Wednesday, April 08, 2015

PO-EMotion -- Joy


Flickr Creative Commons Photo by dutchy_42


QUILTING

In the last patch
of evening-lit sky
above the river,
a single heron
stitches one bank to the other
with steady wingbeats.
Bats zigzag
the seams of the day
to prevent unraveling.


©Mary Lee Hahn, 2015








Carol, at Carol's Corner, will join me again this year as often as possible.

Kimberley, at iWrite in Maine, is joining me this month. 
Kay, at A Journey Through the Pages, is joining, too!
Kay is hunting joy.

Steve, at inside the dog, is sharing his poems 
in the comments at Poetrepository.


Heidi, at my juicy little universe, will join us when she can.


Linda, at TeacherDance, will join as often as she can.
Check the comments at A Year of Reading or Poetrepository for her poems.


Kevin (Kevin's Meandering Mind) is back this year,
leaving poetry trax in the comments.


Jone, at DeoWriter, is doing a "double L" challenge. 
She and I are cross-poLLinating our challenges whenever possible. 






17 comments:

  1. Great image! Now you have me thinking of new ways to imagine knitting.

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  2. I know I shouldn't have to explain how this poem fits with joy...but I will! :-) It's one of my very favorite end-of-a-lovely-afternoon-of-fly-fishing memories, so the joy is actually the savoring of the joy, and not so much the joy itself.

    On a separate note, I had a crazy-busy day yesterday and didn't manage to join the conversation about "acceptance," but I did think it was interesting that we all went with the "resignation" kind, and not the "part of a group" kind.

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    Replies
    1. Isn't it funny that until you just mentioned the "part of a group" kind, I didn't even consider it as an option.

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  3. This is lovely. Such a peaceful image. And again, the title. Wow! You are so good at titles.
    I thought it was interesting that everyone went with resignation yesterday too. For a few minutes, I was actually playing with a recipe for acceptance. I might revisit it. Or take it to a sixth grade class who is writing some poetry this month and see what they do with it.

    "Joy"

    Even before
    I remove key from lock
    I hear her throwing herself
    against the front door
    She jumps in circles,
    greeting me with much tail wagging.
    Occasionally, she forgets her manners
    and her paws end up on my shoulders
    Pink tongue swipes my face.
    "You are home! You are home!
    I am so glad to see you!"

    And then I say,
    "Are you hungry?"
    She races to the kitchen.
    Slides into her food dish
    Sending it spinning
    in a noisy cymbal cacophony
    against the floor and wall
    More tail wagging.
    An impatient bark
    if her two-footed waitress
    moves too slowly.

    "Ready for a walk?"
    Head pops up.
    Ears go to full alert.
    More tail wagging.
    More barking.
    "Hurry. Let's go.
    Put on your shoes.
    Where's the leash?
    I love walks. Quick.
    Hurry. Open the door.
    Let's go. Let's go.
    It smells so good out here."

    Two miles done.
    I take my seat on couch
    Computer propped on knees
    ready for an evening's work
    She leaps up
    presses her body
    against my left hip
    rests her chin on my forearm
    and sighs contentedly.

    It takes so little
    to make her joy complete.

    (C) Carol Wilcox, 2015

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    Replies
    1. There is nothing like a dog's love. I love the way you show her excited-ness and joy.

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    2. I, too, have a draft of the "part of a group" kind.

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    3. Carol, you capture that unconditional puppy love. Nothing better!

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  4. What a beautiful image. I can't wait for my daughter to get home from school so I can share it with her since she quilts and will appreciate the metaphor. My poem to day is Hunting Joy

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  5. Even if it only felt
    as if your feet were off the ground
    Even if it only seemed
    as if your heels were clicking together
    Even if it was an invisible voice
    singing in harmony with the moment
    Even if it was only joy for an instant,
    still hold true to the belief
    that a single moment
    can transform a lifetime
    if only you let it happen.

    --Kevin

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    Replies
    1. I love your repeating "Even if..."

      We should never second guess those moments of joy, should we?

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    2. Kevin, I like the clicking heels and the invisible voice singing in harmony. Momentary and monumental.

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  6. Oh, I love these images - "stitches one bank to the other" and "zigzag the seams of the day." I don't quilt, but I sure do love to watch nature!

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  7. I love this! "a single heron/stitches one bank to the other/
    with steady wingbeats." I have a video in my head now of a heron flying to a soundtrack of sewing machine whirring...

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  8. I love your use of stitching as a metaphor for the birds' flights. Beautiful imagery. Magical. And yes, joy!

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  9. Holly, Laura, Margaret -- I was surprised when the sewing metaphor showed up. I had the "patch" of sky and the bats zigzagging, and I went from there!

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  10. Mary Lee, your imagery is spot on, providing me with a joyful experience. My humble offering is at my blog, http://beyondliteracylink.blogspot.com/2015/04/easters-joy.html. The poem revolves around the joy found while awaiting the blooming of the Easter LiLy in time for Resurrection Sunday.

    Oh, white-robed apostles of hope,
    you gracefully unfold,
    symbolizing hope and life
    in the Resurrection.

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  11. Lovely, evocative imagery.

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