arcane use of the imperative verb form for “hone”) and for Poetic Bloomings (poems about Spring). Share this:EmailFacebookDiggTwitterLinkedInLike this:LikeBe the first to like […]
Honest Thy Ploughs
Honest thy ploughs
for the coming of Spring
That fields mayst be planted
their bounty to bring
Honest thy wits for
the work to be done
From fertile ground’s goodness
thy foodstuffs be won
Honest thy soul for
the days yet ahead
For labours be grateful,
no prayer left unsaid
© 2012 Amy Barlow Liberatore/Sharp Little Pencil
Dedicated to independent organic farms and the farmers who strive to stay small and grow healthy food, while Monsanto, et al., seek to buy them out, blanket fields with chemicals, and cram Frankenfoods down our throats.
For Sunday Scribblings (honest – a bit of poetic license, arcane use of the imperative verb form for “hone”) and for Poetic Bloomings (poems about Spring).
I love the ‘thy, thou, thee’, “Honest thy soul for the days yet ahead” – so beautiful!
Beautiful words… important message!
This reads like a psalm! I read it twice immediately to absorb its fulness. Love the old-ink style!
Amy, this is like a hymn of thanksgiving. Put it to music! Lovely.
Amy,
love that use of ‘honest.’ I will think of that when I sharpen my shovel. This is a delightful poem.
An honest and worthy cause and beautiful dedication, Amy. Nicely penned! 🙂
(No particular form)
SPRINGTIME HAPPY 🙂
Spring in my step,
Spring in my song,
Spring in my Heart!
Wonderful, Hen!
Oh, Happy, just being out in the sunshine running errands, listening to my all-time favorite musician, driving in no particular hurry….. my Heart was bursting with joy!!! :)! :)!
I’m so glad, sounds like you’re feeling better! Your allergies cannot dampen your spirits!
WHOO – HOO, and Dancing With the Stars just began its new season! Who has my vote tonight: William and Cheryl! OMG! :)!!!!!!!!!
I’m feelin’ it Hen! Thank-you:) Feel better.
Thank you, kind Janet!
Step, song, heart…discovery of outward to inward. Neat, loved this Henrietta.
Thank you, Seven…!
Spring does bring these sweet things, beautiful, Hen!
Hannah! Thank you, yes, I am just an old-fashioned Romantic at heart! :)!
Such a good way to be!! :)!
Thank you for this prompt, Walt. Reading all these refreshing poems gives the same sense of calm beauty as walking down a blossoming lane.
meg
[…] on the eve of Spring’s equinox, for Poetic Bloomings Prompt #47 ~ Spring Ahead. Echo this:FacebookEmailTwitterStumbleUponLike this:LikeBe the first to like this […]
HOPE, IN BLOOM
(a shadorma)
the winter
solstice behind me,
forgotten ~
before me,
the promise of renewed life
seen in each spring bloom
2012-03-19
P. Wanken
Love how hope becomes the promise!
Sasha I love your comment! Yes, oh what would we do without the renewed hope that spring brings? Pamela, I will think of your poem as I look deep into the new blooms which, judging from the budding, are not too far away:)
Oh, lovely Hope and renewal!
That sums it up perfectly. Hope.
All said in perfect line by line…hope is the flip side of long winters we are all ready to abandon.
Stepping forth into the beauty of Spring! Beauty, Paula!
[…] Think Tank: “Feather” More Straight Out of the Camera Sunday More Poetic Bloomings: “Spring Ahead” More We Write Poems: “Signs” More Mellow Yellow Monday More Floral […]
I’ve written a triplet of senryu: “Seven Springs Ago.”
Thanks for visiting!
HEATHER ON THE HILL
The chill is gone from my weary bones,
I feel the therapeutic warmth of a summer’s sun
in this diminished preview spring offers.
The mist upon the loch rises ever slightly
as the brightly coloured hues hibernate
awaiting their blooming. Soon, the hills
will be awash with the beauty reborn.
And my worn and tattered heart starts to feel
the reel that the pipes provide and it can not hide
the thrill I find in Heather on the hill!
(And Heather doesn’t mind it either!)
Sweet…. heather on the hill always reminds of the musical, Brigadoon. Ohhh, the dancing there….!
“My worn and tattered heart starts to feel the reel that the pipes provide…” THAT grabbed me. Loved that. (I remember ‘Brigadoon’ too!)
The mist upon the loch rises ever slightly
as the brightly coloured hues hibernate
awaiting their blooming.
