Imagine the Possibilities

Happy Poetry Friday!

I’m participating this year in the Summer Poem Swap, and this week I received an incredible gift from Linda Mitchell—a hand-crafted journal bursting with inspiration.

I poured over all the nooks and crannies (more than once) tucked with drawings, sayings, poems, and quotes, expertly designed with plenty of room for me to write my own. Because I was thinking of hand work, I was particularly drawn to a photo of some needlework. It could have been an example of cross-stitching, or maybe needlepoint, but it reminded me of the many crafts I once pursued. There was a time when I did a lot of cross-stitch—on magnets for school fairs, bookmarks, napkins, ornaments, wall hangings, and clothing. Below is a picture of a sweatshirt I decorated for my daughter when she was in elementary school of cross-stitched instruments she played. I kept it all these years thinking one day I’d turn it into a pillow.

It was fun to remember that time when I channeled more of my creativity into handiwork instead of words. Thanks to Linda’s gift, I found a way to combine them.

Cross-Stitching

needle in and needle out
inside a circle frame
count each stitch
create an X
watch a picture grow

an apple, a flower,
a rainbow, a star
on buttons and skirts
on bookmarks and shirts

busy hands creating,
shaping, fabricating
shining hearts and souls
Draft, 2023RoseCappelli

It’s very fitting that Linda has the round up today at A Word Edgewise. Be sure to head over for some fun with clunkers and lots more poetry goodness.

Welcome to Poetry Friday!

This post should probably come with a warning since it’s a bit sad. I started reading Bittersweet: How Sorrow and Longing Make Us Whole by Susan Cain. It’s thought provoking and has come at just the right time.

About a month ago I wrote a post about dogs. Dogs are still on my mind, but not necessarily because good things have happened. Since that time my daughter’s other dog passed. That one lived with us for a time, so we were particularly close to her. Our dog, Cyrus, continues to battle vision problems that have recently progressed, and the doctor suspects he may have lymphoma. We are spending our days keeping him comfortable and close, knowing that soon it will be time for a final farewell.

In Cyrus’ honor, I’m reposting a poem from November, 2022 along with an update.

The Voice Inside

He pauses at the top
of the stairs
where once he bounded down
without a care.
Now something warns
Beware.

One cautious step,
another follows
when something whispers
Take it slow.

His eyes adjust,
he’s on his way,
then something tells him
You’re okay.
©2022RoseCappelli

Buffy has the round up today where she shares two beautiful nature inspired poems. Be sure to visit for lots of poetry goodness.

It’s Poetry Friday!

Back in the day when I shared writing lessons with students and teachers, I often used “That Was Summer” by Marci Ridlon as a mentor text. Here’s the first verse:

Have you ever smelled summer?
Sure you have. Remember that time
when you were tired of running
or doing nothing much
and you were hot
and you flopped right down on the ground?
Remember how the warm soil smelled—
and the grass?
That was summer.

This week my poetry group was charged with exploring a sense, and Marci Ridlon’s poem immediately came to mind. I wanted to explore the sense of smell since so many of my memories, especially childhood memories, are linked to smells. “That Was Summer” was my jumping off point for my poem…

Can You Smell the Sun?

The smell of spring starts with the sun
encouraging each peony petal to open,
each honeysuckle bloom to burst.

It starts with the sun
rising over a salty sea
or a meadow of milkweed.

The smell of summer starts with the sun, too.
On a bed freshly made with line-dried sheets
or lotion-lathered limbs of kids diving in.

It starts with the sun
on sizzling sidewalks
and homespun fun.

Take a deep breath.
Can you smell the sun?
Draft, 2023Rose Cappelli

Patricia has the round up today at Reverie where she is celebrating a special anniversary. Be sure to stop by for a special tribute to love and commitment and lots more poetry fun! Happy anniversary, my friend.

It’s Poetry Friday!

I’ve been thinking a lot about dogs this week. I learned that a friend’s beloved pup was diagnosed with a serious illness, my own aging dog is battling some vision problems, and then came the most devastating news—one of my daughter’s dogs, the one that was supposed to outlive the other, unexpectedly passed away from an illness no one knew she had.

It’s not surprising that I found myself turning to the poems of Mary Oliver for comfort. As one who loved dogs, she had a way of deeply understanding them. Here are two passages from poems in Dog Songs (2013) by Mary Oliver:

“A dog can never tell you what she knows from the
smells of the world, but you know, watching her, that you know
almost nothing.”

“See how the violets are opening, and the leaves
unfolding, the streams gleaming and the birds
singing. What does it make you think of?
His shining curls, his honest eyes, his beautiful barking.”

Here’s a poem I recently wrote in response to a prompt from my poetry group, The Nevermores, to write a poem that begins with the line”This is what life does…”:

Remembering
by Rose Cappelli

This is what life does…

It wakes you early one morning and sets your soul
remembering—
remembering the dogs 
who hover inside your heart
in ways never imagined,
even now.

It guides you down a path of remembering
how much each has accepted,
given unconditionally and
shared all the love and comfort, joy and sorrow
of every part of your life
in every stage of your life.

Life, it seems, provides us a roadmap
for living well and growing old gracefully—
if we remember.
Draft, 2023RoseCappelli

My dog, Cyrus, in his younger days.

Robyn has the roundup today on Life on the Deckle Edge. Be sure to head over there for a lovely tribute to mothers and lots more poetry goodness.