Thursday, July 15, 2021

Summer's Gifts Wrapped in Poems

In the heat of each summer, we weave words to share our thoughts not on the pressures of life but on its beauty wrapped in reflection. A common bond of friendship brings our poetry community closer together through the art of creating small poems. Despite the pandemic, my poetry swap partner from the Philippines, Iphigene Daradar, shared a little poem and painting with me through virtual means. "I wish I could send this to you physically. Unfortunately, things haven't gone back to normal here."  For a successful swap, Iphigine and I decided to change the way we would communicate.

"The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new." -Socrates

Instead of only gifting our partners with a small poem via postal service, Iphigene emailed me and I sent her a Google slide share. We built a new communication chain through the internet. The pandemic caused us both to reflect deeply on life. Iphigene's thoughts were conveyed through both words and artwork. The poem she created was "one of those things I learned in the duration of the pandemic." In response, I shared a walk through the woods in my new community, along with digital art designed with Google SlideShare. Through digital mediums, we stitched our reflections with the golden threads of poetry. Friendship is a bond that cannot be broken by a global virus. 

Learning to Surrender
Iphigene Daradar

A dried up leaf clings to its branch
The wind blew,
It swayed.

Breaking branch 
It grasp not, but fell
In a slow dance
of gliding
Through air.

Gliding

Through

Air.

Staring into life,
Into each breaking
Learning to

Glide 
Through
Air and fall

In season.

July 2021

Learning to Surrender is a beautiful poem softly rendered in a watercolor-like background. I will think of Iphigene when the leaves gently dance through the sky and remember to glide through challenges, surrender, and rest in the moment.  

Thank you Tabatha Yeatts for gathering our summer poem swap group together again.

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Yesterday when I saw the following beach photo by Leigh Anne Eck on Margaret Simon's site, This Photo Wants to be a Poem, I recalled the wonder and majesty of a Long Island Summer evening at the beach. I paused for a moment, let go of my to-do list, and just stared into the photo waiting for words to frame my thoughts. 

sunset spreads like golden wings
across shores' rippling waters
nature shares its evening gift
love story unfolds
©CV, 2021
Photo by Leigh Anne Eck

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It's time to be dazzled by all the poetic goodness at the Poetry Friday Roundup. Our host this week is Molly Hogan. Join me to see what photographer-poet-teacher friend offers at Nix The Comfort Zone. It's all about luscious summertime in Maine.

Thank you Molloy for sharing a summer night in Maine.

30 comments:

  1. Carol, I love reading about how you and Iphigene creatively managed your swap. Her poem is lovely and uses repetition so effectively. I can see why you'll carry it with you! I also enjoyed your response to Margaret's prompt this week. Leigh Anne's photo is gorgeous and your poem pairs beautifully with it.

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    1. Life is full with poetry friends, Molly. I am so grateful for the weekly gathering and the personal responses. Thanks for hosting this week and giving us a touch of summer in Maine.

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  2. So many gifts here this week! Hats off to you and Iphigene for meeting the creative challenge of such a long-distance swap. I've always enjoyed reading her writing. Those "golden wings" in Leigh Anne's photograph and in your poem are beautiful. (And good for you for also turning your talents to your new environs.) Hated missing the Swap this year, but I haven't been home long enough to even keep up with basic chores! As you note, though, it's been lovely catching up with folks in person this summer.

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    1. The fun of swapping is the personal touch, the closer communication, and the fun of giving and receiving, Robyn. This is how I feel with each swap.

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  3. What a thoughtful post, and what beautiful poems. I want to sit with the words from Iphigene's poem "Staring into life,
    Into each breaking
    Learning to

    Glide
    Through
    Air and fall

    In season."

    And I think you've expressed the essence of the beach photo so beautifully in your poem.

    Thank you for sharing both of these today!

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    1. Elisabeth, thanking for sharing your thoughts on both poems. I am off for a beach holiday next week and can't wait to see the ocean again.

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  4. How beautiful...the words of Imogene's poem and the movement in her painting. What a lovely gift. And, you are the PERFECT person to communicate in a poem swap with digital communication. Lovely.

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    1. This was a wonderful exchange, Linda. I got to know more about Iphigene as I explored her recent posts and we both love to reflect. Poem swaps are the best.

