Imagine the Possibilities

Happy Poetry Friday!

This week I was privileged to attend a virtual reading by poet friends (many from this community) of poems written for the latest anthology from Irene Latham and Charles Waters, If I Could Choose a Best Day. Full of reading joy, this is a collection you will want to own. It is a celebration of the wonder in all of us who imagine the possibilities.

Not only was it delightful to hear so many voices reading their work, it was also inspirational. That morning, I spotted a female bluebird on the roof of the birdhouse. Then, just minutes later, I heard tapping on the window – the male! Was this her mate? I like to think this is the same bluebird, Fred, who visited me often last summer. Bluebirds don’t often tap on the window, but Fred has come close to the house before, attempting to get my attention. I wrote about Fred in my post Something New. I think of us as old friends, somehow understanding each other. Right after the poetry reading, I was inspired to write my own “If” poem.

To Fred, the Bluebird Tapping on My Window

If we could converse
would you tell me about your winter,
introduce me to your new friend,
ask if I have mealworms to share?

If we could converse
I would warn you about the sparrows,
disclose where the wind damaged a limb,
ask your advice for my new garden.

Like neighbors meeting
across a fence
we are old friends,
happy in each other’s company…

conversing.
Draft, 2025RoseCappelli

Margaret has the roundup today at Reflections on the Teche where she presents an original poem in the form of a weather forecast. Be sure to stop by for lots of poetry goodness and a link with information about the 2025 Kidlit Progressive Poem.

It’s Poetry Friday!

I always enjoy reading what the Poetry Sisters are doing on the last Friday of the month. In January I learned on Laura Purdie Salas’ blog that their challenge for February was to write a Word Poem, so I decided to play along. I wasn’t sure what word I would use until I read Rebecca Gardyn Levington’s February newsletter. Rebecca always challenges her readers to write a poem or story inspired by a word (#RebeccasWordChallenge). The word she offered for February was “Forget.” I let it roll around in my head for a while, tried different approaches, and finally came up with this.

Forget

Forget is a jittery word.
It scurries
from here
to there
scooping up thoughts
tossing them to the wind
where they scatter like autumn leaves.

Forget can team with forgive
to sweep away impulsive actions
or words that took too long to form.

But sometimes forget slows.
It searches along pathways until
it stumbles into something once buried –
a memory,
an idea,
a promise –
surprising it with new life.
Draft, RoseCappelli2025

Denise has the roundup today at Dare to Care where she offers two powerful word poems. Be sure to stop by for lots of poetry goodness.

Happy Valentine’s Day on this Poetry Friday!

I subscribe to HeartBeats, a monthly newsletter from poet Georgia Heard. This month she offered the challenge to “write a love letter to something unexpected. Not a person—but a small, ordinary thing that quietly illuminates your world.”

I immediately thought about the Christmas candle I burned a few years ago, now long gone but certainly not forgotten. I burn lots of candles, but this particular one was perfection. And although I followed the exercise and made a heart map listing ideas, that candle kept coming up. I’ll admit, I’ve written about it before (versions you may or may not have read), but each time I do, I revise it just a bit. Here’s my latest:

To My Christmas Candle

Somewhere in the middle of a cold winter evening,
I fell in love with you.

Once lost in a whole season of decorating,
now you are so much more.

Burning evenly without residue on the smooth glass,
your glow is a measure of warmth and hope.

Somewhere in the middle of a cold winter evening,
I fell in love with you, my Christmas candle.
Draft, RoseCappelli2025

Linda has the roundup today at Teacher Dance. Be sure to stop by some music for lots of poetry goodness. And may this Valentine’s Day bring you love and kindness.

It’s Poetry Friday! Carol has the roundup today at Beyond Literacy Link where she offers a collection of vintage postcards and the small poems they inspired her to write. Be sure to stop by for her celebration of love and lots more poetry goodness.

Because this is the first Friday in February, I’m contemplating my OLW light and celebrating “the light of home and family where we find the love and shelter that sustain us.”

A Trinet for the Heart

my heart
nestles, nurtures
the memory of people and places
the wonder of sun and stars
with light
with hope
with love
©Rose Cappelli, 2025

May your month be filled with light and love!

It’s Poetry Friday!

Thank you to all the friends who sent New Year postcards. I’m continually amazed at the creativity on display in this group. Each poem, card, photo, drawing has brought me joy which will continue through the year.

In a previous post I talked about keeping a weekly journal of thoughts in Leaf, Cloud, Crow by Margaret Renkl. This week’s prompt was to list beautiful things you can find in the natural world, add to it each day, then think about how pausing for beauty changes the way you feel.

Because of the cold I haven’t been walking outside as often, but this week was a bit warmer so I ventured out to a few new spots. I found a spider egg sac in a pine tree, a purple-golden sunset, stopped to listen to a wren’s song, watched hawks circling and two young doe gingerly stepping through snow searching for seed. I wanted to try the new-to-me poetry form, the Landay, that Amy Ludwig VanDerwater introduced in her post last week. The Landay has only two lines. The first line has nine syllables and the second has thirteen.

On a Winter Afternoon

hawks circle a cerulean sky
over a forest green tree with treasures deep inside
Draft, RoseCappelli2025

I hope you find lots of beauty in the world this week. Jan has the roundup today at Bookseedstudio. Be sure to stop by for lots of poetry goodness and a musical treat.