Wednesday, June 24, 2015

Poets United Midweek Motif ~ Entering Summer or Winter



“I wonder if the snow loves the trees and fields, that it kisses them so gently? And then it covers them up snug, you know, with a white quilt; and perhaps it says "Go to sleep, darlings, till the summer comes again.” 
― Lewis CarrollAlice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking-Glass

“I have only to break into the tightness of a strawberry, 
and I see summer – its dust and lowering skies.” 
― Toni MorrisonThe Bluest Eye

File:PanoMaipo Winter Summer.jpg
source

 Midweek Motif ~ 
Entering Summer or Winter

 "The sun stands still" before reversing direction ~ that is the meaning of the word solstice.  We experience more or fewer hours of sunlight per day. Archetypal symbols of lightness and darkness, summer and winter, maturing and aging and highs and lows flood the mind along with new and remembered sights and sounds.  

Your Challenge:  Write a poem to share your insights on the events and changes you're  experiencing this time of  year.





On Winter's Margin by Mary Oliver
On winter’s margin, see the small birds now
With half-forged memories come flocking home
To gardens famous for their charity.
The green globe’s broken; vines like tangled veins
Hang at the entrance to the silent wood.

With half a loaf, I am the prince of crumbs;
By snow’s down, the birds amassed will sing
Like children for their sire to walk abroad!
But what I love, is the gray stubborn hawk
Who floats alone beyond the frozen vines;
And what I dream of are the patient deer
Who stand on legs like reeds and drink that wind; -

They are what saves the world
: who choose to grow
Thin to a starting point beyond this squalor.


Summer in the South by Paul Laurence Dunbar

The Oriole sings in the greening grove
As if he were half-way waiting,
The rosebuds peep from their hoods of green,
Timid, and hesitating.
The rain comes down in a torrent sweep
And the nights smell warm and pinety,
The garden thrives, but the tender shoots
Are yellow-green and tiny.
Then a flash of sun on a waiting hill,
Streams laugh that erst were quiet,
The sky smiles down with a dazzling blue
And the woods run mad with riot.



Bed in Summer by Robert Louis Stevenson

In winter I get up at night
And dress by yellow candle-light.
In summer quite the other way,
I have to go to bed by day.

I have to go to bed and see
The birds still hopping on the tree,
Or hear the grown-up people's feet
Still going past me in the street.

And does it not seem hard to you,
When all the sky is clear and blue,
And I should like so much to play,
To have to go to bed by day?





Please share your new poem using Mr. Linky below and visit others in the spirit of the community.

(Next week Susan's Midweek Motif will be Freedom.)

Mister Linky's Magical Widgets -- Auto-Linky widget will appear right here!
This preview will disappear when the widget is displayed on your site.
If this widget does not appear, click here to display it.

44 comments:

  1. I don't know why I can't post my poem again this week and can see no one's.Sigh. I am giving my links and will visit whom I can...

    http://sumanar.blogspot.in/2015/06/summer-solstice.html#links

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Let me know if you can see, Sumana. 6 people are linked. I linked you, too.

      Delete
    2. So sorry Susan, still can't see...

      Delete
    3. I sent another message to Mr. Linky. He spent about 1/2 hour here and it kept working while he was present. I sent him the times of our three interactions. I'll be back.

      Delete
    4. Sumana, Mr. Linky wants to know if you see the widget and cannot enter or if you don't see the widget at all?

      Delete
    5. I see a very vague almost silent widget with a 'click here' but as i click there's a blank page with no links....

      Delete
    6. Try one more thing because it just happened to me. I hit the "refresh page" arrow and it came up with all of its parts!

      Delete
    7. I promise to have this fixed before the second Tuesday.

      Delete
  2. We of course love the opening quote ;) thank you for the prompt...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I know, right? A special welcome for you.

      Delete
  3. It's acting up. I put mine in and the linky lost its ability to aadd names. I did this twice. I am now messageing the Linky guys. So Sorry!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. And now it's back? What the heck? I'm still sending a note!

