RETURNING TO THE SOIL – Prompt #53

It has been one year since Marie Elena and I had this hare-brained idea that we could establish a poetic garden that finds beauty blooming in the starkness of every day life. As we start our second year, no better place to start again, than with a re-seeding of our “Poet-anical” Garden. We return to the soil AND the prompt that got us started. And so…

Every garden starts with a seed. A small part of the big picture; a beginning. And so we begin our second year at Poetic Bloomings.

The prompt for this Sunday reflects that idea. Write a “seed” poem. It could literally be a seed of a plant, or an idea that sparks a greater effort. It could be the beginning of a life, or whatever you feel would be the start of something big. Write about the flower you have “adopted” on your Recollection page, and show your bloom. Just get started. That’s a beginning in itself.

MARIE ELENA’S SEED

REACH (a sonnet)

My feet are planted firmly here at home,
Yet seeds are scattered farther than my span.
Words blossom in encouragement-rich loam,
And flourish far beyond this gardener’s plan.

What joy, as peace and beauty grace the way,
What nourishment that seeps into my soul.
My senses overflowing every day
On shade-tinged path, or sunny poppy’d knoll.

One kernel sown, yet harvest so diverse –
A multiplicity of voice takes flight
And broadcasts as poetic seeds disperse
To transplant hope, wherever they alight.

In gratitude, two kindred gardeners toil
To cultivate Poetic Bloomings soil.

~~~~

NOTE:  Poetic Bloomings seeds have blown across the following borders … a statistic that is altogether amazing and humbling.

United States, Denmark, Canada, United Kingdom, France, Spain, Australia, Bulgaria, Philippines, India, Singapore, Germany, Latvia, Nigeria, Italy, Sweden, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Mexico, Poland, Austria, Brazil, Republic of Korea, Ireland, United Arab Emirates, Greece, Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong, Pakistan, New Zealand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Portugal, Egypt, Senegal, Croatia, Belgium, Japan, Czech Republic, Norway, Georgia, Netherlands, Trinidad, Tobago, Kuwait, Ghana, Peru, Belize, Guatemala, Argentina, Bangladesh, Taiwan, Switzerland, Syrian Arab Republic, Angola, Slovakia, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Colombia, Albania, Puerto Rico, Yemen, Thailand, Dominican Republic, Malta, Gabon, and Russia!

Would that all visits be as harmonious as those stemming from our modest garden.  A Poetic Bloomings wave of greeting to all, and  “Peace be the journey.”

~~~~

WALT’S SEED

AND THE SUN SHALL REIGN DOWN

Darkness disturbed.
The first sprout of Spring is seen
and senses the early breath of a breeze
bathing it with the gentle movement
of a life begun. Showers have touched
the soil, deep and aromatic; fertilized
and fed to nurture and grow, strong in root
and tall in beauty. Our sprout reaches
skyward to embrace the golden life-giving orb.
And the sun shall reign down to caress
the beginnings of beauty in bloom!

*****

In our effort to promote our poets, Marie and I wish to thank and congratulate the following poets who had posted poetry on the first day and have remained dedicated to the growth of beauty through verse.

PATRICIA A. HAWKENSON –  – DE JACKSON

VIVIENNE BLAKE – ELIZABETH JOHNSON 

LAURIE KOLP – ANDREW KREIDER

HANNAH GOSSELIN – BARBARA YATES YOUNG

DAN PAICOPULOS – CONNIE L. PETERS

PAULA WANKEN – KELLY DONADIO

IAIN DOUGLAS KEMP – MICHAEL GROVE

PAMELA SMYK CLEARY – CLAUDETTE YOUNG

KIMIKO MARTINEZ 

And we’ve grown tremendously since then. Thank you all!

The POETIC BLOOMINGS badge is available under the P.B. Badge tab above. The HTML code is provided to allow you to show your inclusion in our garden. Join the growing that we are sowing!

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Responses

  1. whimsygizmo Avatar
    whimsygizmo

    Congratulations, my amazing friends! So glad to be along for the bloomin’ ride. Wishing you many more years of colorful poetic blooms. You are LOVED.

    1. Hannah Gosselin Avatar
      Hannah Gosselin

      I’m so piggy-backing this statement!! Well-said, De!! I’m SO very grateful for this poetic community…such a blessing! Thank you Marie and Walt for ALL of your amazing efforts and fellow poets for your inspiring words!! Warm Hannahsmiles!!

    2. Henrietta Choplin Avatar
      Henrietta Choplin

      Yes.

    3. SevenAcreSky Avatar
      SevenAcreSky

      Me too…this site, Marie and Walt, has been a fresh wind, an arousing aroma to my poetic yearnings. You continue to amaze and inspire. Thanks,
      Damon

      1. Poetic Bloomings Avatar
        Poetic Bloomings

        Thanks so very much!

        Marie Elena

        1. Janet Avatar
          Janet

          This is SO exciting. Congratulations, Walt and Marie on a cultivating world-wide garden and to all the poets who plant beautiful blooms.

  2. Hannah Gosselin Avatar
    Hannah Gosselin

    ~THE SUNFLOWER~
    ~~~
    The seed does not try to fit into its old, fallen rusk,
    just as the full face, heavy laden crown of kernels
    holds its head low, stooping in a slow stumble.
    It does not then try to regain composure
    but heeds the humble call for sowing;
    accepts its days of sun gracefully,
    feels true fulfillment in passing,
    calling and purpose in yielding.
    ~~~
    The seed does not try to fit into its old, fallen rusk
    It allows the drawing strength of gravity
    to fully flourish, extracting every remnant,
    every golden bit of good that it stood for;
    each solemn, soulful seed will succumb, will drop.
    Every pit is a promise, a symbol of hope,
    means for a new beginning and a fresh tomorrow
    lies in the strength of the conceding flower.
    ~~~
    The seed does not try to fit into its old, fallen rusk
    but plants its feet firmly in the terra firma
    fighting for survival with a fore knowledge
    deeply imbedded in the very pattern of its skin;
    written in the finite folds of its twisting history
    as it pulsed and pushed through the ancient ages
    and so it proceeds embracing its divine design,
    shape-shifting, spiraling cyclically through time.
    ~~~
    © H.G.@ P.B. 4/29/12 seeds

    I played a bit with the idea of a free form-form that that I created that I’ll call “The Perfect Echo.” I made a bold statement and then followed it with seven lines (seven being symbolic for the number of completion), and repeated this pattern three times (three being symbolic for the number of confirmation). The nature of the topic of this poem makes way for the echoing idea of eternity…beginnings and endings following each other indefinitely forever. So with this idea in mind, I employed eight lines per stanza (eight being symbolic for the number of eternity).

    I just, just wrote this for a picture prompt of a sunflower for Imaginary Garden with Real Toads. I hope no one minds if I use it for this seed prompt…it just seemed to perfect a coincidence to pass up! Thank you, you guys!

    1. vivinfrance Avatar
      vivinfrance

      Bravo for a complex form beautifully realised.

      1. Henrietta Choplin Avatar
        Henrietta Choplin

        Oh, I Know… fantastic, Hannah!!!

      2. Hannah Gosselin Avatar
        Hannah Gosselin

        Thank you, Viv! This was a fun wrangle with words!

    2. Henrietta Choplin Avatar
      Henrietta Choplin

      I just LOVE sunflowers, and they are sooo YOU, Hannah!!! Hen

      1. Hannah Gosselin Avatar
        Hannah Gosselin

        Thank you, Hen!! This is separate from my birth flower which is the “sweet-pea!” I think I will probably write one for that, too, this week! I appreciate your kind words!

        1. Henrietta Choplin Avatar
          Henrietta Choplin

          Ohhh…. how SWEET!!! :)!!!

    3. Linda Swenski Avatar
      Linda Swenski

      A lovely, poetic expression of life;s meaning and mysteries. We should all be as accepting of our fate as the sunflower seed!

      1. Hannah Gosselin Avatar
        Hannah Gosselin

        So true, Linda!! A graceful passing! Thank you, so much!!

    4. SevenAcreSky Avatar
      SevenAcreSky

      Hannah,
      wow..love that form! And beautiful…our sunflowers have bloomed in the last week (the short ones) and so this beautiful piece validated their “heavy laden crowns.” Beautiful.

      1. Hannah Gosselin Avatar
        Hannah Gosselin

        Oh, I’m so glad, SevenAcreSky!! Thank you, for your words!!

    5. Andrea Heiberg Avatar
      Andrea Heiberg

      Hannah, you know that I like you so much. Now I have read this poem so many times and I’d like to invite you to come right over here and explain it for me. I looked up every little word that might interfere my interpretation and still I must say – I’m here – hands down.
      I hope you don’t kill me – but is this a praise of nature purely?

      1. Hannah Gosselin Avatar
        Hannah Gosselin

        I believe I wrote this as a praise to the Power behind all of the journeys of every living thing that exists.

        To me, this is a poem of graceful passage, of accepting the “next,” thing of our lives and making the best of it all knowing that it has all been for fulfillment, a purpose. Passing is not a losing but a gaining in the aspect that what we have accomplished can further the next generations.

        I hope that helps some, Andrea. Warm smiles to you!

    6. purplepeninportland Avatar
      purplepeninportland

      Just beautiful. The sunflower is my favorite flower. I have written so many poems about it, but this is magnificent.

      1. Hannah Gosselin Avatar
        Hannah Gosselin

        Sara! That is so sweet of you, I really appreciate this, thank you!

    7. Janet Avatar
      Janet

      Profound, stunning, gorgeous and truly Hannah! So, so many great lines but this one made me stop and re-read…’Every pit is a promise, a symbol of hope,…Yes!

      Oh Hannah, life has many ‘gardens’ and the one I’ve been in lately is not at the computer, yet flowers like this bloom…and I keep praying to God that I keep my priorities in order and that in time a window opens for me to stroll a little through this garden. I’m thankful He let me find this bloom… and I’m thankful that the blooms will be here when I get a chance to return and enjoy the ones I missed! That is where a ‘poetic-bloom’ trumps any other. It remains a bloom for centuries to come!

