Writing Our Surroundings

Time for Inside Fires

Photo by Amy LV

Students - The weather is getting much colder here in Western New York where I live, and because we are having new siding put on our house, I needed to bring all of last year's leftover firewood inside. Yes, I could have piled it out under a tarp, but why do so when it will just need to come in soon anyway? And truth be told, it is cozy living among the stacks of wood. I feel like a little mouse in a storybook.

So now, surrounded by wood, I cannot help but think about wood and then trees and then forests and then questions. Today's poem came from all of this - my right-now surroundings. When you sit down to write you might choose to look around and ask, "What am I surrounded by at this very minute?" Some days for me the answer may be as simple as "messes and cat fur," and some days it might be "cookies and candles." Anything nearby or around us can offer us thoughts and questions, and in this way too, I am thinking about what I wish to surround myself with. One cannot choose everything...but one can choose some of our surroundings.

You may have noticed that this poem has a repeating line - all of this firewood. I invite you to play with repeating one line throughout a poem or a story that you write. And too, if you're not sure how to end a piece of writing, this may be because you are wondering something. If so, just end with a question as I have done today. Writing strategies and techniques belong to all of us, and we can all learn from each other. 

Matt is hosting this week's Poetry Friday roundup over at Radio, Rhythm, and Rhyme with all kinds of good publishing news. Each Friday, all are invited to share poems, poem books, poetry ideas, and friendship in this open and welcoming poetry community.

I wish you good and warm and kind surroundings. And I wish you small ways to create these for others too...

xo,

Amy

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Walking & Wondering

Big Rock at Mossy Point

Photo by Amy LV

Students - This week, my husband and I took a walk at Mossy Point, a new nature preserve only 10 minutes from our home. We saw so many trees and plants and an enormous variety of mushrooms that I am excited to look up and learn more about. At one point on the walk, I noticed the sunlight falling right on this one big rock. It looked like it was spotlit on the glorious forest stage, and right away I knew that I would write about it.

I often wish that animals and objects could talk, and so too with this mossy-faced boulder. The stories it could tell! Today's poem explores my questions.

Today's poem is a list poem with the first and last stanzas repeating themselves in ways and the middle stanza serving as the big list of questions. List poems are fun to write, and they do not need to rhyme. I played around with a lot of different words and possibilities to make this one rhyme.

Have you ever wished that something quiet could speak to you? If so, you might wish to explore all of your questions or even just one of them. You might write in your voice, in the voice of the non-talking animal or object, or in both voices (perhaps in two stanzas). 

Truthfully, I probably would be rather annoyed if every rock and tree talked the whole time I walked through a wood. What I love is the silence. But still, I do have questions.

Zoomed Out Big Rock at Mossy Point

Photo by Amy LV

Kat is hosting the Poetry Friday roundup at Kathryn Apel with all kinds of poetic goodness. Please know that all are welcome each Friday as folks share poems, poem books, poetry ideas, and friendship.

May you have a magnificent week of wondering, about all sorts of things!

xo,

Amy

Please share a comment below if you wish. 

If you are under 13 years old, please only comment with a parent

or as part of a group with your teacher and class.