Saturday, April 14, 2012

The Sunday Challenge ~ Featuring Susie Clevenger

We all know her as the Laundry Goddess, but Susie has another talent, which she has kindly agreed to share with us today.   Her photography blog is aptly named And There Is More.  If you have never visited this site, you are in for a feast of beautiful images.




Portrait of the Artist

I am much like the butterfly I love. Going through a metamorphosis in my life. Letting imagination guide me.



© Susie Clevenger: Mike Zito


Guitar Man
                by Susie Clevenger


Guitar man play your blue chords for me.
I want to hear the story the road has put in your soul,
smoky bar melodies belted out in gravel.


Calloused fingertips glide as smooth as silk along guitar strings
making them speak a language that calls for feet to move
and bodies to sway in joined adulation of the rhythm.


Eyes close as body and soul merge with the music
playing chords fine tuned with life lived in highway stripes,
a midnight musician performing to the accompaniment of clinking glass.


Places you’ve been, people you’ve met, show up in your songs,
penned verses first written in roadside diners on napkin lyric sheets
a collection of tunes born from a heart in love with the blues.


Too soon it is time to pack up your guitar and head for the next city.
Goodbye guitar man, I will be here waiting to say hello once again
and to listen to the blues as only you can play it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Susie has selected these photos for our poetic inspiration, each one is copyrighted to her, so please remember to acknowledge the name of the artist on your blog if you display one there.  You may not select another image from Susie's photography blog, without her express permission.

Cemetery


Pictures are stories waiting for words. I find much of my poetry is inspired by images. Each one has a voice and I take up my pen to translate it into verse.




Kearney Depot



Photography is a passion for me. There is so much in life to capture with a camera lens. It has made me much more observant of the world around me. 




Lizard



Nature is one of my favorite things to photograph, but lately I have become fascinated with architecture.




Lighthouse at Punto Sur


I am hearing poetry when awake
Dreaming poetry when asleep
Breathing poetry with each breath
I am living in a poem




Baytown Bridge


The Sunday Challenge is posted on Saturday at noon CST to allow extra time for the creative process, so please do not link up old work which kind of fits the image. Members will only respond to poetry written specifically for this prompt: this is in the spirit of our Real Toads project to create opportunities for poets to be newly inspired.  Management reserves the right to remove unrelated links.

29 comments:

Sherry Blue Sky said...

Oh my goodness, am I first? Yippee. I missed the last two prompts as was too busy and it got too late to manage a response. Given I go to bed with the hens:)Susie, I love your photography! You have an artist's eye.

Helen said...

Yes .. pictures are stories waiting for words!!!

Unknown said...

Susie!
Thank you for the great photo prompts. Your black and white inspired me immediately.

Ella said...

Hi Susie,
YOU are filled with surprises!
Wonderful words and photos~
I'm drawn to two pics...not I need to narrow it down!

Thanks for the inspiration :D

Kay L. Davies said...

Hard to decide amongst your beautiful photos here, Susie, but I did make a decision in less than 24 hours. Amazing for someone who came home from a trip feeling like she'd been hit by a train. (Nothing contagious, just chronic, so you can read my blog without fear.)
That bridge shot is just gorgeous, by the way. It reminds me of a bridge back home in British Columbia.
K

Karen said...

Great photo prompts. The first one touched me immediately!

Lolamouse said...

Susie,
Love the guitar man photo and the poem! Musicians get my heart racing every time!

Margaret said...

One of my favorite challenges, Sunday Photography prompt! Thank you Susie for such fun images to choose from.

hedgewitch said...

These pictures are just breathtaking, Susie. If I can get to keep my computer on long enough(stormy here) I will be back --though I don't know how I'm going to pick between them.

Susie Clevenger said...

Thanks for all your wonderful comments. I am traveling so I am on my phone. Can't wait until I am home and get a chance to read everyone's work. All of you are such wonderful poets and I know I will be blessed.

Maude Lynn said...

Susie, you have a great eye! Beautiful stuff.

Hannah said...

WOW!! I love your work Susie and your poetic heart! I so enjoyed writing to the one I picked from the assortment. Thank you, so much!

Anonymous said...

Milton's "stone" jumped right out at me. Great photographs, Susie.

rosemarymint.wordpress.com

Cad said...

This was a fun way to start my Sunday morning - thanks, folks!

Kerry O'Connor said...

The dead woman lives on!!! How could she resist a cemetery?

Fireblossom said...

I have been stuck lately. Susie's pictures seemed to nudge me a little unstuck, so thanks Suze!

hedgewitch said...

Loved these pics so much, I have one for today and another one for Open Link Monday tomorrow Susie--hope that's okay. Thanks for letting us use these to get our words out. ;_)

Lydia Kang said...

Those are some wonderfully inspiring photos! What a great blog treat. I particularly like the bridge one. :)

Mary said...

Better late than never! I will try to make some visits tonight.

Mary B. Mansfield said...

Gorgeous photos! Thanks so much for sharing with us!

Susie Clevenger said...

Again thank you so much for blessing me with your kind words and beautiful poetry. It is an honor to have my images used for inspiration. Hedgewitch, I am more than happy for you to use another of my images.

Len Williams Carver said...

Susie what a treat to have my friend give us the prompt from her own photography. This is my first time at Imaginary Garden so I am excited that your photos are the prompts.

Laura said...

Wonderful Suzie...your photos are so inspiring!

Marian said...

hi Suzie, i just wanted to say that though i couldn't respond (crazy weekend, little girl's birthday!), i really enjoyed your photos and i look forward to spending some time on your photography site. so talented! xo

EJ said...

A huge thanks to Susie for her inspiring work, and thank you to Kerry for bringing her to us. I can't wait to read through the poems inspired from these beautiful photos.

Herotomost said...

Susie....cool pictures. Sorry I was out all weekend, I will still try and get something written for one of the pictures today...they are all just too good. And of course the poem...right up my alley, I loooooved it.

Mary Ann Potter said...

I was especially taken by the old train station, Susie. Your work is just wonderful!

M. A. S. said...

The picture was great inspiration. And I tried an audio post! Give it a listen.

Susie Clevenger said...

Thanks again for the wonderful poetry written from my photographs. I am so thankful to be part of this garden.