      God bless you and thank-you for your faithful ‘seeds’ you plant in your poetry and in your comments!..ah, a bloom holds the seed:)

      1. Hannah Gosselin Avatar
        Hannah Gosselin

        This truly makes my day, Janet! You’re so very kind. I would SO love to spend the day in the dirt of your garden. You live such a rich and fulfilling life. Thank you for your inspiration. God’s abundant blessings on you too, Janet!! Warm smiles to you!

        1. Janet Avatar
          Janet

          🙂 Right back atcha…

          Shortly after I left this reply there was a knock on the door and a neighbor was dropping by for a visit:)…the end of writing day.:( oops i mean 🙂 I told somebody else that my being torn between various ‘gardens’ is a torment of bliss, due to many loved ones.

          1. Hannah Gosselin Avatar
            Hannah Gosselin

            Oh, I feel this pulling in your heart, Janet, it is a painful but bitter-sweet feeling. The longing to write when life pulls you away into different directions. I always try to console my soul with the fact that these times are but beautiful fodder for future poems. I imagine I would be so poem-less without the experiences behind it all.

            I know you know every bit of what I’m speaking about so know it is more of a commiserating in the sweetness of life that can feed and at the same time keep us from the physical craft of writing.

            Thank you, for this time to think about all of this. 🙂

            1. Janet Avatar
              Janet

              Thank-you for reminding me of that, kindred-friend:)

              1. Hannah Gosselin Avatar
                Hannah Gosselin

                I’m grateful for the re reminder in your words too, kindred-sister indeed! 🙂

    8. Benjamin Thomas Avatar
      Benjamin Thomas

      Exquisitely Hannah 🙂
      The first stanza is my favorite. Keep blooming.

      1. Hannah Gosselin Avatar
        Hannah Gosselin

        This is so generous, Benjamin! Thank you for making me smile!

  3. Hannah Gosselin Avatar
    Hannah Gosselin

    Marie! I love this stanza…

    “What joy, as peace and beauty grace the way,
    What nourishment that seeps into my soul.
    My senses overflowing every day
    On shade-tinged path, or sunny poppy’d knoll.”

    Such a beautiful and authentic voice in your poetry!

    I can feel the nurturing sunshine, Walt!! Thank you for your words, a blessing!

    ~Smiles!

    1. Henrietta Choplin Avatar
      Henrietta Choplin

      Yes!

      1. Hannah Gosselin Avatar
        Hannah Gosselin

        :)!

        1. Henrietta Choplin Avatar
          Henrietta Choplin

          :)! :)!

    2. Poetic Bloomings Avatar
      Poetic Bloomings

      Thank you, Hannah and Hen!

      meg

      1. Hannah Gosselin Avatar
        Hannah Gosselin

        You’re welcome, Marie!!

      2. Henrietta Choplin Avatar
        Henrietta Choplin

        Thank you!!!

    3. purplepeninportland Avatar
      purplepeninportland

      Marie, I agree with all the other comments here. Just wonderful!

    4. Janet Avatar
      Janet

      I agree as well Both of these poems are true beauties!

  4. seingraham Avatar
    seingraham

    Congrats especially to you stalwarts! And I meant to thank you both for the badge … it posted easily to my blog (not always my experience with badges etc.) and it’s very nice .. .

    1. Poetic Bloomings Avatar
      Poetic Bloomings

      Glad it worked! My Partner is gooooooood!

      meg

      1. Henrietta Choplin Avatar
        Henrietta Choplin

        I can just hear him saying the same thing about you, Mrs. Good! :)!

        1. Poetic Bloomings Avatar
          Poetic Bloomings

          😀 !

  5. vivinfrance Avatar
    vivinfrance

    Marie, your poem is a marvellous realisation of all that this site/garden has come to mean to us, and Walt’s follows on in delightful horticultural fashion. Thank you.both for all you do.

    1. Poetic Bloomings Avatar
      Poetic Bloomings

      Thank YOU, Viv. Warm smiles …

      meg

  6. vivinfrance Avatar
    vivinfrance

    Seeds

    garnered in autumn
    over-wintered in the fridge
    sown with hope in spring

    bathed in warm sunshine
    and a modicum of rain –
    last year’s flowers re-born

    1. Henrietta Choplin Avatar
      Henrietta Choplin

      Ohh… “…bathed in warm sunshine..” Lovely…

    2. Linda Swenski Avatar
      Linda Swenski

      Beautiful simplicity, charming imagery!

    3. Hannah Gosselin Avatar
      Hannah Gosselin

      Love how you tie it together with your closing, full circle!

    4. SevenAcreSky Avatar
      SevenAcreSky

      ‘…flowers reborn…” made me think of the sensory moments, the emotional episodes, the day-to-day ah-ha’s that become our poems–seeds garnered in our prior days. Beautiful, Viv.

      1. Henrietta Choplin Avatar
        Henrietta Choplin

        Lovely thought, 7!

  7. Andrea Heiberg Avatar
    Andrea Heiberg

    ON MY KNEES

    I’d like to say I put on all the leaves
    on all the trees
    covered the world with oceans
    created waves of motions.

    I’d like to take you by the hand
    show you that you can
    so brilliantly walk around.
    A world is out there to be found.

    Only I’m not the almighty here
    the light of wisdom, dear.
    I’m only your neighbour
    that you say you favour.

    I’m your other you – two eyes, two ears, a nose and a heart
    so scared to see we’re torn apart.

    1. Henrietta Choplin Avatar
      Henrietta Choplin

      Lovely sad.

      1. Andrea Heiberg Avatar
        Andrea Heiberg

        Thanks for your comment, Hen. Yes, it might be sad – in the meaning of me saying goodbye. But it’s most of all happy because we met and I learnt a lot and hopefully learnt something, too.

        1. Andrea Heiberg Avatar
          Andrea Heiberg

          Sorry, hopefully you learnt something, too.

          1. Henrietta Choplin Avatar
            Henrietta Choplin

            Yes…. every relationship, in my life, leaves behind its own sweetness… :).

    2. Linda Swenski Avatar
      Linda Swenski

      So beautifully said and achingly true.

      1. Andrea Heiberg Avatar
        Andrea Heiberg

        Linda, thank you so much. Your comment means so much to me. Thank you.

    3. Hannah Gosselin Avatar
      Hannah Gosselin

      This is so full of wonder and tenderness, I love that it breaks down division, too. Beautiful, Andrea!

      1. Andrea Heiberg Avatar
        Andrea Heiberg

        Hannah, thank you so much. I really hope that in all what I stand for – it breaks down division. That’s what I wish for. Thanks.

        1. Hannah Gosselin Avatar
          Hannah Gosselin

          Perfect then! So glad and you’re welcome, Andrea!! Smiles to you!

    4. SevenAcreSky Avatar
      SevenAcreSky

      A tender honest bare-hearted plea…lovely, Andrea.

      1. Andrea Heiberg Avatar
        Andrea Heiberg

        SevenAcreSky, I went to your website – it takes me around ten minutes to get there because I only have mobile net. But I did because I needed to say your name – because you see that I plea! Because I do. I’m so afraid that America will be divided due to religion or due to politics – and I’m so afraid that Europe will, too – and that will be due to the economical crisis.
        But that you see the plea in this touched me so much – because there is. Thank you so much.

    5. Janet Avatar
      Janet

      Tender beauty, Andrea.

  8. Henrietta Choplin Avatar
    Henrietta Choplin

    Lovely words, Walt and Meg; congratualtions on your very successful first year, and may you have many, many more! I Love it here!

    1. Poetic Bloomings Avatar
      Poetic Bloomings

      And we love having our most ardent cheerleader here! 😀

      meg

      1. Henrietta Choplin Avatar
        Henrietta Choplin

        Why, thank you, Meg… sweetness again in my life!

  9. Henrietta Choplin Avatar
    Henrietta Choplin

    (No specific form. Except for the title, this piece was written long ago and far away.)

    RESEED

    I vow this day
    to go back to the Old Ways
    to regain my strength…
    to return to the Earth.
    God keep me safe.
    Amen.

    1. Hannah Gosselin Avatar
      Hannah Gosselin

      This is strong and timeless, Hen, a treasure!

      1. Henrietta Choplin Avatar
        Henrietta Choplin

        Thank you, Hannah, I’m starting to feel grounded, once again. 🙂

    2. SevenAcreSky Avatar
      SevenAcreSky

      Henrietta,
      such solid resolve. I see the stand, the turn, the step back immediately at the ‘Amen.’

      1. Henrietta Choplin Avatar
        Henrietta Choplin

        …yes… thank you, 7!

  10. Jacqueline Casey Avatar
    Jacqueline Casey

    Sabotage in the Garden

    God’s
    Warning:
    Obey Rules;
    No Red Rum Fruit,
    Fool!

    Snake
    Sneaky:
    Bending Branch;
    Rolled Apple to
    Eve!

    She,
    Adam’s
    Rib, Shaken;
    Her Innocence
    Gone!

    Seeds
    Flourish,
    Adam’s sin:
    A beginning
    Sprout.

    (A favorite of mine; the Japanese lantern : 1,2,3,4,1.) From little acorns of thought, many things grow…

    1. Linda Swenski Avatar
      Linda Swenski

      I love this form. I have not seen it before and you did it so well!

    2. Linda Swenski Avatar
      Linda Swenski

      I am so happy to learn about this new form and you used it beautifully!

    3. Hannah Gosselin Avatar
      Hannah Gosselin

      Oh, great seed to choose to write about, Jacqueline!! And a new form to try, thank you!!

      1. Jacqueline Casey Avatar
        Jacqueline Casey

        Thank you, Hannah. I like this site…I may put some roots down…

        1. Henrietta Choplin Avatar
          Henrietta Choplin

          You will grow strong here…

        2. Poetic Bloomings Avatar
          Poetic Bloomings

          Welcome, Jacqueline! (LOVE the name and the spelling). Root away!

          Marie Elena

    4. whimsygizmo Avatar
      whimsygizmo

      This is a great set, Jacqueline. A whole (HUGE) story, in so few words. Love it.

