Imagine the Possibilities

It’s Poetry Friday and today I’m celebrating the Chinese/Lunar New Year.

This year I participated in Poetry Friday friend Jone Rush MacCulloch’s New Year post card exchange. Thank you to all who sent me post cards. I loved the variety of form, the nod to nature, and the well wishes, optimism, and hope. This morning, after reading through all your lovely words once again, I decided to honor you with a cento of my favorite lines. I also included one from my own “The Year of the Fire Horse.” (For context, 1966 was the last year of the Fire Horse.)

The Year of the Fire Horse

In 1966, the fire horse 
galloped to the stars
to explore the moon.

It was a time
of bold moves
and brave choices.

It’s what the world needs now.
Draft, RoseCappelli2026

With thanks to Mary Lee, Mona, Denise, Gail, Tracey, Patricia, and Molly. The words in italics are the borrowed lines.

A Cento for 2026

In a year of
hopeful optimism,
where mountain becomes mirror,
may we celebrate
with petal confetti,
and fully rejoice in
the truth of a new dawn.

May we
give it all we’ve got
to find
peace.

It’s what the world needs now.
Draft, 2026RoseCappelli

The talented Robyn Hood Black has the roundup today at Life on the Deckle Edge. Be sure to stop by for lots of poetry goodness and a peek at one of her newly created journals.

It’s Poetry Friday!

Tabatha has the round-up today at The Opposite of Indifference. Be sure to stop by for a beautiful poem by Denise Levertov, “Concurrence.” I encourage you also to explore the meditations for this poem in the link Tabatha offers.

Here in the northeast we are preparing for the biggest winter storm we’ve had in a few years. When cold weather hits, I often think about the birds staying sheltered and warm. Turns out they are much like us.

Ready for Winter

I’m toasty in layers of sweaters and jackets;
my bird friends are fluffing fine feathers of down.

When fingers are freezing we put them in pockets
like bird beaks and feet tucked tight in a crouch.

A bunch of us crowd into forts made of snow;
birds huddle and cuddle on evergreen boughs.

I know the best places for sledding and skating;
birds recall spaces that house a seed stash.

We’re ready for winter, my bird friends and I –
the snowsqualls, the deep freeze, the thrill of the chill.
Draft, 2026RoseCappelli

I am especially thinking today of my poetry friends in the Minneapolis area. May you find shelter in the storm. Be safe.

It’s Poetry Friday! Jan has the roundup at Bookseedstudio where she shares a lovely tribute honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Be sure to stop by for lots of poetry goodness.

When you live in a home for almost 48 years, you’re bound to collect some things. Well, maybe a lot of things. Every so often, my husband and I do some clearing of the many boxes that live in our basement and attic. This week yielded several crates of my daughter’s dolls. In the midst of a flood of memories, this one especially caught my attention:

Me and Kate

My doll Kate is cuddly soft,
made of cloth and sewn with love.

She wears a face that’s framed in curls
spilling from a bright pink bow.

She sees the world through painted eyes
above her rosy freckled cheeks.

But missing is a nose and mouth
to let me know just how she feels.

Is she happy, sad, or mad?
Does she have a worried thought?

I search my heart to find the clue
because my feelings are hers, too.
Draft, 2026RoseCappelli

Thanks for reading. Be safe and take good care.

Welcome to Poetry Friday!

I love to look at the sky on a clear winter night. It’s a playground for noticing planets and stars. Without the veil of leaves from the trees the sky seems so much larger. I recently read an article about stargazing with the advice to wait and let your eyes adjust before trying to identify what you see. It reminded me of the advice I always heard as a teacher – to allow wait time for a response since students might process information at different rates. Waiting gives everyone a chance. You might say the same thing about stars. With thanks to the Nevermores for revision suggestions.

Star Students  

Search the sky
for stars
on a clear dark night.

At first, only the brightest,
vying for attention,
will catch your eye.

Pause,
and the quiet ones
will find their light.

Pause again,
and even the shyest
will shine.
Draft, RoseCappelli2026

Photo by Leo Chane on Unsplash

Ruth has the roundup today on her blog where she shares a poem about the ability of birds to brighten the dark days of winter. Be sure to stop by for lots of poetry goodness.