Imagine the Possibilities

Happy last Poetry Friday of 2022! Patricia has the roundup today at her blog Reverie. Be sure to stop by for a beautiful end of year message from Patricia and lots more poetry goodness.

This week I’ve been revisiting some old poems with my poetry group, The Nevermores, with the thought of revising, reworking, or letting it take me somewhere else. I found a few poems that followed “What the _____Knows” structure that I first learned about from a Poetry Friday post by Mary Lee Hahn in 2021.

What the Wind Knows

What does the wind know?
Forget the angry gusts that shout,
broken branches tossed about
with hostility
we can do without.

What does the wind know?
There’s kindness in a gentle breeze
for lifting kites and rustling leaves,
for tickling dandelion’s sneeze
as it sows its seeds.
Draft, 2022Rose Cappelli

I’ve also been thinking about my One Little Word for 2023. I love it when my OLW finds me. Lately, the idea of kindness has been popping up in articles, poems, books, and news reports. So I decided to pursue kindness as my OLW. My goal is to intentionally incorporate acts of kindness into all aspects of my life, to look for it, and to celebrate it. So, I reworked that poem about the wind (which I think really was more about kindness than the wind anyway) to serve as my mantra for 2023.

Be Kind

There’s kindness in a gentle breeze
for lifting kites and rustling leaves,
for tickling dandelion’s sneeze
as it sows its seeds.

So forget the angry gusts that shout,
the broken branches tossed about
with hostility
we can do without.

Remember to be kind.
©2022RoseCappelli

May 2023 bring you all many kindnesses!

Happy Poetry Friday!

Today I’m celebrating my Grandson’s fifth birthday with a poem. I won’t see him until next week, but through the magic of technology, I’ll read the poem to him later today. This past summer, the grandkids spent a few days with us. It was the first visit without their parents, so we tried to keep them busy with lots of activity. I started by listing all the things we did and quickly realized that although they were all fun, catching fireflies stood out. The two of them would press their noses against the window each evening waiting for the first flash. I think the best part for them was the release. There was jumping and twirling and squeals of delight as the fireflies flew off.

Trying to put into practice what I’ve learned from Laura Purdie Salas (thanks, Laura!), I tried a few different versions, narrowed it down to two, then went with the one you see here.

Irene has the poetry roundup today at Live Your Poem. Be sure to stop by for lots of poetry goodness. Wishing all of you the happiest of holidays, and thank you for reading.

It’s Poetry Friday!

I’ve been thinking a lot about light lately. I usually wake while it’s still dark and love watching the sky slowly brighten. Yesterday I looked out at a world being transformed by a mess of sleet (still beautiful, though), and the line “without darkness there is no light” came to me. It made me think about different kinds of light, especially since I’ve been lighting more candles lately. So I decided to use it to frame my poem.

Light

Without darkness there is no light.

Morning light
sneaks in
peaks over trees
welcomes the day

Candle light
carries warmth
sets an intention
marries glow with hope

Moonlight
gleams
casts beams
offers comfort and peace

Without darkness there is no light.
@Draft, 2022RoseCappelli

I hope you enjoy the many lights of the season. Karen has the roundup today here where she encourages profligate kindness (and where I learned a new word!). Be sure to stop by for lots of poetry goodness.

Happy Poetry Friday!

I’m so honored to be a part of another anthology put together by the talented team of Janet Wong and Sylvia Vardell. This time it’s THINGS WE WEAR. When I was invited to submit a poem to go with RAINCOAT, I immediately fell in love with the photo. There is such joy in the face of the little girl, and I wanted to be sure my poem matched her emotion. I originally wrote the first line as “My raincoat’s full of polka dots.” I wasn’t satisfied with the word “full” but I couldn’t come up with a good alternative… until I went for a walk. I was listening to a podcast in which Matt Forrest Esenwine used the word “pop” in an interview he was giving. I remember being so excited to find that word—not only do the polka dots pop with color and alliteration, but so does the child’s joy. It’s always amazing to me how just one word can make all the difference. (Thanks, Matt.)

All of the proceeds from the “Things We” anthologies go to the IBBY Children in Crisis Fund, and they make great gifts. You can find out how to order here at Pomelo Books.

Michelle has the round-up today at Michelle Kogan Art so be sure to head over there for lots of poetry goodness.

Happy Poetry Friday! Catherine at Reading to the Core has the roundup this week with thoughts on unanswered questions. Be sure to stop by for lots of poetry goodness.

It’s hard to believe it’s December already! I was thinking the other day about the holiday season and how every year it seems to start earlier with one blending seamlessly into the next. It’s not uncommon to see the goblins and ghosts of Halloween sharing shelf space with turkeys, and then even before the frost is on the pumpkin, snowflakes and Santas take over. Time has a way of speeding up as we get older, quite the opposite of when we were kids. So that’s what came to mind for me this Poetry Friday.