      1. Jacqueline Casey Avatar
        Jacqueline Casey

        Thank you, Gizmo. May all your seeds be whimsical!

        1. Henrietta Choplin Avatar
          Henrietta Choplin

          Hee, hee, the word “whimsical” is sooo magical to me — I have always Loved it!

    5. SevenAcreSky Avatar
      SevenAcreSky

      Thanks Jacqueline…a new form for me too. I’ll have to try it. And your topic was great for this prompt…seeds, weed seeds.

      1. Jacqueline Casey Avatar
        Jacqueline Casey

        Thank you for response, now to go weed my garden…

    6. Marjory M Thompson (MMT) Avatar
      Marjory M Thompson (MMT)

      Hi Jacqueline, I’m a newbie to the site,
      but agree with the others -well done.
      and am adding the form to my book of forms to learn and use. Thanks

      1. Jacqueline Casey Avatar
        Jacqueline Casey

        Thanks, Marjory, to my Japanese Lantern form. I am newbie also. Hope all your seedlings are good ones. Jackie

    7. purplepeninportland Avatar
      purplepeninportland

      Love this form!

    8. Janet Avatar
      Janet

      Very impressive, both form and words!

  11. Linda Swenski Avatar
    Linda Swenski

    POTTED PLANTS

    You try so hard to make them grow.
    Why you do, I don’t quite know.
    Sufficient water, lots of light:
    They grow themselves outside all right.

    Pat the soil, watch the leaves
    For signs of insects or disease.
    And though it gets its share of light,
    It doesn’t seem to grow quite right.

    Though you did what you could do,
    It grew unlike it wanted to.
    A plant is meant, not to be grown,
    But to develop on its own.

    So now remember you and I
    And don’t let faded memories die.
    Keep them watered with your tears,
    And cultivate them through the years.

    For if you leave them all alone,
    They may develop on their own.
    Yet, one day memories must be faced.
    They can be changed, but not erased.

    1. Marjory M Thompson (MMT) Avatar
      Marjory M Thompson (MMT)

      Beautifully stated.

      1. Henrietta Choplin Avatar
        Henrietta Choplin

        Yes…

    2. Andrea Heiberg Avatar
      Andrea Heiberg

      Linda, I have a friend in Missouri who sent me a picture of her peach tree recently. And I wrote back to her yesterday: You’re so far ahead of us here in DK.
      She’s Amy and I’d love to share you poem with her. She’d love it and so do I. Is it okay?

    3. SevenAcreSky Avatar
      SevenAcreSky

      Just love this Linda! I will share this with my wife (Container Queen…loves her pots as much as everything in the ground!) And these are of course my favorite lines….

      “Keep them watered with your tears,
      And cultivate them through the years.”

  12. Patricia A. Hawkenson Avatar
    Patricia A. Hawkenson

    Thanks to ALL who make this a soft place to land. 🙂

    1. Poetic Bloomings Avatar
      Poetic Bloomings

      Awww! Love this, Patricia!

      Marie Elena

    2. SevenAcreSky Avatar
      SevenAcreSky

      Agreed. Well put Patricia.

  13. Patricia A. Hawkenson Avatar
    Patricia A. Hawkenson

    Blooming Proud to Be Here

    The wind tries
    in gentle nudges,
    but when pushed
    to its limits
    a moving gale.

    Friends of poets
    do the same,
    knowing the seed
    shares the power
    of hope.

    A prompt can be
    a thought that sticks,
    burring till it picked
    and shared
    with you all.

    Then memories
    from the garden path,
    both word and deed
    linger in sweetness
    throughout the day.

    1. Henrietta Choplin Avatar
      Henrietta Choplin

      Loved: “… linger in sweetness…” !

    2. Hannah Gosselin Avatar
      Hannah Gosselin

      Oh, I can see that burr catching, Patricia, this one WIll be with me!! Thank you for your beautiful words and presence!

    3. whimsygizmo Avatar
      whimsygizmo

      Ohhhh. Fitting, Patricia, because your words often “linger in sweetness.”

    4. SevenAcreSky Avatar
      SevenAcreSky

      They do linger! I often think of them and have to get back on-site and share with my wife the beauty of these blooms.

  14. Daniel Paicopulos Avatar
    Daniel Paicopulos

    Source Material

    Some writers
    find their words,
    buried in the compost of bitterness,
    in a field of anger and resentment,
    sown by sorrow, raked with regret,
    fertilized by vengeance for abandoned love,
    ironically giving birth
    to beautiful blooms

    Other writers
    find beauty in everything,
    in their children, of course,
    and family, friends, and lovers,
    but also in the catalog of daily living,
    in the exotic rose,
    the mundane marigold,
    the common fern,
    predictably giving birth
    to beautiful blooms.

    Most writers
    have a sadness muse,
    prompting great works
    of love and loss,
    replete in their integrity,
    they open their veins,
    water their seedlings with blood,
    painfully giving birth
    to beautiful blooms.

    All writers
    know, regardless the source,
    no matter the topic,
    the truth will come out,
    honesty triumphs,
    love trumps cuteness,
    every time,
    each wonder-filled heart
    generously giving birth
    to beautiful blooms.

    1. Patricia A. Hawkenson Avatar
      Patricia A. Hawkenson

      This is wonderful, Daniel!

      1. Daniel Paicopulos Avatar
        Daniel Paicopulos

        as always, I am gratified by kind words from western WI

    2. Henrietta Choplin Avatar
      Henrietta Choplin

      Beautifully spoken… !

      1. Daniel Paicopulos Avatar
        Daniel Paicopulos

        it please me that it pleases you

    3. jlynn sheridan Avatar
      jlynn sheridan

      This is wonderful, Daniel.

      1. Daniel Paicopulos Avatar
        Daniel Paicopulos

        from you, such blissful words…thanks

    4. cloudfactor5 Avatar
      cloudfactor5

      Bravo, you captured the moment of celebration in the Poetic Bloomings tribe

      1. Daniel Paicopulos Avatar
        Daniel Paicopulos

        thanks for taking the moment to say so…it means a lot

      2. Poetic Bloomings Avatar
        Poetic Bloomings

        Absolutely. And thank you so much! Perfection, Daniel.

        meg

    5. Hannah Gosselin Avatar
      Hannah Gosselin

      Such beautiful analogies to explore the diversity of the gardener’s muses, Daniel!! I love this part:

      “they open their veins,
      water their seedlings with blood,
      painfully giving birth
      to beautiful blooms,”

      I can feel that bloom being birthed! Such expressive words!

      1. Daniel Paicopulos Avatar
        Daniel Paicopulos

        Hannah, I just knew, when those particular words spilled from my fingers, that you would be the one to see them…you have probably written something similar yourself, only lovelier

        1. Hannah Gosselin Avatar
          Hannah Gosselin

          This makes my writer heart smile, Daniel!! It’s so nice to be in such a close knit group to the point where we can sense what our fellow writers will love!! You got me figured for sure…I DO love that part and I may have written something someday but not as poignant as you’ve stated it today. Striking, Daniel! 🙂

    6. whimsygizmo Avatar
      whimsygizmo

      Perfect, Daniel. Just absolutely perfect.

    7. SevenAcreSky Avatar
      SevenAcreSky

      Ah! Daniel, how perfectly true. What a garden to dwell in, where “honesty triumphs.”

    8. Marjory M Thompson (MMT) Avatar
      Marjory M Thompson (MMT)

      wonder-filled heart
      generously giving birth
      to beautiful blooms.

      Beautifully said – full of promise. Thanks.

    9. purplepeninportland Avatar
      purplepeninportland

      “they open their veins/water their seedlings with blood”-Just one example of imagery from a beautiful, heartfelt poem, Daniel.

      1. Daniel Paicopulos Avatar
        Daniel Paicopulos

        De, Sara, Marjory, Seven, thanks…I’m putting these comments on my refrigerator

    10. Benjamin Thomas Avatar
      Benjamin Thomas

      Daniel, this is genius! Loved every line! Splendid work. You got my vote for bloom of the week.

      1. Daniel Paicopulos Avatar
        Daniel Paicopulos

        wait, we’re voting? did i miss the deadline?
        ah, just joking with you…thanks for your enthusuastic take

    11. Janet Avatar
      Janet

      This really is…perfect! Each verse profound on its own!

      1. Daniel Paicopulos Avatar
        Daniel Paicopulos

        thank you, Janet…so glad to see you with time enough to read…it seemed to my little old empathic self that your plate was a tad full of late

        1. Janet Avatar
          Janet

          sigh….yes, but only because of so many ‘gardens’ and so many loves in my life…so it is a torment of bliss…this busyness. I’m sure you understand when I say family always comes first! Thank-you for your empathy, Daniel.

  15. Richard King Perkins II Avatar
    Richard King Perkins II

    If My Daughter is a Garden

    I say to you-

    if my daughter is a garden

    then I am all pumpkin

    and watermelon

    and a bit of scarecrow,

    for the soil

    which becomes her

    is half my soul.

    1. Henrietta Choplin Avatar
      Henrietta Choplin

      How sweet is this!!!

      1. jlynn sheridan Avatar
        jlynn sheridan

        Wow!

    2. Hannah Gosselin Avatar
      Hannah Gosselin

      So well, put, Richard, very creative! I like this bit:

      “then I am all pumpkin
      and watermelon
      and a bit of scarecrow,”

      Great poem!!

    3. whimsygizmo Avatar
      whimsygizmo

      Ohhh, Richard. This is so sweet. Just perfect.

    4. SevenAcreSky Avatar
      SevenAcreSky

      Richard,
      You made this dad smile! Thanks,
      Damon

    5. Andrea Heiberg Avatar
      Andrea Heiberg

      Yes, Richard, this is beautiful. And you got it precisely there when I’m in that kind of mood.

    6. Patricia A. Hawkenson Avatar
      Patricia A. Hawkenson

      Gentle and loving. 🙂

    7. Janet Avatar
      Janet

      yes!

  16. Linda Swenski Avatar
    Linda Swenski

    POTTED PLANTS

    You try so hard to make them grow.
    Why you do I don’t quite know.
    Sufficient wanter, lots of light:
    They grow themselves outside all right.

