Sharing Summer Poetry

A poet is a painter of the soul.
-Isaac D'Israeli

What a beautiful quote this is. Art and poetry are often paired when creating image poems. Can you visualize an array of heart-centered colors swirling and brushing across a page surrounding poetic thoughts?  

Each summer, I enjoy creating poetry with a digital artist's flair
from what I notice and wonder about in nature. 

In addition, I enjoy receiving little nuggets of poems from Poetry Friday's summer poem swappers under the leadership of the creative Tabatha Yeatts and receiving artistic expressions from social media friends for each summer gallery I design. (Summer Serenity, Summer Splashings,  Summerscapes,  Sunkissed Summer, and the upcoming  The Art of Summering) 

Poetry exchanges are one way to stay in touch with poetic friends around the globe and be creative at the same time. When my poet/slicer friend, Jone MacCulloch, emailed that she was sending me a package in the mail, I was ready for one of her vivid photographs but this line that she wrote added a sense of surprise to the expected package. Jone said, "It  (the poetry swap) was inspired by your grandgirl." Are you as curious as I was about what was to arrive? 

While Jone's quote, "Camera in hand/endless paths to wander/words arrive on wings," was not part of the swap, I wanted to include it because it conveys such a powerful message of what Jone's blog offers. Now, it's time for the reveal of what Jone sent me. It was a stunning framed close-up of a bee scattering pollen with a beautiful poem that paints a picture of summertime in action while alluding to my grandbaby's naptime.

With camera in hand, Jone created the following digital inspirations for my upcoming gallery, TheArtofSummering.

Next week, I will showcase Margaret Simon's summer poem swap that I received yesterday.  For now join me at Margaret's blog , Reflections on the Teche, for the Poetry Friday Round-up where she shares some of her Louisiana charms with us. 

On September 7th, I will host Poetry Friday with hopes of having The Art of Summering Gallery ready for an unveiling. Please join my CREATIVE CHALLENGE to create your concept of "summering" digitally.