Water Poems
Happy Poetry Friday and National Poetry Month! This year I don’t have a particular plan other than to write and post every day. For the last 11 days I’ve been participating in Laura Shovan’s Water Poem Project. I love daily prompts because I can get started without having to wonder what to write about. I end up writing poems I never would have written otherwise. I wrote the concrete or shape poem above in response to Heather Meloche’s prompt. I watched a video of ocean waves and this “poured” out. I had hoped to insert the words on an image, but I don’t have the technical know-how, so I did this instead. I think I like it even better.
Amy VanDerwater’s prompt was to write a water memory poem, and I’m so very glad she did, because I remembered this moment with my sister.
Sisters
Who else
would run outside
in the drenching rain?
Who else would agree
to pour buckets
over her head,
lather her hair in shampoo
on the driveway?
Who else
would sing and dance
barefoot
in soaking t-shirts and jeans?
Who else
would say yes
to my crazy ideas?
Remember those few moments
when we were the beautiful, carefree girls
on TV?
Elizabeth Steinglass
I hope you are finding ways to celebrate poetry and community this month, while staying well, physically and emotionally.
Heidi has the round up today at my juicy little universe. Tomorrow I’ll be adding the next line of this year’s progressive poem. Jone MacCulloch has the line (or is that lines?) for today.
Wishing you all my best,
Liz
My sisters and I did this:
“pour buckets
over her head,
lather her hair in shampoo
on the driveway”.
I love your concrete water (there’s an oxymoron) poem as well. Especially the line, “rushing, shushing” all spaced out. I like your approach to the poetry month’s opportunities – we benefit from your responses to the prompts. Thank you! 🙂
You too? I think there might have been a Breck commercial that inspired us?
Liz, my last encounter with the ocean was just before the pandemic because a household word and #ShelterInPlace a reality. I am suffering from seaside withdrawal (LOL) so your poem splashed me right in the face with happiness (a good thing on a windy, gray day). Stay safe!
Love this comment, Carol. And I’ve been loving sharing the water poem fun on Twitter – though I’ve needed to step back a bit now because so many things are suddenly pressing for attention. But always good to see what others produce! And take joy in poetry… and friendship. Keep up the great work, Liz!
Thanks, Kat, it’s been fun to do the project together, but I hear you on the other pressing matters. Looking forward to writing together again some time.
Awww…I’m sorry you’re missing your ocean and happy I gave you a tiny splash to enjoy.
I think your concrete wave poem was very effective. I think it is very difficult to get the words just as you want them when doing this. You and your sister remind me of me and mine! Only a sister would say yes to crazy ideas!
Oh and Breck shampoo…yes I used that many years ago. Along with Faberge Organics…when we told two friends…:)
Ha! Yes, I forgot about that one…and so on…and so on.
Love that ‘shu sh i n g’, Liz, just right. And your memory with your sister brings back mine, too. “Who else would say yes to my crazy ideas?” reminds me of a cousin and my times together. Water fills us up with images, doesn’t it? Thanks!
I played with the spacing on that one quite a lot. I was happy with how it turned out. I hope everyone has someone to be silly with–doesn’t have to be a sister.
Love both of these poems! (And I’m glad I’m not the only scattered one this National Poetry Month.) Your memory poem brought back memories for me, too. It was my cousin (no sister) and I who shampooed our hair in a rain storm. I had forgotten about that.
I hope you are taking pride and pleasure from how productive you’ve been during this crazy time, Liz! These are both wonderful poems. (And I agree, I think the first one doesn’t need the outline of a wave. It works beautifully just as you have it. Love that ending!)
What a fabulous concrete poem, and such a fun memory poem!
So good, Liz!
Your memory poem with your sister was delightful. It captured such a light-hearted moment and made me smile–both are especially welcome these days!
Aww. I’m happy to hear I offered you a light-hearted moment.
Love these! as an ocean girl myself, I love the concrete poem, especially the contrast of rushing and shushing.
I felt the
“cresting”
“curling” and
“shu shing”
rolling through your poem ( that doesn’t need an image)
And fun memory poem, so carefree and alive!
Thanks Liz!
Hello, Liz–with 50 blogs to comment on this week, it’s taking me some time (and extending my pleasure in Poetry Friday)!
Lovely, both of them! Your sister moment (“who else?”) anchors love at the heart of all the playful details–very affecting.