    Pat the soil, watch the leaves
    For signs of insects or disease.
    And though it gets its share of light,
    It doesn’t seem to grow quite right.

    Though you did what you could do,
    It grew unlike it wanted to.
    A plant is meant, not to be grown,
    But to develop on its own.

    So now remember you and I
    And don’t let faded memories die.
    Keep them watered with your tears
    And cultivate them through the years.

    For if you leave them all alone
    They might develop on their own.
    Yet one day memories must be faced.
    They can be changed, but not erased.

    1. Andrea Heiberg Avatar
      Andrea Heiberg

      Okay Linda, okay, I’ll ask if I can send this to my friend Amy?

    2. Janet Avatar
      Janet

      Be-u-ti-ful! WOW~

  17. janeshlensky Avatar
    janeshlensky

    Happy Anniversary to Poetic Bloomings, Marie, Walt, and fellow bloomers!

    Origins

    Considering the wizened bulb,
    rattling seed pod, dusty husks,
    minute dots of promise, all that
    they are folded into themselves,

    the salty slime, the darting cells,
    the pollen-laden bee and wind—
    the truly extraordinary yet mundane
    origins of all things living,

    we can only be encouraged
    by the resilience and tenacity
    of sun-warmed, water-sprung
    life, that out of the briefest

    specks of possibility came
    something so beautifully lush
    and petaled, so formed,
    foliaged, flowered, fruited;

    so thirsty, hungry, needy, longing,
    so very Eden.

    1. Hannah Gosselin Avatar
      Hannah Gosselin

      Oh, Jane this is gorgeous!! I love the last stanza and two lines!! Rich!

      1. purplepeninportland Avatar
        purplepeninportland

        What she said!

    2. Daniel Paicopulos Avatar
      Daniel Paicopulos

      my goodness, every word is perfect

      1. Poetic Bloomings Avatar
        Poetic Bloomings

        Every word, indeed. Wow, Jane. Wow.

        meg

    3. jlynn sheridan Avatar
      jlynn sheridan

      So very Eden. So very natural and earthy.

    4. whimsygizmo Avatar
      whimsygizmo

      Beautiful, Jane.

    5. SevenAcreSky Avatar
      SevenAcreSky

      Jane…you caught the remnant of our first-given grace so beautifully–thank God for the remnant, or it would be an horribly ugly world.

      1. Poetic Bloomings Avatar
        Poetic Bloomings

        Amen!

        meg

    6. Henrietta Choplin Avatar
      Henrietta Choplin

      Charming capture!

    7. Janet Avatar
      Janet

      You had me with the first line! Truly tender and so insightful!

  18. whimsygizmo Avatar
    whimsygizmo

    Seedling

    Plant these words.
    I do not know what will
    grow, but I love this fertile
    ground, and I am
    ready for new roots.

    Raise this phrase
    until it blooms full,
    looms on silent stem
    hemmed in soil, breeze
    and gilded gathered trees.

    Steep these syllables
    in sunshine, sea and song
    and perhaps someday
    we’ll finally sow what we
    wished for, all along.

    .

    1. whimsygizmo Avatar
      whimsygizmo

      Ooooooh. Just found a beautiful illustration to go with this on my blog, from a super talented girl I shall be stalking, as soon as I can find her in the current world. Her info in my comments section…

      Seedling

    2. Hannah Gosselin Avatar
      Hannah Gosselin

      Oh, so stunningly wonderful, De!! My favorite part is ALL OF IT!! Great job, my friend! Will check your blog for pic!! Thanks, De!

    3. Daniel Paicopulos Avatar
      Daniel Paicopulos

      what an artist you are, and getting better every day

    4. SevenAcreSky Avatar
      SevenAcreSky

      De, just perfect. Such a graceful determination, a promise-driven hope.

    5. Henrietta Choplin Avatar
      Henrietta Choplin

      “… Steep… in sunshine, sea and song and perhaps some day we’ll finally sow what we wished for, all along.” I am IN LOVE with these words!!! Thank you, De! 🙂 :)!!!!!!!!!!

    6. Andrea Heiberg Avatar
      Andrea Heiberg

      Yes, De, only we sow all the time. That’s so great but sometimes it’s also scary.

    7. Janet Avatar
      Janet

      Can’t wait to keep this one forever in that book you’re publishing;))

    8. Mr. Walker Avatar
      Mr. Walker

      De, the whole poem is delightful, but that last stanza… beautiful.

      Richard

  19. markwindham Avatar
    markwindham

    Tending the Poetic Garden

    The seed,
    inkling of a thought
    nurtured into an idea
    that does flourish and grow.

    A fertile, rich soil for the crop,
    no birds that would scavenge
    and eat, rocks plowed out so
    roots can grow deep.

    No thorns allowed to choke out
    voices with poetic words, but a crop,
    loved and tended, producing a hundred
    times more than that sown.

    “Whoever has ears, let them hear”
    the beauty of these poetic blooms.

    Matthew 13

    Thank you Walt and Marie for your
    work on this beautiful garden!

    1. Daniel Paicopulos Avatar
      Daniel Paicopulos

      what a gracious, appreciative thought

      1. Henrietta Choplin Avatar
        Henrietta Choplin

        Perfect, Daniel, I do so agree!

    2. jlynn sheridan Avatar
      jlynn sheridan

      love that scripture and this line:No thorns allowed to choke out
      voices.

    3. SevenAcreSky Avatar
      SevenAcreSky

      Great tribute, Mark.
      Beware birds, and thorns, and rocks….our Marie and Walt tend our fair plot, and wield shovel, rake and hoe. Our voices shall all bloom!

    4. Poetic Bloomings Avatar
      Poetic Bloomings

      How lovely and humbling, Mark. Thank you so much!

      meg

    5. Marjory M Thompson (MMT) Avatar
      Marjory M Thompson (MMT)

      Such a beautiful (poem) picture, promise of hope.
      ….”and (blessed) your ears, for the hear.”

    6. Janet Avatar
      Janet

      Man! you just put into words so many loose thoughts I simply could not thread together! Thank-you for speaking our hearts here! God bless.

  20. Poetic Bloomings Avatar
    Poetic Bloomings

    You are all so kind. Thank you for the sweet thoughts and beautiful words. You make this, as Patricia put it, a “safe place to land.”

    Y’all ROCK!!

    Marie Elena

  21. jlynn sheridan Avatar
    jlynn sheridan

    “Growth”

    Over a river of
    promise

    cradling my fragile
    offering seeds

    panning gold nuggets—

    blooms left behind
    by friends.

    1. SevenAcreSky Avatar
      SevenAcreSky

      Lovely…I love panning for these bright flickers.

      1. jlynn sheridan Avatar
        jlynn sheridan

        Thanks. I love discovering what others have discovered about life.

    2. Henrietta Choplin Avatar
      Henrietta Choplin

      Loved: “… blooms left behind by friends.”

      1. jlynn sheridan Avatar
        jlynn sheridan

        Thanks so much!

  22. The Happy Amateur Avatar
    The Happy Amateur

    Walt, Marie, Congratulations! And please put Russia on the list of countries your garden has touched 🙂

    This was written some time ago in response to Margo’s prompt, but it’s about my Recollections flower, too, so here it is:

    ~ Golden Glows ~

    In the darkness a glowing ball of flames
    Floats, pouring golden grace. Myriads
    Of rays fall onto Earth, into
    The dark soil that breaths them in,
    Shoots them back up. They burst
    Through, brighten my sky –
    The yellow suns
    Outside my
    Window
    Pane.

    Thank you again for everything you do!

    1. Poetic Bloomings Avatar
      Poetic Bloomings

      Just lovely … thanks so much! And welcome, Russia! 😀

      meg

      1. The Happy Amateur Avatar
        The Happy Amateur

        🙂

        1. The Happy Amateur Avatar
          The Happy Amateur

          I just noticed: my smiley is smaller than yours, Meg, and has a more “moderate” smile… (Mine has eyebrows, though!)

          Just a crazy comment, pay no attention to it. 🙂

          1. Poetic Bloomings Avatar
            Poetic Bloomings

            HA! I didn’t notice that! Wonder what the deal is … I use a D for mine. What do you use? Love those brows, lol! 😀

          2. The Happy Amateur Avatar
            The Happy Amateur

            Oh, I see.. I’ve always used “colon, dash, parentheses” I’m going to try D now… D !

          3. The Happy Amateur Avatar
            The Happy Amateur

            Oops! D didn’t work for me, I guess I need a couple more punctuation marks! For now I’ll just stick to my “eyebrows guy” 🙂

          4. Henrietta Choplin Avatar
            Henrietta Choplin

            LOL!!!!!

          5. Poetic Bloomings Avatar
            Poetic Bloomings

            It would have helped if I gave you more than just the D to go on! Oy …

            I use colon, then D. I never heard of colon, dash, parentheses. COOL BEANS!

            meg

          6. Andrea Heiberg Avatar
            Andrea Heiberg

            Hmn, I’ll put in one from Europe 🙂

    2. Henrietta Choplin Avatar
      Henrietta Choplin

      Loved these words, especially : “…that breathes them in,…”

      1. The Happy Amateur Avatar
        The Happy Amateur

        Thank you, Hen!
        (And I hadn’t had my morning coffee yet when I tried to make a smiley face out of a D only, that’s my excuse!)

        1. Henrietta Choplin Avatar
          Henrietta Choplin

          Tee, hee…. let me try: 😀

          1. Henrietta Choplin Avatar
            Henrietta Choplin

            YEEEEAAAAH!!! It works!

          2. Henrietta Choplin Avatar
            Henrietta Choplin

            Yes…. it’s true… I DON’T GET OUT MUCH….. 😀 😀 😀

    3. Janet Avatar
      Janet

      This is GORGEOUS!

    4. SevenAcreSky Avatar
      SevenAcreSky

      Great! Pictures so well the yellow myriad of wildflowers this spring that have been SO abundant with this early spring. I’ve not thought of that golden light penetrating, then bouncing up itself out of the stem and petal into sight again.