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  5. I do love how Iphigene has use repetition and line breaks to slow our thoughts and rest in the moment. And your sunset spreads like golden wings sparkles with beauty.

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    1. Thanks for joining me here, Kat. Poetry swaps are so much fun to design and wonderful treats to receive.

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  6. This is a poem, too: "Through digital mediums, we stitched our reflections with the golden threads of poetry. Friendship is a bond that cannot be broken by a global virus."

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    1. I rather liked this image of golden threads, Mary Lee so I might work on a background digital for it.

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  7. The part I like is where the standard grammar is broken, like the leaf from the branch: "Breaking branch

    It grasp not, but fell

    In a slow dance

    of gliding..."

    Lucky you, to receive this gift!

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    1. I am fortunate to not only have this poem but also several conversations with Iphigene via email. Stay cool, Heidi. The heat is a scorcher.

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  8. What a beautiful poem to receive! I especially enjoy how Iphigene used repetition and formatting to emphasize the leaf gliding to the ground.

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    1. Becky, Iphigene's poem is beautiful both for the word choice and gorgeous accompanying artwork.

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  9. This is a beautiful poem. I love the image of the leaf gliding down. We are so fortunate to have these lovely summer swaps.

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    1. I do love our summer swap project, Jone. Many wonderful connections are made and friendships blossom.

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  10. Carol, summer evenings at the beach are the best. From our town's beach, on the Long Island Sound, we can see the north shore of L.I.! You capture the beauty of the experience here. "Golden wings"—yes, exactly!

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    1. Susan, enjoy every bit of the scenery you see from the beach. I am sure that your view is lovely.

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  11. Carol, beautiful words in prose and poems. I love how Iphigene and you didn't let the pandemic falter your poetry swapping and in such a stunning way. It's great how the Iphigene spaced the repeated wording of the third stanza as if each word represents the leaf slowly
    gliding

    through

    air. How the spacing slows the reader down to grasp the important
    meaning of the last two stanzas. I agree with Mary Lee on your prose being a poem. I also think your interpterion of Learning to Surrender is a poem to remember: " I will think of Iphigene when the leaves gently dance through the sky and remember to glide through challenges, surrender, and rest in the moment." Iphigene's painting is perfectly paired with her poem.

    As I mentioned on Margaret's blog your poem I resonate with your beautiful images "like golden wings," "rippling waters," "nature shares its evening gift love story unfolds." Thank you for sharing joy.

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    1. Gail, your comments are so generous. I am grateful for our poetry community and the interactions. We are all striving to let our thoughts turn into little pearls so comments are always welcomed. Have a great summer day.

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  12. "Learning to Surrender" and let go, and let things go where they will, perhaps we might learn a bit from nature–beautiful poem and watercolor from Iphigene!
    Lovely, "love story" your created with those "golden wings" and we both imagined them, thanks Carol!

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    1. Serendipity, Michelle. We surrendered our ideas with the same subject.

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  13. Carol, Once again you have engaged us in a beautiful presentation of word and image. As I sweep a carpet of leaves from my deck the words- '...grasp not, but fell/In a slow dance/of gliding/Through air. resonate strongly. As you wrote you and your fellow poetry pals have- stitched your reflections with the golden threads of poetry. Love it. You have done Leigh Anne's stunning photo proud.

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    1. Thanks, Alan. While healing from a month-long sinus infection, I had some time to create. The poems lately are generated from the reflective thinking and this scorching season. Beautiful photos of the ocean make me long for it.

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  14. Thank you for sharing Iphigine's lovely poem and painting with us. I love the image of the leaf "gliding through air." And your line "sunset spreads like golden wings" is perfect for Leigh Anne's photo!

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    1. Thank you for dropping by Catherine. Sunday was a perfect summer day with my little ones so I wrote a slice of life about it. I will probably share the poem on PF this week.

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  15. Your poem accompanying Leigh Anne's perfect image felt bittersweet to me, Carol, knowing this is your first summer without a similar view. However, I know you are making even more memories now that you are nearer to your family.

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    1. Yes, I am longing for the beach and especially the ocean, Christie. To make up for the loss, we are traveling to Cape May, NJ to enjoy a mini-vacation with the little girls. Can't wait until next week.

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