I love how you capture the moments before bursting bloom of Spring!
Speaking of rebirth, I have breathed new life into the stodgy old “Say Aye to the Heart” giving it a fresh new and brighter look than the dreariness that had resided there. I wouldn’t be adverse to have you come by for a glimpse and a spot of “verbal tea”! All are welcome.
http://ayetotheheart.wordpress.com
BREAKING NEWS
(A new email service from our Local Paper)
County denies wood grinder move request;
two trucks battle house fire on Lexington;
high school wrestling coach moves to job downstate.
Ninety-year-old woman who protested
in a fur-trimmed bikini is found dead;
tributes pour in for her citizenship.
Food reporter sets out on “Cupcake Quest”
Boys basketball team lose in semi-state.
Tornado watch until 7pm.
Wow, I’m not sure I’d have the guts to protest in a fur-trimmed bikini, and I’m less than half her age lol. This really resonates with me, sounds just like my own local paper and their news stories, Great way to capture small town life 🙂
Small town spring news for sure. Neat.
So much going on outside my head! Thanks for this! 🙂
SIGNALS OF FOREVER
The sudden sound of birds this morning,
the sun so tender and light,
the color of green so much greener,
oh,
so much greener.
Facing the smell of fresh air never breathed,
sensing the warmer winds,
bodies and souls,
discovering
this little newborn herald,
oh,
where did you stay
before?
Listening,
hearing myself say yes.
Oh, do I hear Wedding Bells?
“Facing the smell of fresh air never breathed…” What is newer than that? This was such an honest work.
The feeling of being distracted by the fullness of Spring in mid-conversation? I’ve been afflicted with Spring, too! Love your beautiful lines, Andrea!
@Hen, I’ve often been so sorry that I couldn’t write to you directly, my winner companion – you have no link. And I’m here to say that you’re on my mind and that I wish that you’re fine now spring is all over us.
About my poem, no. But maybe yes! My first poem I ever wrote is called “Yes.” It’s not a very good poem for anybody else than myself, I guess. But like this one I toiled for a long time. No, I think I toiled with the poem, “Yes,” for more than half a year to get my words right – and would you know? I never posted it anywhere but I always feel good when I return to it. And with this one, spring topic, it’s the same. I have been working. But you’re right. Suddenly I see the link to that old poem I wrote so many years ago. I only didn’t see my husband in it before you wrote your comment. Thanks.
And sorry, I might change it. Here I am, feeling like I am in a workshop – so please know that I very likely will change it – most of all because I don’t feel completely that it’s finished.
Hen, again, thank you and best wishes!
Andrea!!! So nice to hear from you. Yes, me, ever the “writer”, read this poem of yours and imagined this scenario: Andrea has met the love of her life, on her little island paradise and is so very busy falling in Love and writing sweet poetry for him. He must have proposed marriage, and this is her way of telling him “yes”, with this lovely poem. 🙂
Okay, so that is my runaway imagination. It was a fun story for me to make up. :)!
Still, the poem is a lovely tribute to Spring! Thank you for sharing! Hen
Here’s my contribution. Hope you like it.
“Beautiful Trickster”
I’m on to you
Beautiful Trickster
with dewey blooms
fragrant and colorful
breathtaking and new
Oh, let’s not forget babies
so cuddly and cute
promises of youth
the world again renewed.
But youth will lose it’s luster
Spring can never last
This elegance before me
Doesn’t baffle me at all
I’ll look at the vibrant colors
but I’m on to your sick scheme
Spring is just the promise
That winter will negate.
Yeah, that promise never seems to last…very nice, Tracy (and nice use of the 3WW prompt too) 🙂
Busted! Spring, you’re a deceiver! Great approach, never having thought this ‘promiser’ was a phony. A lovable phony, to be sure.
with dewey blooms
fragrant and colorful
breathtaking and new…
Ahh refreshing! Beautiful, Tracy.
Good morning, Tracy! Forgive me if I’m just having a senior moment, but I don’t believe I’ve seen your work here before. Welcome! We hope to see more of your work! If my mind has betrayed me, please forgive me and welcome back! 😉
Marie Elena
Put this on my own blog today, but it fits your theme this week too (and that so rarely happens!), so I’m putting my 2 cents here too. 😉
Spring Equinox
All things being equal,
(dark & light – day & night)
spring arrives right on time
sunrise – true east, sunset – due west
astronomical alignment
beautiful balance
Jupiter & Venus
March across night sky
your sun directly over my equator
bearing us onward toward summer solstice
everything in perfect harmony
in this corner of
the galaxy
PSC
“beautiful balance
Jupiter & Venus”
I love the way these lines look and feel together, Pamela! Great poem!