  23. Marjory M Thompson (MMT) Avatar
    Marjory M Thompson (MMT)

    I am happy to join the rest of you garden-poets while planting seeds.

    A modified Hay(na)ku – in the interest of condensing to save another tree,
    I am writing the three lines as one while denoting the second line with brackets.
    I am choosing to call it a SHORT, FAT HAY(NA)KU 🙂

    SEEDS [in cycle] planting, growing, eating

    PURCHASE [hopes high] seeding veggies dreams.
    HOLDING [offered choices] so much choosing.
    SAVING [by buying] dozen or more.

    SELECTING [mom’s flowers] dad’s sweet corn.
    PREPARING [garden loam] defining the rows.
    SOWING [tiny seeds] to grow dreams.

    COVERING [seeds gently] patting in place.
    MAINTAINING [vigilant watch] for erupting sprouts.
    NURTURING [feeding, staking] string tied disciplining.

    WATER [can’t neglect] sprinkle not saturate.
    WATCHING [mindful tending] weeding, thinning, pruning.
    GROWING [as watching] the promises increasing.

    SAVORING [first strawberries] salad greens, peas,
    ANTICIPATING [summer melons] beans, cucumbers, peppers
    TOMATO [red globes] enticing to pick.

    PRESERVING [as possible] canning, drying, freezing.
    SHARING [with others] stupendous fresh pickings.
    SAVORING [delight of] abundant, lush harvest.

    FALL’S [offerings arrive] carrots, beets, cabbage
    PRECEDING [sweet corn] squash, pumpkins.
    LOOKING [forward to] next spring arriving.

    MMT 4-30-12

    1. Henrietta Choplin Avatar
      Henrietta Choplin

      Wonderful!!!

    2. SevenAcreSky Avatar
      SevenAcreSky

      Amazing! The whole season.

  24. Misky Avatar
    Misky

    A Seed in Her Ear

    Tell me about the seed, he said, the beginning.
    I offered him a single word, no need to say more.
    Miscarriages, I said.
    I felt the warmth drain from my eyes,
    icy defences like a fence post to keep
    my spine erect when my only wish was to slide
    back on to myself like a melting snowman
    cosied-up with an electric blanket.

    And …? he asked.

    It was a monosyllabic conversation
    of extraordinary depth. I reckoned that
    he was as drained of emotion as I was filled
    with defensive tools. I was a tiny, ticking,
    spring-wound clicking clockwork complete
    with squarely notched edges so my thoughts
    would fit together in a sensible way.
    Tick-tick-tick-tick-tick. I was geared up.

    Adoption, I said.

    He peaked his fingers together like a steeply pitched
    cathedral roof, and then rested his chin on the top.
    I wondered if God rested his chin on church roofs
    when he grew weary of listening to our incessant
    whinging and belly aching. I doubted it. If God
    got tired, there was no hope for fool like me.
    He blinked, and paused …
    I did the same.

    And…? he asked.

    He and his brother were my everything.
    I was happier than any one person
    should be allowed. And then he grew up,
    he left home, moved far away, he married,
    and then there was Emma. It was my turn;
    I blinked, and paused …
    He did the same.

    And …? he asked.

    Well, the thought of her being so far away,
    the thought of her not knowing me except
    as that woman in England who sends
    very pretty dresses, ruffled umbrellas
    and pink wellington boots, well, the thought
    of her growing up without me was more
    than I could take. I was impaled on cold chills
    and throttled by panic. And then one day
    when she was 2-years old, we cuddled,
    we laughed, and we played. I treasured
    every moment of that particular stay.
    On that day, I hugged her
    and I planted a seed in her ear.

    Remember me, Emma, I whispered,
    Please don’t forget me.

    He stared at me, still playing God with his
    peaky fingers. There was a hint of impatience
    in his voice when he said,

    …And?

    Well, she’s 4-years old now, I said. A big girl.
    When last I was saw her, she climbed up on my lap,
    clasped her arms round my neck and whispered,
    “Don’t worry, Nana, I haven’t forgotten.”

    He stared, and I stared back.
    How is that possible that a baby can remember
    something like that, something I said so long ago?
    He just stared, sitting there in his godly peaky pose,
    and shrugged.

    Well….? I asked.

    1. Marjory M Thompson (MMT) Avatar
      Marjory M Thompson (MMT)

      Beautiful – full of love and encouragement.
      My grand-littleone will be born the other side of the world this month.

      1. Henrietta Choplin Avatar
        Henrietta Choplin

        Precious, congratulations, MMT; they are lovely, little miracles.

    2. Henrietta Choplin Avatar
      Henrietta Choplin

      This is soo sweet and precious, M! My three will be visiting me for three glorious weeks, this summer! 🙂 🙂 🙂 !!! 😀 !

    3. SevenAcreSky Avatar
      SevenAcreSky

      Oh…Misky. My heart hurts. Mine is possibly moving away, and I am about to cry at this poem. She will only be three hours away, but it feels as if she might move to England, because I’m so blessed to see her almost every day.

      1. Misky Avatar
        Misky

        I’m so sorry; I know too well how difficult this is. Skype helps a lot though.

  25. A Seed in Her Ear « MiskMask Avatar
    A Seed in Her Ear « MiskMask

    […] MiskMask April 2012Poetic Bloomings, prompt #53 Planting A Seed Rate this: Share this:TwitterFacebookLinkedInPinterestEmailLike this:LikeBe the first to like this […]

  26. Patricia Anne McGoldrick Avatar
    Patricia Anne McGoldrick

    How appropriate the theme in this spring season! The Theme of “Returning to the Soil” immediately brought to mind my Dad who was a farmer who shared many non-scientific but quite reliable ways of the land with his sons and daughters. This small poem was inspired by one of them.

    Testing

    By Patricia Anne McGoldrick

    Amber wheat so hard
    Crushed by my father’s molars
    Harvest’s white centre.

    Published in Issue 3 March 2010 at http://www.ambassadorpoetry.com/.
    (previously published at this url, now retired due to lack of funding)

    1. Henrietta Choplin Avatar
      Henrietta Choplin

      …good, old-fashioned testing! Love this!

      1. Patricia Anne McGoldrick Avatar
        Patricia Anne McGoldrick

        Thanks! as a child it left a real picture in my mind that led me to write a poem years later!

        1. Henrietta Choplin Avatar
          Henrietta Choplin

          Ah, yes… amazing little seeds… so many get planted in our young, tender years…

      2. Patricia Anne McGoldrick Avatar
        Patricia Anne McGoldrick

        Thanks!

    2. SevenAcreSky Avatar
      SevenAcreSky

      I can see this, your father with his head slightly tilted, testing the grain….lovely moment from your memory. Thanks, Patricia.

  27. Marian J. Veverka Avatar
    Marian J. Veverka

    What is Soil?

    Throw away the verb.
    Soil is too precious to be slandered
    Think of a land of barren rock
    That has never seen the color green
    No life, no vegetation, no animals.

    Cover the rock with soil. Generations
    Would pass ,( if they exsisted)
    Soil is a product of intensive care.
    Of animal, vegetable, mineral
    Of atmosphere – sunlight and clouds
    That produce essential water.

    Millennia without number.
    The earth disturbed, gently
    Let the seeds split in the soil
    Once again, small spears of green

    So we live our animal lives
    Living in shelter, family, kin.
    Together tending the soil
    Watching as the earth turns from brown
    To living green
    Harvest the grains of gold.

    1. Henrietta Choplin Avatar
      Henrietta Choplin

      Yes… “…Soil is too precious to be slandered… Soil is a product of intensive care…..”

    2. purplepeninportland Avatar
      purplepeninportland

      Marian, This is so beautiful.

    3. SevenAcreSky Avatar
      SevenAcreSky

      Yes, the soil is sacred, precious. What are seeds without it?

  28. Patricia A. Hawkenson Avatar
    Patricia A. Hawkenson

    The Day Ends

    Shadows greyed
    the peonies
    as they hung their
    heavy heads
    after a day
    of showing off
    their crimson petticoats
    with the passerby’s glances
    forgetting to inhale
    their shot of intoxication
    that was free for the picking.

    Now night must do her magic
    giving them renewed courage
    to raise their heads
    in dignity
    tomorrow
    and tomorrow
    before the summer ends
    with chastising heat
    and dries them all
    to seed.

    1. Henrietta Choplin Avatar
      Henrietta Choplin

      Oooh… : “…her magic giving them renewed courage to raise their heads in dignity tomorrow and tomorrow…”

    2. SevenAcreSky Avatar
      SevenAcreSky

      Reminds me, Patricia, to never forget to inhale these free intoxications of beauty posted here.

    3. Marjory M Thompson (MMT) Avatar
      Marjory M Thompson (MMT)

      Beautifully written – Thanks
      Our peonies bushes (not individulal plants) are just teasing us with a tiny hint of color – in a day or two the bushes will be bursting with huge blossems.

  29. Fiery Tulips « MiskMask Avatar
    Fiery Tulips « MiskMask

    […] carpets,Stretch your neck long for cloudsFill your blossoms with raindrops Poetic form: TankaPoetic Bloomings Prompt: Seeds, Returning to the SoildVerse Poets, Pretzels and Bullfights: Ariwara no Narihira Rate this: Share […]

  30. Misky Avatar
    Misky

    Fiery Tulips

    Your seeds ignite reds,
    Bright burning yellow petals
    on grass-green carpets,
    Stretch your neck long for clouds
    Fill your blossoms with raindrops

    1. Henrietta Choplin Avatar
      Henrietta Choplin

      Such strong, rich growth… and yet, they capture tender raindrops… Lovely.

      1. Misky Avatar
        Misky

        I justed add a photo of them to that poem on my MiskMask blog, if you want to see the real inspiration.

        1. Henrietta Choplin Avatar
          Henrietta Choplin

          Oh, God’s paintbrush– stunningly beautiful! Thank you!

    2. SevenAcreSky Avatar
      SevenAcreSky

      I love the raindrops…the thirst-quenching comments that fall from the digital blue sky on the blooms of this garden.

      1. Henrietta Choplin Avatar
        Henrietta Choplin

        Lovely, 7!