      Delete
    2. I think sometimes the page needs refreshing - there's a metaphor there i'm sure ;)

      Delete
    3. Thanks Jae Rose! I'm working with the current Mr. Linky person now!

      Delete
  4. Hello everyone,

    Wooo hooooo its Midweek Motif once again! Sharing my poem on "Summer" as the season has just begun here :D hope you guys like it :D

    Lots of love,
    Sanaa

    ReplyDelete
  5. Love the R L Stevenson poem I have always had a copy of the A Child's Garden of Versein my book collection.

    Our winter is cold for us..18 - 20 degrees which is probably your Spring weather temperature. Nice wearing a coat and scarf but the novelty will wear off in a couple of weeks. Thanks for the prompt.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Bundling has its freedoms--like not being stared at--but I totally understand. Winter here gets into the teens, and I can only take two months of it before I want it to end.

      Delete
  6. "The sun stands still" ~ i didn't know that was the meaning of solstice. definitely poetic inspiration. i may not be able to participate this week, but it's a wonderful prompt, Susan!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, dear heart. I hope you have a great week.

      Delete
  7. Ha. Susan, I did it anyway not aware of the prompt....guess, we're in sync. ths. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Nice! In sync is good, right here and right now!

      Delete
  8. Thank you, Susan. We are in the midst of Winter here in Melbourne, and I am looking forward to some sunny Northern Hemisphere poems...

    ReplyDelete
  9. Thank you, It looks like summer outside :)

    ReplyDelete
  10. Mr Linky is a nightmare. This is why I avoid him, LOL. Yikes. I am utterly uninspired right now, my friends, but cranked out a few lines as best I could. The ones I am reading of yours are wonderful.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I've changed Mr. Linky to Mary's way of doing it--that will begin next week. I am so glad this doesn't happen during Sumana's second Tuesdays. I've got to have it fixed by then!

      Delete
  11. Not sure if my poem really responds to your prompt. But, it's what I wrote. Hope it's ok.
    Have a great summer!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Myrna. Not directly, but close enough!

      Delete
  12. Hi Susan, Great prompt!! But, I hope this fits your prompt! Actually, I wrote the first draft on a trip to Scandinavia....while cruising over the Baltic Sea..... Hope it's alright.
    Shall come over tomorrow to read the other entries....its pretty late now.
    G'nite all

    ReplyDelete
  13. Bad luck with widget. Thanks for the fun prompt.

    http://gailatthefarm.blogspot.com/2015/06/wisdom.html

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You are welcome. I linked you in. If you can't see the widget, try refreshing your page. If that doesn't work, know that we're trying something new next week. Maybe you can just respond to those who are in these comments or whho visit your page. Sorry about the problem!

      Delete
    2. Thank you. I refreshed and updated my link so all is good.

      Thanks for your kindness in helping me.

      Delete
  14. Many thanks for the prompt! This is one of those times that, without a prompt, I'd not have written the poem. And perhaps would not have brought the insights to full consciousness either.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Hello everyone! I hope you are having a great time whether it's summer or winter at your end. I have posted a poem to Susan's midweek motif here and I think it's a great prompt for my current era. Have a wonderful day!

    ReplyDelete
  16. oh i am late this week and cant seem to access the linky
    so i hope its okay to add my link here at comments

    http://myblog-verses.blogspot.com/2015/06/90.html

    thanks for another nice prompt, luv, luv the video of Porgy and Bess

    much love...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'll put your link in. We're working on Mr. Linky, but some have said that refreshing the page helps. Try it?

      Delete
  17. The birds are always the big thing for me...in both winter and summer but in summer there're new birds...the Baltimore Oriole has stolen my heart!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes. me too. Here the amazing spring thing is Robins grazing on the lawn. This summer I have gained crows--rare near this city!

      Delete
  18. Looking forward to visiting - having found this great prompt.

    ReplyDelete

This community is not meant to be used in a negative manner. We ask that you be respectful of all the people on this site as each individual writer is entitled to their own opinion, style, and path to creativity.

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.

Blog Archive

Followers