Pamela, a great celestial view. Nice, liked it.
Ditto!
Walt, Marie E, loved your poems. Gardening is my heart, so spring is a longed-for moment. It’s the giving back by nature that is so sweet, for just a few caresses and a little care we offer.
And I DO like bunny stew.
Late on my offering, here’s my poem.
When They Smile
I love it when the waking world
responds to me.
It hears me yawn
in my garden,
and sees my arms stretch wide,
and feels my back and neck bend back,
like a waking tree.
I love it when the morning
then yawns back,
while I inhale the steam
of a morning tea,
and visiting yesterdays plantings
I sip,
and the thirsty sky licks
its longing lips.
I’ve been longing for a drink
of greening dawn like this
all winter , when,
as deep as my dark garden dirt
I wanted things to live and grow
again.
I watch the dancing willow;
which song sways the tree?
My sweet peas tease the trellis.
Their tendrils caress the slats,
and I, too, feel the tickle
inside of me.
I love to hear grass
weeping for gladness
with tears of dew.
And I love it when my
baby zinnias smile at me,
and I smile at them,
too.
Oh, S… this is so tender, delicate and willowy… I just LOVE it!!! :)!
Thanks Henrietta,
I love mornings like that….and I’ve had quite a few lately. Early but beautiful spring. Till the skeeters starting biting me through my shirt when I was planting last week..HA!
Hee, hee, I know what you mean! 🙂
Chicago Good Friday Afternoon
A tide of traffic surges
beneath the elevated
where Spring is riding in.
She pokes her fingers down
into small damp yards
finds one skinny tree
dressed in garish pink
Shouting “I am the resurrection and the life!”
to anyone who stops
long enough to listen.
Oh, beauty, amidst all the hustle and bustle.
This is subtle, very. Still, there is a direction for me to follow and that’s what’s great here. I like the sound, the rhythm, and I like that I’m brought to Chicago finding a tree – and I stopped to listen and smiled when I thought what people would say if someone claimed to be the resurrection out loud here where I am. That’s where you hit the description of a city and that’s where you hit me. Thanks!
Haven’t had much of a chance to read or write this week. Hope to get back and enjoy all the great work.
A New Spring (a shadorma)
Oh Springtime,
you are here it seems.
With warm sun,
gentle breeze,
bringing everyone outside.
You were not gone long.
© 2012 DawnAudio Productions
FRICASSEE OF MARCH HARE
Gone to pasture
the farmer’s faithful horse,
oakened an d choked and tilling
the remains of winter from the soil.
Up and over, under and above,
seeds holding their positions, each
tucked into rich duvets of earth
like new-born swaddled babes.
The spring soil is moist but still
chilled from winter’s trials. Calendars
know nothing of this; numbered boxes
and pretty pictures. Might as well
sow with the sharp edge of moonbeams
as trust pretty pictures. The farmer watches
March hares boxing along the bare
hedgerows. A dozen or so more
are spinning circles and leaping
backflips, trying to catch rain clouds
in the sky. Rabbits, he growls,
on my freshly sowed fields.
His wife grabs her cookbook.
[…] week on Poetic Bloomings we are challenged to Write a “new” poem. To find out more and to read our hosts’ poems, […]
Finally I got it. I really worked with this one because I wanted the dimension of eternity to be there. So here again but in a new version: Oh, and thanks for your comments – they encouraged me – thanks!
SPRING
The sudden sound of birds this morning,
the sun so tender and light,
the color of green so much greener,
oh,
so much greener.
Facing the smell of fresh air never breathed,
sensing the warmer winds,
bodies and souls.
Discovering
this little newborn herald,
oh,
this little good old friend
here with me again
whispering
for ever.
Listening,
hearing myself say yes.
[…] Thursday Think Tank: “Light” More Straight Out of the Camera Sunday More Poetic Bloomings: “Spring Ahead” More Shadow Shot Sunday 2 More Skywatch Friday More Himmelsk Share […]
Please click on the link for my haiku, “Conjuring Spring Rain.”
Thank you for your visit!
You all make it seriously SO hard to choose only one “Bloom.” Several of these pieces made me think there is no way that I can NOT choose them. It’s like this week, after week, after week. Walt and I are blessed!!
meg