  31. purplepeninportland Avatar
    purplepeninportland

    If you nurture them, they will grow. Thank you for the opportunity
    to be a seedling in your magical garden.

    Brown-eyed Flower

    Seeds sown in planters
    grow large leaves,
    mighty stems
    that bend toward sun, velvet brown
    eyes, sunflower wise.

    ————————————

    The Site to Seek

    Poetic Bloomings
    where small seeds
    grow and bloom.
    Each word is a leaf, each phrase
    a perfumed flower.

    1. Henrietta Choplin Avatar
      Henrietta Choplin

      Oh, so lovely, Sara!

      1. purplepeninportland Avatar
        purplepeninportland

        Thanks, Hen.

    2. SevenAcreSky Avatar
      SevenAcreSky

      Loveley, indeeeeed!

      1. purplepeninportland Avatar
        purplepeninportland

        Thanks!

  32. Mary Mansfield Avatar
    Mary Mansfield

    Bloom

    I planted a seed of normalcy,
    Hoping for a life more ordinary,
    But the bloom that burst forth
    Was anything but commonplace,
    A rare blossom unseen by mortal eyes
    And destined for the exceptional.

    1. Henrietta Choplin Avatar
      Henrietta Choplin

      Rare, lovely, and exceptional!

    2. purplepeninportland Avatar
      purplepeninportland

      Well done, Mary.

    3. SevenAcreSky Avatar
      SevenAcreSky

      Beautiful, Mary. Many seeds are planted, but not all are watered by hope.

  33. Henrietta Choplin Avatar
    Henrietta Choplin

    LONE STAR INTOXICATION

    Texas spills fragrance:
    Night-blooming Jasmine, English
    riding boots, horse breath. :)!!!

    1. Benjamin Thomas Avatar
      Benjamin Thomas

      This made me smile! Thanks. There’s nothing like a fresh smile before bedtime 🙂

      1. Henrietta Choplin Avatar
        Henrietta Choplin

        Oh!!! Thank you, Benjamin, and there’s nothing like a burst of joy and laughter, first thing in the morning… you just MADE MY DAY!!! :)! :)!

        1. poetryshack Avatar
          poetryshack

          Keeping blooming!

          1. Henrietta Choplin Avatar
            Henrietta Choplin

            !!!!! 😀 !

    2. SevenAcreSky Avatar
      SevenAcreSky

      Hen! Makes my nose watery!

      1. Henrietta Choplin Avatar
        Henrietta Choplin

        Aaahahaha… sorry 7; here’s a tissue, so you don’t miss out.

  34. connielpeters Avatar
    connielpeters

    The Spider

    A spider has its place in life
    Though it has its limits

    To catch those pesky flies,
    With a web like frost on glass

    Its silken thread glistens in moonlight
    As the spider guards its seed

    The spider goes about being a spider
    With no glimpse of the big picture

    1. Henrietta Choplin Avatar
      Henrietta Choplin

      I love this, Connie; it reminds me of a scene from the magical movie: The Last Mimzy.

    2. SevenAcreSky Avatar
      SevenAcreSky

      We are limited to our web…it’s true. But the vibrations of the strands hint at a world at large, and I’m glad I’ve spun in this garden.

      1. Henrietta Choplin Avatar
        Henrietta Choplin

        Oh, 7… you MUST see The Last Mimzy (ideally, with children!)

        1. SevenAcreSky Avatar
          SevenAcreSky

          I never caught that one..and wanted to. It’s Friday night…maybe a movie night!

          1. Henrietta Choplin Avatar
            Henrietta Choplin

            You will be Enchanted!!!

    3. Benjamin Thomas Avatar
      Benjamin Thomas

      Cute little spider tale here 🙂

  35. seingraham Avatar
    seingraham

    Growing a Poet – Parts One and Two

    I am barren, gutted, sere
    Words have flown from me
    Fluttering their wings as fast
    And fiercely as the wind
    Wailing off waters as yet
    Uncharted

    My days unwind ahead
    Of me like pale pedestrian
    Imitations of the life
    I dreamt was my poetic
    Legacy when setting down
    Such things consumed me

    Beyond despair I give up hope
    Of writing, so am stunned
    To find myself in a garden
    Filled with blooms poetic
    I know not how I got here
    But wish only to stay, drink
    In poems until inebriated
    In this paradise, I pass out

    Surprisingly clear-headed
    I awake and in my grasp
    The beginnings of a poem
    Just a seed, but it is a start
    I pledge to plant the poem
    In the garden should it
    Come to fruition

    Part Two

    Now, I frequent this garden
    with regularity
    The gardeners here are true
    stewards of the earth and
    poetry both
    Providing tender generous care
    in all respects
    And the rewards sown
    Are reaped by all who come here
    Whether it is to post work
    Or just to read …

    A funny thing about poems with blooms
    Just like plants, they produce more seeds
    This garden is a self-perpetuating place
    That’s helping spread poetry everywhere
    This once bereft poet cannot articulate how
    Grateful she is for the place and the gardeners
    And wonders why the simplest things seem
    The most difficult to express … like thanks.
    But when all is said and done, that’s all she
    Needs to say – thank you for the seeds,
    For the garden, and mostly, for being here.

    S.E.Ingraham©

    1. Henrietta Choplin Avatar
      Henrietta Choplin

      Ohhh… a garden of Perennials…. thank you, Sharon!!!

      1. seingraham Avatar
        seingraham

        Thank You Hen!

        1. Henrietta Choplin Avatar
          Henrietta Choplin

          !!! 🙂

    2. Janet Avatar
      Janet

      …and thank-you Sharon, for blooming here! This is touching, something I’m sure we can all relate to! God Bless.

    3. SevenAcreSky Avatar
      SevenAcreSky

      Sharon….I am reading up from the bottom today….and several poems back I just had to take my hands off the keyboard, drop my arms to my side, sigh a satisfying sigh, and say aloud, “Oh….I love this place.”
      Then I scrolled up, and saw where you took my thought and sang it.

  36. poetryshack Avatar
    poetryshack

    Whew -hew! From PA street back into the garden. Let’s get our bloom on…but first we must sow some seeds.

  37. Sharp Little Pencil Avatar
    Sharp Little Pencil

    BETTER LATE THAN NEVER!!! ‘Tis I, “the late” ABL. ha ha

    Garden of Weeds

    It can start with anything
    A feather caught in a curling freefall
    That cardinal pecking at my window

    The random assemblage of spices
    jumbled on the shelf – one tumbles me
    awake, ablaze with cardamom coincidence

    Mom’s spirit sharing coffee with me
    telling stories from where she now resides
    far off in heaven, and thisclose

    Even bad memories stir me
    dredge, sift, filtering through
    my bones, seeping to the nerves

    A prophet once told me that
    love is everywhere
    So is truth
    So is pain
    So is amazement
    So is amusement
    So is romance
    So is anger…
    despair …
    relief

    So it’s time
    to reach for my journal
    and sprout another plant

    for my garden of weeds

    © 2012 Amy Barlow Liberatore/Sharp Little Pencil
    For Poetic Bloomings, Marie and Walt called for poems about SEEDS… seeds to plant, to nurture; seeds of poetry and other art… the beginning little “oomph” that pushes one to action.

    1. Henrietta Choplin Avatar
      Henrietta Choplin

      So Love– ly, those weeds…

    2. Janet Avatar
      Janet

      You do grow LOVELY weeds! Amy, there is SO much food for thought in your words! thank-you for sharing.

    3. SevenAcreSky Avatar
      SevenAcreSky

      Amy…the best poems to me are like this one–the writer’s moments, the writer moved, the writer reaching to write. This kind of poem reaches and squeezes our hearts as writers, and affirms the common beat in all of our souls.

  38. Pamela Smyk Cleary Avatar
    Pamela Smyk Cleary

    WOW! Could it really be a year already?? It doesn’t seem possible! You guys are amazing — as is your reach and influence! I feel both honored — and undeserving — to be included in your list of poets, as I’ve only been lurking about in the shadows. You’ve “guilted me” into trying to be more present in the future — is that an oxymoron?? Marie & Walt, I love both your poems, and will make every effort to plant more seeds into your lovely “Poet-anical” Garden (love that phrase, Walt!). Starting today, here’s my “seed poem”:

    Immigrants

    Uprooted from faraway places
    distant homelands, familiar faces,
    scattered, broadcast, blown by breeze
    transplanted into common ground
    by sweat and toil, they sowed
    their seeds in fertile soil

    old roots cling, hew and cleave,
    standards relinquish, legacy
    intermingles with new mores,
    uncertain beginnings blossom,
    wild flowers finding their own way

    1. Poetic Bloomings Avatar
      Poetic Bloomings

      BEAUTIFUL poem. And no guilt. We don’t want anyone to feel even the least bit “obligated” to post here, “PSC.” Truly.

      Marie Elena

      1. Pamela Smyk Cleary Avatar
        Pamela Smyk Cleary

        Thanks, Marie. And I knew that! Think I was just born with a guilty conscience! LOL

        1. Poetic Bloomings Avatar
          Poetic Bloomings

          …and yet ANOTHER thing we have in common! 😉

          meg

    2. Henrietta Choplin Avatar
      Henrietta Choplin

      “… wild flowers finding their own way..” Love this!!!

      1. Pamela Smyk Cleary Avatar
        Pamela Smyk Cleary

        Thank you Hen! That image appealed to me too. 🙂

    3. Janet Avatar
      Janet

      This is so ‘romantic’. Beautiful!

      1. Pamela Smyk Cleary Avatar
        Pamela Smyk Cleary

        Awww… thanks, Janet! 🙂

    4. SevenAcreSky Avatar
      SevenAcreSky

      We taught our fifth graders years ago that America was a melting pot…this is the first time I’ve been able (thanks Pamela) to see it as an immigrated garden!
      I like ‘old roots cling, hew, and cleave.’ Powerful picturing.

