Poems in April - Photographic Images Reimagined

Unidentified Woman ca. 1950's - Walter Silver Photographs

https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/90070510-e04b-0131-be59-58d385a7bbd0

Congratulations if this is your 28th day of National Poetry Writing Month (NaPoWriMo).  I fell off the wagon halfway through April, but I enjoyed the ride while it lasted.  I am here to offer those on or off the "April" Poetry wagon a poetic challenge.

These images are free to download and use.   I linked the sites and you are also free to choose one for yourself if these don't inspire you creatively.    

I would like you to interpret your chosen image one of three ways:

1)  Use an ekphrastic writing approach by closely observing the photo. (vivid description)

2)  Create a narrative beyond the frame and reimagine the photo (storytelling)

3)  Interpret or impart an impression of sentiment or promise from the photo

The kiss, Terre Haute, Ind./ Clarence H. White 1904

https://www.loc.gov/resource/ppmsca.49537/

Inez Milholland - Suffrage parade

About this lady: HERE

https://www.loc.gov/resource/ggbain.11399/

House with trees and clothesline - Walter Silver Photographs

https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/63491f30-e905-0131-b25d-3c075448cc4b

Milkyway over Lassen National Park, USA - Thomas Ciszewski

https://unsplash.com/photos/JnY_xqJE230

Play for Me - Ian Dooley

https://unsplash.com/photos/oSq5ejr23so

The Streets (of Brooklyn)

Congrats on Day 14 if you are participating in National Poetry Writing Month (NaPoWriMo).  Here is a prompt I hope inspires you today.

The streets of Brooklyn are so interesting to me.  I was recently there for my son's wedding and we had a couple of days to walk around... these are a few photos I snapped and I hope you find one that inspires a poem.

Where is your favorite town or city to take a stroll in?  If you like, please use that as a springboard instead of these photos.  I'd prefer it NOT be nature or the beach.  If you live in the country or rural area, try and recall a visit to a city or town as a child, or have visited as an adult.  Give it your best shot, please write a new poem, post to Mr. Linky below, and visit your fellow poets.

(Chelsea district, NYC)

(Chelsea district, NYC)

Day 27 - Let's Join the Children...

5th gr, 10 yrs, Dog

Congratulations for those of us who have successfully written every day in April!  Today is day 27.

I've always adored children's artwork and I recently attended an exhibit which highlighted some pieces that have received awards this year.  They range from elementary school through high school.  I have not posted their names as it is the internet and I did not feel comfortable doing so, but I was allowed to photograph these images.  Please feel free to write more than one poem but this time I am asking for original poems only.  Thank you.

You know the drill - link up below with your original post (not your entire blog) and be neighborly and visit your fellow poets.

7th gr, 13 yrs, Piano

4th gr, 10 yrd, Frog

9th gr, 15 yrs, Fish in Coral

7th gr, 13 yrs, Kingfisher

10 gr, 15 yrs, Bones

4th gr, 9 yrs, Mars

6th gr, 11 yrs, Rabbits

April 12 - Costa Rica Photos

Costa Rica is the home of my daughter's dear friend, Eva, who started out as a pen pal through a High School English class assignment about seven years ago.  My daughter traveled there last year and stayed with Eva's family and had the time of her life.  I asked Eva to send me photos of her beautiful country and she is thrilled to supply these for our poetry prompt for day 12 of NaPoWriMo 2018.  Her friend took them and we have permission to use them.

The poems can be about Costa Rica but do not have to be.  They are just a jumping off point.  You are invited to write more than one poem.  I prefer a new one, however, will allow a reworked poem - it being 30 poems in 30 days I'm willing to give everyone a little bit of a break.

You know the drill - link up and visit your fellow poets.

In Tandem with Margaret Bednar & Gillena Cox

“Of Nymphs and Gods"  

Elephants effortlessly leap
as cougars crouch and giants sleep
and I upon Gaia’s ample breast
relinquish time to nymph’s mystique.

Now then in cool of morning rest
heat rays abide in sun’s digest
broad lays day as banana leaves
give succor thou wanton guest. 

Until westward wind sighs and heaves
Aura’s artistry aside and conceives
a cumulus sky of fearful might
'tis fair Iris's name to which I cleave.

Silhouettes court jasmine's white
orange hues bring lovers in sight
quiet passions to golden steep
guide the hush of twilight's flight.




