Imagine the Possibilities

It’s Poetry Friday and the round up is here! Thanks for stopping by.

My April Poetry Project was to write a daily tanka in response to a poem from my morning reading. I didn’t have much experience with that form so I thought it would be a good exercise. Some days were harder than others, but I’m happy to report that I was successful in writing the tankas. I did, however, let my inspiration come from things other than the poems I was reading. That helped me remember that there is inspiration all around and that poetry can be found everywhere.

Here is one in response to the Artemus II splashdown:

four brave astronauts
traveled higher, farther…then
a perfect splashdown
connecting again to earth
renewed in understanding

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There were surprises, too. After reading “On Finding a Turtle Shell in Daniel Boone National Forest” by Jeff Worley on George Bilgere’s Poetry Town, I was reminded of my first classroom and the turtle we kept for a brief time. I have no recollection of where he came from, but I have a distinct memory of returning him to nature.

Classroom Pet

He lived in a box
munching on lettuce and leaves.
A curiosity,
but not the life he deserved.
We waved as he ambled off.

_____________________________

At Easter my grandchildren visited. I was thrilled when six-year-old Nina not only took out her journal to write but suggested I get mine so we could write together.

Together

We write together.
Flowers march across the page,
words woven in stars;
sharing dreams and ideas
in thoughts connecting our hearts.

Thanks for visiting today and for the support and encouragement of this community. Together our words have the power to make the world a better place. You can leave your link with Mr. Linky and I’ll be back to respond.

It’s Poetry Friday! The lovely and talented Irene Latham has the roundup today at Live Your Poem. Be sure to stop by for a sneak peek at her new novel Some Starry Night and lots more poetry goodness.

I’m writing daily tankas during April, and this week I found inspiration at the Stuck Bumblebee Poetry Challenge hosted by Joyce Uglow and Cindy Mackey. Each day during the week of April 20 they offer a word to use in a small poem. There is also a writing tip from a guest author. Thursday’s Day 4 tip came from our host, Irene, and the words offered were frozen and future. Joyce and Cindy encourage poetry to celebrate the Earth, so I wrote:

A Tanka for Earth Day

Live in the present
in ways that nurture nature.
Be considerate
in caring for the planet.
Earth’s future depends on it.
Draft, 2026RoseCappelli

Housekeeping Note: Patricia and I swapped hosting duties, so next week’s Poetry Friday roundup will be here at Imagine the Possibilities. Patricia will host on May 15 at Reverie.

It’s Poetry Friday!

I’ve been keeping up with my April Poetry Project of writing a tanka a day. Since I didn’t post last week, I’ll share two today. The first was inspired by the line “What is so utterly invisible as tomorrow?” in a poem from Little Alleluias by Mary Oliver, as well as my beautiful cherry tree currently in full bloom:

Time

Today there are buds
expecting to burst open
into tomorrow –
living all that can be lived
even for such a brief time.
Draft, 2026RoseCappelli

Most of the time my inspiration comes from poetry, but sometimes I pull from observations or events happening around me. I have a bird cam feeder, and while I enjoy watching the birds that visit, I also like to try to spot evening or night visitors. Sometimes I can make out deer crossing in front of the feeder, other times I use my imagination, like I did for this tanka that was also inspired by “Twenty Minutes in the Backyard” by Alberto Rios in You Are Here: Poetry in the Natural World edited by Ada Limón:

At Night

Something moved across
the landscape of the back yard
in the dark of night –
perhaps searching for shelter
or an end to loneliness.
Draft, 2026RoseCappelli

Heidi has the roundup today at My Juicy Little Universe. Be sure to stop by for a special treat – a conversation with Heidi, Margaret Simon, and Jone Rush MacCulloch on all things poetry for kids and lots of other poetry goodness.