      1. Pamela Smyk Cleary Avatar
        Pamela Smyk Cleary

        Thank you, SevenAcreSky! What a sweet thing to say! 🙂 I think I like the image of a wildflower garden better than a melting pot. :-))

  39. poetryshack Avatar
    poetryshack

    The King’s Roots

    The King’s choice seed has been planted
    His royal germ is well known
    Full growth its full inclination
    Into majestic garden, stately home

    The life within, stirred demanding
    Constant perfection, glory replete
    as gem-laden rhizomes drink ripe earth
    sinking plumb deep, wayward creep

    Its uncomeliness has now been broken
    From cracked shell it obtains escape
    Pivoting to and fro developing
    With wiggle room taking shape

    1. Henrietta Choplin Avatar
      Henrietta Choplin

      “Its uncomeliness has now been broken… From cracked shell it obtains escape…” The mysterious miracle here.

      1. poetryshack Avatar
        poetryshack

        🙂

    2. Janet Avatar
      Janet

      Gorgeous…’Its uncomeliness has now been broken’ what a powerful line!

    3. SevenAcreSky Avatar
      SevenAcreSky

      Yes…that line’s the pinnacle of this piece.

  40. poetryshack Avatar
    poetryshack

    Extravagant Royal Seed

    Extravagant royal seed

    What magnificent birth of soil

    of crystal Magnolias arrayed

    in soft sapphire trunks

    pickled pink in diamond-rose blossoms

    abundantly crowned aside

    emerald leaf, rubied spinal stems

    sparkling, startling rich producing fruitful gems

    1. Henrietta Choplin Avatar
      Henrietta Choplin

      … wow, some of my favorite gemstones… Lovely take, poetryshack!

      1. poetryshack Avatar
        poetryshack

        I love precious stones as well.

    2. SevenAcreSky Avatar
      SevenAcreSky

      Ah! The colors!

  41. Benjamin Thomas Avatar
    Benjamin Thomas

    Wholly Encompassed

    Seeds sown
    in tilled hearts
    taking root;
    gaining ground
    rummaging,
    seeking room
    gathering fruit
    of mind, emotion
    will.
    resurfaced
    determined
    trailing arm, limb
    winding
    winding
    each extremity
    creeping
    creeping
    head to toe
    holding fast tendrils grip
    til blessed immobility
    wholly encompassed
    slithering, sliding
    in full poetic bloom

    1. Henrietta Choplin Avatar
      Henrietta Choplin

      “… tilled hearts…” I’ll have to think about this for a while… :).

    2. Janet Avatar
      Janet

      wholly encompassed
      slithering, sliding
      in full poetic bloom…

      What a triumphant finish! Lovely.

    3. SevenAcreSky Avatar
      SevenAcreSky

      I can see them, feel them rummaging….love that word. I think of my peas and corn I planted day before yesterday…they are rummaging, seeking room…far from fruit, but thinking of it. May the seeds of my tilled heart be always aware why they are rummaging.

      1. Henrietta Choplin Avatar
        Henrietta Choplin

        7, I love the word rummaging too!!!

    4. kellyliving4real Avatar
      kellyliving4real

      “Seed grow in tilled hearts”….I love that!

  42. Benjamin Thomas Avatar
    Benjamin Thomas

    The Gardener

    Your seeds
    have grown
    into sightly tulips

    Her petals wave
    fluttering, from
    wayward winds

    1. Henrietta Choplin Avatar
      Henrietta Choplin

      Oh, lovely!

    2. Janet Avatar
      Janet

      Truly enchanting!

    3. SevenAcreSky Avatar
      SevenAcreSky

      Perfect. Beauty in the wind.

  43. Janet Avatar
    Janet

    On Planting…

    If you plant peas, my dear
    You will not get beets
    The fruit that will sprout
    Is the off-spring of seeds

    …just as in life
    Deeds are seeds of fruit
    We cannot plant evil
    And expect to reap good

    Can’t wait to return and read…

    1. Henrietta Choplin Avatar
      Henrietta Choplin

      YES!!! 🙂 !

      Morning, Janet, wonderful to see you this morning!

      1. Janet Avatar
        Janet

        Thank-you Ben and Hen! Seems there are other ‘gardens’ requiring my time lately…bittersweet torment:)

        1. Henrietta Choplin Avatar
          Henrietta Choplin

          🙂 Lucky you! 🙂

          1. Janet Avatar
            Janet

            Yes, indeed!:) Thank-you

    2. poetryshack Avatar
      poetryshack

      How true 🙂 good to see you sowing in the garden.

      Benjamin

    3. SevenAcreSky Avatar
      SevenAcreSky

      Janet,
      yes…sweetly said. It made me think of things I wanted to plant this year, but just no room….my garden space is limited, so I’d better make the best of it, huh? No bad seeds. Ever.

  44. meenarose Avatar
    meenarose

    Seeds-R-Us
    By: Meena Rose

    Two positions to fill,
    We are seeking creative
    Lateral thinkers who
    Will help seed and
    Nurture innovations
    In the Silicon Forest.

    I contemplated the job
    Post wondering if I
    Was a creative lateral
    Thinker and could I
    Possibly help bring other
    People’s seeds to fruition.

    I gazed back at a lifetime
    Of experiences and setbacks;
    Infusing will into the seed
    So life may renew itself
    One more time; each seedling
    Spawning others along the way.

    Was I truly a fit incubator, a
    Proper nurturer to be entrusted
    With someone else’s fragile seed
    Of an idea or innovation? I stared
    At my hands; I could not tell if
    My thumbs were green or black.

    I closed my eyes and smiled
    For a new seed had begun to
    Sparkle, shimmer and gleam. It
    Fought hard against a sea of
    Glittering seeded potential to
    Say pick me.

    I carefully picked the seed up
    And breathed life into it
    Fanning its inner glow; quickly
    The seed started to thrive reflecting
    Its luminous glow on its neighbors;
    I think I found it: my own catalyst seed.

    http://meenarose.wordpress.com/2012/05/02/prompted-wednesdays-of-vacuums-and-seeds/

    1. Henrietta Choplin Avatar
      Henrietta Choplin

      Beautiful!!! In life, we just never know…

      1. meenarose Avatar
        meenarose

        Henrietta, thank you!

    2. SevenAcreSky Avatar
      SevenAcreSky

      Lovely thing, consideration…the edge of decision on which our movements lie.

      1. meenarose Avatar
        meenarose

        It is indeed sometimes I am blessed when I notice it.

    3. kellyliving4real Avatar
      kellyliving4real

      Thought provoking…very nice.

      1. meenarose Avatar
        meenarose

        Thank you Kelly!

  45. Deep Calls Unto Deep « echoes from the silence Avatar
    Deep Calls Unto Deep « echoes from the silence

    […] for Poetic Bloomings Prompt #53: Returning To The Soil Echo this:FacebookEmailTwitterStumbleUponPinterestLike this:LikeBe the first […]

  46. pmwanken Avatar
    pmwanken

    DEEP CALLS UNTO DEEP

    seed sown into fertile soil;
    dark, rich earth
    damp from the moisture below,
    warmed by the sun above

    deep calls unto this seed
    to be more than itself;
    the depth of its potential
    yet to be realized

    2012-05-02
    P. Wanken

    1. Henrietta Choplin Avatar
      Henrietta Choplin

      “… to be more than itself; the depth of its potential yet to be realized.” You speak for all us human “beans”. :)!

      1. Janet Avatar
        Janet

        What Hen said…yes! and in the first stanza you remind us how dark and light coalesce to produce the bloom! Beautiful!

    2. SevenAcreSky Avatar
      SevenAcreSky

      Yes P. An unseen sun warms us, and we meet it when we sprout.

    3. Mr. Walker Avatar
      Mr. Walker

      Paula, “deep calls” indeed – and you punned – elegantly, by the way, with “depth of its potential”. Lovely.

      Richard

    4. kellyliving4real Avatar
      kellyliving4real

      Nice. Especially “the depth of its potential
      yet to be realized”…so true of every living thing!

  47. Benjamin Thomas Avatar
    Benjamin Thomas

    Inspired by two massive, aged, wise trees I noticed on a beautiful evening.

    Wise Trees

    On the nightside, parked
    tucked in the shadow
    I took courage at seeing
    your gorgeous crown,
    dense dimensions,
    fullness of wisdom
    of your elegant roots.
    Your presence
    so charming
    draws me closer
    within the limits
    of your
    massive frondescence
    please fold me closer
    wrap me tightly
    with your wise
    winged boughs
    I beg you, branch deeply
    into the chambers
    of my heart and
    fill me with your
    stability

    1. Henrietta Choplin Avatar
      Henrietta Choplin

      THIS is Gorgeous!!! I LOVE trees!!!

      1. Benjamin Thomas Avatar
        Benjamin Thomas

        Me too, I can’t seem to get away from them. Totally enjoying this prompt. Thx.

    2. Janet Avatar
      Janet

      I agree, there is something very provocative about trees..So many life-applications too! Enjoyed this one very much, Benjamin.

    3. SevenAcreSky Avatar
      SevenAcreSky

      Mike! Love this…I am on the verge of trying this form. You did this excellently, and it reminded me of our church garden…a community garden we plant twice a year for any and all to partake from. People don’t know us by name…they say ‘oh, that’s the garden church.’ That’s how we like it
      Love the haiku’s above too….

      1. SevenAcreSky Avatar
        SevenAcreSky

        Oops..posted this on wrong poem. This was for Mike’s piece below.

    4. SevenAcreSky Avatar
      SevenAcreSky

      Benjamin,
      Love the great trees too…felt your longing there to be filled by their solid strength. Well done.

    5. Mr. Walker Avatar
      Mr. Walker

      Benjamin, those last five lines are beautiful.

      Richard

    6. Benjamin Thomas Avatar
      Benjamin Thomas

      Much thanks to Henrietta, Mr. Walker, SevenAcreSky, and Janet!
      Trees are the stability of the garden. Be back later…:)

    7. kellyliving4real Avatar
      kellyliving4real

      So much to be learned from trees. Very nice.