When Margaret emailed me i quickly responded, for i was eager, after giving my yes to Kerry's invitation to Toads in Tandem. I linked Margaret to a few of my past collaborations, and mentioned to her that i liked a recently discovered form, with which i was experimenting - the rubaiyat .

#The Rubáiyát a Persian form of several quatrains. Its name derives from the Arabic plural of the word for "quatrain," Rubá'íyah. This, in turn, comes from the Arabic Rubá, meaning "four."
#In each quatrain, all lines rhyme except the third.

We decided on an Interlocking Rubaiyat,

#The 3 Stanza interlock is aaba.bbcb.ccac.
Slight adjustments had to be made in the rhyme scheme since we were writing a 4 Stanza interlock.
#Our rhyme scheme is aaba.bbcb.ccdc.ddad

Now we had to choose theme, "I luv clouds " i told Margaret and she echoed "look to the clouds for inspiration," and opted to write the first stanza. So now we were on our way to our collaborating adventure.

It was fun, writing, titling, (Margaret proposed the title), explaining thoughts, understanding, fine-tuning: all this via e-mail. I choose the accompanying nephelai-images from a google search.
#Nephelai - cloud nymphs of Greek Mythology

Thank you for reading Toads, hope you enjoyed our serving up of "Of nymphs and gods”

April Poetry Month - Day 4 - "Nature Poetry"

Nature has long inspired the poetic mind.    Poets(dot)org - Nature Poems/Academy of American Poets has some historic context and examples.

My photos are from this weekend on Ocracoke Island, (The Outer Banks) North Carolina, USA.  It is not necessary to use these images (but you are more than welcome to them),  I highly encourage you to pull from the nature surrounding you everyday, perhaps share a favorite retreat or recall a childhood vacation.   Or, feel free to write a poem after watching the video below of my beloved Outer Banks.  It is a slow-moving, almost meditative video.



If you have an old poem that needs reworking, please feel free to use it.  Of course, new poems are always awesome - I know a poem a day in April can get pretty hectic.  Thanks for playing along with this Imaginary Garden and I look forward to reading your words.

Please use Mr. Linky at the bottom of this page and remember to visit the other poets.

A Child's Verse

Welcome Saturday!  It's been a great week of National Poetry Month prompts and I, Margaret Bednar, am here to help the effort along.  My local "City Arts" center hosted an artistic showing of elementary school age children's artwork from area schools.  Today the challenge is:  A child's verse.   How is this done?  Well, my first smarty pants remark was "Keep it simple, stupid".   But the more I pulled books form library shelves, the more I realized this simply is not true!

Poetry for young children is beautiful in its simplicity of words and ideas but the rhythm and metaphors, based on my own feeble attempts, I was surprised to find rather difficult.

I have posted far more images than I should have (It's been suggested no more than six) so I am breaking a "rule" today.  Rest assured, I did whittle it down to half (with my six year old's drawing thrown in at the bottom - his was not in the show - it graces the side of my refrigerator).  

You may use any of these, or a drawing from another child.  

I enjoyed many an author in my research … Jack Prelutsky, Shel Silverstein, Myra Cohn Livingston, Charolotte Zolotow, Anna Grossnickle Hines, Hilaire Belloc, the list really does go on & on.

… and "Poetry for Children" is a blog "About finding and sharing poetry with young people".  

Two of my favorite children's poems are classics we all know:

The Secret, which is by Anonymous in most books, but I found one who gave credit to Emily Dickinson… (She did write a beautiful poem of this title, perhaps it is a typo)

The Secret

We have a secret just we three,

The robin, and I, and the sweet cherry-tree;

The bird told the tree, and the tree told me,

And nobody knows it but just we three.

But of course the robin knows it best,

Because she built the - I shan't tell the rest;

And laid the four little - something in it -

I'm afraid I shall tell it every minute.

But if the tree and the robin don't peep,

I'll try my best the secret to keep;

Though I know when the little birds fly about

Then the whole secret will be out.

As I child I adored (and still do) Robert Louis Stevenson's "The Swing"

Perhaps we all need a tree swing in our backyard - I don't ever remember being unhappy or stressed while swinging so high and free …

If you follow the links, you will find these authors wrote about a variety of feelings:  loneliness, fear, sadness, as well as the joy of childhood.

Off with you now, simpler is not easier… and you have 24 hours to come up with a new poem.  Link to Mr. Linky … way down at the bottom of this page.   Have fun finding the inner child!  (Remember, Open Link Monday is just around the corner and you may post there as well if you are swamped today).