Imagine the Possibilities

It’s Poetry Friday!

I love coming across writing invitations that work to get my creative juices flowing, especially when I’m stuck. In her mid-month Heart Beats newsletter this week, Georgia Heard shared an exercise she conducted during her workshop “Words That Sing and Soar” with Irene Latham given through The Poet’s Studio. She chose five words to share with participants and asked them to write a poem using all five words. I thought that might be a good exercise for the Nevermores (my poetry group), and since I was the facilitator for this month’s meeting, I decided to give it a try.

I chose a Mary Oliver poem that appears in Little Alleluias titled “The Morning Walk.” Here is the beginning of that poem:

There are a lot of words meaning thanks.
Some you can only whisper.
Others you can only sing.
The pewee whistles instead.
The snake turns in circles…

I chose five words from the poem: thanks, whisper, can, tree, shine. We all took ten minutes to write allowing the words to inspire thoughts and ideas. The words took us all in different directions, which is what you might expect. Here’s mine:

As Summer Fades to Fall

Thanks to the maple
rising high
touching sky
whispering have a safe journey
to passing geese–
because it can.

Soon, in the last stretch
of its season, that same tree
will shine gold and red
in a dazzling display of life
even in death–
because it can.
Draft, 2026RoseCappelli

Thanks for reading today. Denise has the round up today at Dare to Care. Be sure to stop by for lots of poetry goodness.

It’s Poetry Friday!

A few years ago, I planted milkweed to attract monarchs. The first year I was able to spot several chrysalises and butterflies. But after that, the visitors were few and far between. Last summer there were none.

On Sunday I did my usual garden walk after returning from vacation and was delighted to spot a monarch happily sipping on a Joe Pye blossom. The next morning, I found a caterpillar, then another! For this tanka, I took the liberty of condensing the life cycle, making “yesterday” and “today” more metaphoric.

As the Monarchs Return

yesterday an egg
today a caterpillar
welcome back monarchs
stay strong and journey safely
the world awaits your beauty
Draft, 2026RoseCappelli

I can’t remember who in this community alerted us to the documentary Mary Oliver: Saved by the Beauty of the World but thank you! I saw it this week with my daughter, and it was wonderful. If it’s not in a theater near you, it’s scheduled to be shown on PBS at the end of the month. So inspiring!

Molly has the roundup today at Nix the Comfort Zone. Be sure to stop by to try out some word play and for lots more poetry goodness.

It’s Poetry Friday!

I think of summer as a time to slow down a bit, notice more, fill the well of ideas. I’m trying to be more appreciative of nature’s treasures. Sometimes it’s a flower that just happened to pop up, sometimes a new bird at the feeder. A few weeks ago, it was some spiders who paid me a visit. Three different locations, but all in the same day.

Spider Encounters

A tiny yellow spider crawled
from the cut zinnias.
I marveled at its color,
then returned it to nature,
hoping it finds its way.

Another, this one brown,
explored the basil, then
looked up, greeting me
as if it wanted to converse.

But the most glorious sight of all
was not the spider itself,
but the dew-spangled web
attached to the bluebird box.

Gifts of nature,
all sizes, shapes, and colors –
a mirror of our world.
Draft, 2026RoseCappelli

This photo was taken during my round of checking bluebird bozes at Longwood Gardens. You might have to zoom in to see the web hanging on the side. No bluebird nest or eggs, but a wonder of nature nonetheless.

Jill has the roundup here today! Be sure to stop by to learn how to make a zine and for lots of poetry goodness.

Welcome to Poetry Friday!

When I realized that Friday was July 3, I decided to pull up a poem I wrote some months ago while working on poems about light. I remember carefully lighting sparklers with my kids when they were small and seeing the wonder in their eyes. But I worried about the safety aspect of posting a poem about kids and sparklers. My kids had just as much fun with glow sticks, so I revised it.

The poem is in the form of a Choka – the odd numbered lines have 5 syllables, and the even numbered lines have 7 syllables. The poem ends with two 7 syllable lines.

On the Fourth of July

After the parade,
corn on the cob, hot dogs, and
Mom’s sweet apple pie,
my brother and I wrap our
fists around glow sticks.
They bend. Snap! Releasing the
energy of light,
our eyes radiating joy—
summer’s twilight fiesta!
Draft, 2026RoseCappelli

I hope all of you who celebrate the 4th have a safe and joyous celebration! This year is a tough one with so many worrisome things happening in our country. But hopefully we can find the light that will help see us through another 250 years.

Michelle has the roundup today with a powerful post filled with art, song, and rousing words at More Art 4 All. Be sure to stop by for lots of poetry goodness.

Photo by Ben White on Unsplash