  48. mikegrove7 Avatar
    mikegrove7

    Haiku on Seed (3)

    I am only seed.
    You are fertile ground and rain.
    Together we grow.
    ~ ~ ~
    From a single seed
    enough good can multiply
    to nourish the world
    ~ ~ ~
    Dandelion fur
    left alone in natures hands
    will yield a bounty
    ~ ~ ~

    By Michael Grove

    1. Henrietta Choplin Avatar
      Henrietta Choplin

      Loved these words: “…From a single seed enough good can multiply to nourish the world”. And, “Dandelion fur”.

    2. Benjamin Thomas Avatar
      Benjamin Thomas

      Waxing poetic I see Michael. This is awesome.

    3. Janet Avatar
      Janet

      Love it…the last one made me smile considering the season:)

    4. kellyliving4real Avatar
      kellyliving4real

      Wonderful!

  49. mikegrove7 Avatar
    mikegrove7

    The Beggars

    A handful was all he had.
    A simply special seed.
    The beggars were all glad.
    He grew enough to feed.

    A simply special seed.
    Please multiply and grow.
    He grew enough to feed.
    At first he had to sow.

    Please multiply and grow.
    Share what you shall reap.
    At first he had to sow.
    At last he had to weep.

    Share what you shall reap.
    A handful was all he had.
    At last he had to weep.
    The beggars were all glad.

    By Michael Grove

    1. Henrietta Choplin Avatar
      Henrietta Choplin

      Lovely, Michael…

    2. Janet Avatar
      Janet

      Profound…and a pantoum? well done.

  50. iaindouglaskemp Avatar
    iaindouglaskemp

    Back to the Potting Shed

    The best laid plans
    of Poets and Weasels
    (like a dreadful case of measles)
    have gone, if not agly,
    then at the least
    a bit skew-whiffly

    The time has come
    the ball-fan said
    to howl of many things:
    of chips, of booze,
    of stealing third,
    of hot dogs,
    and wings.

    Did Byron Shelley
    and our man, Keats
    suffer such ignoble defeats?
    Tales are not given forth,
    Cry God! Harry, I’m getting hoarse!

    So lead us up the garden path
    and slyly pass the old bird bath,
    sneak into the potting shed
    and lay upon the old camp bed,
    muse and ponder for a while,
    about what words
    this old world needs
    and when at last the time is nigh,
    leap up to plant some fresh
    new seeds.

    Iain

    1. Janet Avatar
      Janet

      Hear! Hear! Love it, esp. the imagery in the last stanza.

      1. iaindouglaskemp Avatar
        iaindouglaskemp

        Thanks!!! 🙂

    2. SevenAcreSky Avatar
      SevenAcreSky

      Love it…esp ‘laying upon the old camp bed, muse and ponder for a while’
      I spent…I purchased rather, with a dollar of determination to let other things wait…a long moment in the hammock yesterday under singing birds and sliding clouds. What great moments for words to come to you. Thanks, Iain, for confirming that moment for me.

      1. iaindouglaskemp Avatar
        iaindouglaskemp

        Happy to help, thank you so much 🙂

      2. Henrietta Choplin Avatar
        Henrietta Choplin

        Yes… let other things wait… while resting in a lovely hammock!

    3. Henrietta Choplin Avatar
      Henrietta Choplin

      “So lead us up the garden path… muse and ponder for a while, about what words this old world needs…” :)!!!

  51. Janet Avatar
    Janet

    Thank-you Walt and Marie,

    Their kind words fall
    Soft, whispered seeds
    Into a fallow plot
    They sprout
    Creating poetry
    From gathering of thought

    Kind words are seeds
    They strip the weeds
    That fain would choke the flower
    They nurture where
    Bleak, dark despair
    Would seek to over-power

    Translucent seeds
    Kind words inspire
    A universal garden
    Where poetry
    Blooms rampantly
    Beneath love’s tender pardon

    1. SevenAcreSky Avatar
      SevenAcreSky

      Ah, sweet…soft…gentle…kind….true.
      Lovely, Janet.

      1. Janet Avatar
        Janet

        Thank-you:)

      2. Henrietta Choplin Avatar
        Henrietta Choplin

        Yes… beauty inspired…

  52. Misky Avatar
    Misky

    THE LANGUAGE OF POETRY

    From little seeds came prompts, came poems,
    those few they gathered, coming home,
    and they were of many speech but one language.

    Lines they spoke in colours rich,
    stitching words, quilting poems they wrote,
    and they were of many speech but one language.

    Layer on layer of delicate sounds,
    rhyming beats of meter found,
    and they were of many speech but one language.

    Poetic floors, poetic walls,
    stanzas hung as softly falling shawls,
    and they were of many speech but one language.

    A house, a home, a poetic hearth,
    those that gathered, coming home,
    and they were of many speech but one language.

    The Language of Poetry

    1. Benjamin Thomas Avatar
      Benjamin Thomas

      Beautiful Misk, Nice work of art here. Love your title, it speaks volumes!

      1. Misky Avatar
        Misky

        Thank you, Benjamin. 🙂

      2. Henrietta Choplin Avatar
        Henrietta Choplin

        Yes, and loved especially: “…stitching words, quilting words they wrote,…”

        1. Henrietta Choplin Avatar
          Henrietta Choplin

          Oops… “quilting poems they wrote,…”

    2. kellyliving4real Avatar
      kellyliving4real

      I enjoyed the patchwork of poetry…especially “stanzas hung as softly falling shawls”

  53. connielpeters Avatar
    connielpeters

    Gardening with Dad

    Tommy trailed Dad down garden rows
    He watched Dad plant each tiny seed
    He longed to see how a plant grows
    That would explain his naughty deed

    He watched Dad plant each tiny seed
    His plan seemed right just at the time
    That would explain his naughty deed
    Felt innocent of any crime

    His plan seemed right just at the time
    To take a look see underground
    Felt innocent of any crime
    As Tommy plunged his shovel down

    To take a look see underground
    We’re just the same way with God’s plans
    As Tommy plunged his shovel down
    With worry we too upturn plants

    We’re just the same way with God’s plans
    We question how His Word comes true
    With worry we too upturn plants
    And what a childish thing to do!

    We question how His Word comes true
    Instead of trusting in His grace
    And what a childish thing to do!
    Let’s keep His promises in place

    So let us trust in His good grace
    And follow Dad down garden rows
    Let’s keep His promises in place
    And see how each plant surely grows

    1. Henrietta Choplin Avatar
      Henrietta Choplin

      YES!!!

  54. kellyliving4real Avatar
    kellyliving4real

    I have been so, so busy, and I’ve missed my PB group. I will try to catch up.

    Where Growth Begins

    When you feel likes smiling
    don’t hide it.
    Smile, so others know.

    When tunes start stirring
    don’t squelch them,
    Drum or hum, make a show,

    When doubts come,
    don’t dwell on them.
    Push them aside, let them go.

    When an idea comes
    don’t dismiss it.
    Fuel it and let it grow!

    © KED 2012

    1. Henrietta Choplin Avatar
      Henrietta Choplin

      KELLY!!! Missed you! Love the smile, smile, smile… sing, sing, sing to push the doubts away!!! 🙂 🙂 🙂 !!!

  55. Benjamin Thomas Avatar
    Benjamin Thomas

    Bonsai Blooms

    ( Click or paste link to see picture http://wp.me/p1OZDf-3Z)

    My little

    Dwarfed beauty

    twisted

    dazzling

    dangling

    crimson barrettes

    sport

    with

    sturdy branches

    splashed

    in

    fuschia

    splendor

    well

    emblazoned

    wearing

    calm

    Bonsai blooms

    1. Henrietta Choplin Avatar
      Henrietta Choplin

      Just soo bright and lovely!!!

  56. Mr. Walker Avatar
    Mr. Walker

    Verdant

    I have a brown thumb
    I kill plants

    I don’t mean to
    It just happens

    So, you should probably
    keep seeds away from me

    Words are my soil
    That’s where I plant

    Some are forests
    November novels

    Some a clump of trees
    an adapted screenplay

    Some a bush
    leaves on each side

    of the branches
    stanzas of couplets

    Some a blade of grass
    a haiku

    These are my seeds
    I share them with you

    Plant them in your fertile soil
    your imagination

    That would make me happy
    and maybe you too

    That green
    that is our life

    1. Henrietta Choplin Avatar
      Henrietta Choplin

      Oh, I like this!

    2. kellyliving4real Avatar
      kellyliving4real

      Very nice.

  57. Prompt Week: Friday Freeforall « Margo Roby: Wordgathering Avatar
    Prompt Week: Friday Freeforall « Margo Roby: Wordgathering

    […] week on Poetic Bloomings we have several things to do. The prompt suggests we write a seed poem. To know what that refers to, go on over. Then we have a form, the pantoum, one of my all-time […]

  58. Andrew Kreider Avatar
    Andrew Kreider

    Dandelion moon

    Now that you have failed, my friend,
    now that you have fought and cried,
    and close-kissed death , you are ready.

    Tonight, what once blazed gold on a
    sea of sun is beautiful again, become
    a pirate mast flashing silver at the moon.

    For upon this grey-swept beach we are all washed,
    drunk on disorder – quavering oaks bowing
    final prayers over our work as it floats away.

    Somewhere, this cloud of silk will find new
    ground and astonish. So let the skies descend, and
    damn the consequences. Every shipwreck is a seed.

    1. Henrietta Choplin Avatar
      Henrietta Choplin

      Love that “Dandelion moon” title… and thinking about how “every shipwreck is a seed”…

  59. Someone Wild Singing « Magical Mystical Teacher Avatar
    Someone Wild Singing « Magical Mystical Teacher

    […] Northern Arizona   More Postcards from Paradise at Recuerda Mi Corazon   More Poetic Bloomings: “Returning to the Soil”   More Straight Out of the Camera Sunday   More Sunday Scribblings: “Wild” […]

  60. Only for an Hour « Magical Mystical Teacher Avatar
    Only for an Hour « Magical Mystical Teacher

    […] Mystical Teacher   Photo: An iris in bloom, Hubbell Trading Post, Ganado, Arizona   More Poetic Bloomings: “Returning to the Soil”   More Straight Out of the Camera Sunday   More Sunday Scribblings: “Wild” […]

  61. Kimiko Martinez Avatar
    Kimiko Martinez

    We are a fantastic garden, friends!