Happy Poetry Friday!
On Wednesday I completed a series of three small online writing workshops with poets extraordinaire Georgia Heard and Ralph Fletcher. They were offered through Georgia’s Poet’s Studio. Titled “Write Bites,” the sessions were just 45-50 minutes in length. For each session, Georgia and Ralph offered a prompt, then gave us time to write and share. Some of the poets in the community (Jen, Moe, and fellow Poetry Friday contributor Jone) I knew, but many of us were meeting for the first time. Still, we all bonded quickly in the supportive environment created by Georgia and Ralph. I was in awe of the heartfelt and beautiful writing produced by my fellow classmates.
On the last night, Ralph’s prompt came from a photo of a tree he had taken while in New Zealand. He called it “The Lonely Tree.” I’m sorry I don’t have a copy of it, but imagine a lone tree, bending over the water surrounding it, with mountains and clouds in the background. It was the kind of photograph that can mean something different to just about everyone who sees it. I was surprised at where the photo took me, but when I started writing, this is where my thoughts wandered.
Yes
Sometimes life catches us off guard.
We’re surrounded by sustenance,
beauty,
warmth,
but can’t quite touch it,
can’t quite hold its essence.
I bend low—
almost,
almost there.
To find the right words,
to feel them flow like blood in my veins,
to be caught off guard with acceptance
would sustain me
for always.
Draft, RoseCappelli2024
Georgia and Ralph are offering Write Bites 2.0 beginning in late January. You can find more information about it and lots of other writing opportunities with Georgia at The Poet’s Studio.
Linda Mitchell has the roundup today at her blog A Word Edgewise where she is playing with centos. Be sure to stop by for lots of poetry goodness!
Imagine the Possibilities 
Writing with Georgia and Ralph must have been magical. Ralph’s photography is amazing. He occasionally posts his stunning images online, and I feel transformed. Your poem describes this transformation. ” We’re surrounded by sustenance, beauty, and warmth” yet sometimes can’t access the comfort of it all. I think the holidays particularly bring up grief and things that don’t feel right. I hope you have a lovely holiday season. I find solace in your poetry.
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Thank you, Margaret. I hope you have a wonderful holiday, too.
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So beautiful Rise- there’s a mournfulness in the words. I can feel this trees longing to be fed, to stand upright, nourished.
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Thank you, Patricia.
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Wonderful to hear about your inspiring time with the workshops. Your poem offers up a kind of wistful hoping — but isn’t that what poets do, try to capture in words the essence of moments our rational minds can’t quite reach?
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There is a special hoping to it, Jama. Glad it came through.
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I’ve written with Georgia before but to have her and Ralph Fletcher must have been so inspiring, Rose. We don’t need the picture! You gave it to us in your poem. It is lovely, full of longing and also celebration. Love the post!
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ooooooh, that repetition of “almost,” is just perfection. Well done, you. I think you have found just the right words. And, wow! What a fun class to take.
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Rose, what a great joy it must have been to work with Georgia and Ralph. I love his photography. He uses the image to evoke written responses so well and as you say those responses can be quite diverse. I would love to be part of one of their workshops, but i suspect time differences might make that a difficult proposition. Ironically both of them presented on line at a conference I was presenting at in Darwin a couple of years ago. Your poem captures the poet’s quest for the right word. It is easy to identify with your heartfelt words.
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I hope you get to work with Georgia and Ralph sometime, Alan. I’ve known them both for years, first during the days when I was writing professional books for teachers, and now as poets.
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Sounds like a wonderful workshop. And what an intriguing couple of lines,
“to be caught off guard with acceptance
would sustain me”
thanks for your poem Rose, and the description of the inspirational tree!
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What a beautiful poem! I love that you did this class. Ralph and Georgia in the same Zoom room seems amazing to me. I’m so glad I got to see you this week in our own Zoom room. 🙂
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Yes! Our Nevermores meeting was awesome! I have the review e-copy of your book and will be settling into it this week.
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Oh, this is beautiful, Rose! I’ve also been participating in WriteBites, but have only made it to one of the live Zoom sessions. I’m sorry I missed “seeing” you at this last one. I enjoyed starting my Saturday morning with the recording. I’ve been really enjoying them and have already signed up for the next session. Maybe I’ll see you there?
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Oh, I’m so sorry I missed you, Molly. I’m signed up for Georgia’s poetry workshop with Rebecca Kai Dotlich in January. I haven’t signed up for the next Write Bites yet, but maybe I’ll do that, too.
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Sounds like a wonderful experience, Rose! Glad you are letting us share it vicariously with you.
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Thanks, Tabatha.
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