Friday, November 30, 2012

Mary's Mixed Bag - Connection

Wikimedia Commons
(Earth Seen from Apollo 17)


Greetings Toads and Friends,

Here I am with Mary's Mixed Bag again! 

The holiday season is upon us, and many of us are probably planning to connect with people as we plan our celebrations.

Life really is a lot about connections, I think.  We connect with our families during the holidays.  We connect with our friends.  We all connect with one another here at Real Toads and at other sites in the Poetry Blogosphere.  Connection is important to each of us.

As I was thinking about my  prompt for today, I thought about how much I appreciate the connections with you all here, how what we all share with one another is something special that people who aren't involved in the blogosphere would have no idea about.  Despite geographical differences, age differences, cultural differences, etc., we are indeed a connected community.  If only the governments of the world could learn from us how to get along!

I was also thinking about the connections between past, present, and future.  As I look back on my life, I feel that in many ways I am the same person now that I was when I was a child.  And there are people who were in my life at one time who have either passed away or left my life for one reason or another that I still feel connected with and feel their influence in my life.

I was also thinking about the amazing ways that we can stay connected with one another in today's world.  We see news as it happens.  We can email someone in another country, and they receive the message immediately.  We can Skype and tweet and do Facebook.  So much different than in the past when people like me wrote letters to pen friends in other countries and didn't hear back from them for a couple weeks.  I just saw the Lincoln movie, where connections between the President and the front lines of the Civil War were by telegraph, which seems so primitive now.

Wikimedia Commons
Early Telegraph Receiver
 


Today I would like you to think about connections.  If that word is enough for you, go for it....and write what comes to mind.

Or if you need more inspiration...write a poem about connections in the blogosphere and perhaps what the blogosphere means to you.

Or...write about an important connection in your life -- past, present, or future.

Or...about instant connection as we experience it today.

Or..about the connection between past, present, and future....yours or something more general.

Or...about the connection between two seemingly unrelated objects:  Let's say icicles and waterfalls; happiness and the planet Mars; nightmares and red wine;  a sleeping child and a blackbird, etc.

How is connection important to you?

Write a new poem to the prompt. Include in your poem a link back to the Imaginary Garden, please.  Link it below using Mr. Linky.

I am looking forward to seeing what you write and connecting with you through this prompt! PLEASE don't just 'link and run.'  If you link your poem, visit others as well. It's part of the fun!



17 comments:

LLM Calling said...

This poem was one I wrote on retreat yesterday (I wrote 9 in total). Its about loss of connections to protect yourself

Mary said...

I look forward to seeing what people write in response. I will be around later to read.

Janine Bollée said...

Fascinating prompt, allowing so many facets to be explored. I am in awe of the way Toads manage to come up time and time again with such wonderfully stimulating ideas for us to pursue.
Thank you.
[just wish the verif was put to bed: thfhts 11717 43 is gross]

Ella said...

Thank Mary, I love this idea~
I connected with nature this morning, so I think I will go there~
:D

Kay L. Davies said...

I might be guilty of "linking and running" again today, Mary, but it is not deliberate. I've been ill for three weeks, and on Tuesday the doctor said it would last another week, so most days I'm lucky if I can write a small poem for Toads, or post a photo or two to a meme, before I "clasp in a heap" as my younger sister used to say.
Apologies all over the place, however. I will improve, I promise.
K

Marian said...

lovely prompt, Mary! i've been traveling but just got back and promise to write to this prompt on the weekend. yay!

Margaret said...

Despite geographical differences, age differences, cultural differences, etc., we are indeed a connected community...

You are so right! This connection is very special. I'll be back - just need to get my brain buzzing with a new idea.

Unknown said...

This is perfect for me, today, Mary. Thank you for your thoughtful involvement here.

Margaret said...

Thank you for yet another great prompt. I am behind in my commenting, but will be back later tonight.

A Cuban In London said...

I quite like that prompt. Especially because of something that happened to me today. Connection is a funny business. I look forward to the submissions.

Greetings from London.

Helen said...

.. couldn't resist telling this true story .. in a poem no less!!

ScottlB said...

I wrote this sometime ago after a chance meeting of my future wife,
we met and became friends. After 3 years of talking,texting,Skype,traveling we were married. In the process we became best friends, nothing wrong with a little old fashion romancing. After finishing our job obligations we were able to finally live in one place. Oh, by the way while I was hoping she would turn around she was hoping I would still be there watching.... :)

Susan said...

Mary, the illustration on your poem decided me to repost this one Mary--I wrote it a couple of days ago on the Theme Thursday Theme. Please forgive me for not writing a new one today, because this is the one I would have written. Now I am going back to read your poem.

Mary said...

I have enjoyed reading what people have written..so much diversity. And thank you to those who made the rounds and visited other poems as well...or plan to...as reciprocity creates good feelings and more reciprocity, I think.

Marian said...

hi Mary, i am responding to this prompt late, but here i am! thank you :)

Hannah said...

Thank you Mary!! I found just the right connection!! :)

Susie Clevenger said...

Thanks Mary. I have been fighting a cold, but I really wanted to write for this one. Thanks for the prompt.