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Friday, September 15, 2023

A Single Moment in Time

I had never heard of boketto poetry until fellow poet, Alan Wright shared it on his blog recently. As I read his description of the format, I knew that it fit nicely into my journey to just be in the moment. I quickly entered information presented by Alan in my digital poetry notebook. The boketto consists of two stanzas; the first stanza has five lines with a total of 30 syllables - 7,7,7,4,5. Stanza two has three lines and 17 syllables-7, 7,3). In addition, Allan wrote.  "The boketto is akin to staring at the sky or into the distance without a thought...getting lost in one's own self; removing the self from a place mentally. There is no regard to the past and no connection to the future. There is only THIS moment."

Below, you will see the end product of my getting lost in nature for a single moment in time. There was stillness in the heat of summer when I captured the nature photo. The words came days later and were refined tonight. I designed the photo and poetic words into a freeze frame, thus becoming an image poem of late summer. Have you felt the yearning to just be, sit still staring at the landscape, and feel surrounded by quietude? 

Today, I stopped to capture a field of wildflowers in the back of my granddaughter's elementary school. What was unusual was dancing pieces of small white fluff following one another in a horizontal pattern. As the progression increased, I realized that the fluff was in reality floating pollen. I was not quick enough to create a small video but did capture the beauty of nature in this photo below.



wildflowers swayed in the heat
basking in nature's sunshine
while pollen floated gently
irritants felt
on this summer day

ragweed season brought itching,
reminder of childhood and
allergies
©CVarsalona, 2023, draft

Do you have ragweed allergies? It can be a nuisance and a distraction when trying to enjoy a late summer day but make the most of each day. Enjoy the end-of-summer!

🌻🌅🌻

It's Poetry Friday and I am ready to join Rose Cappelli, our host, at her website. Click here. Rose shares her best season of the year through a reverso poem invented by Marilyn Singer.

I am hosting Poetry Friday next Friday. I invite everyone to find their favorite end-of-summer nature photo. Share a moment in time photo and write a poem to accompany the photo. Destination End-of-Summer will have its own Gallery of Artistic Expressions.

21 comments:

  1. Beautiful idea of getting “lost in a moment of peace” with nature! Yes, Zyrtec has changed my life. : )

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    1. I just ate lunch outside on my patio and started observing what was around me. I saw for the first time giant pine cones in the trees between house. I felt peaceful sitting outside but if the lawn mowers were near, I'd have to run inside.

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  2. I love your bokettos, Carol. Lost in a moment of nature's beauty is lovely.

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    1. Rose, it was fun to unravel this new poetic form and be in the moment.

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  3. Carol, such a lovely poem about nature's gift, as only you can tell it. Such an amazing and interesting poetry form, the boketto! I am also always impressed with your photos. Can I ask, what kind of camera do you use for your photos. Do you use a phone?

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  4. These are lovely, Carol. Your photos pair beautifully with your poems and really give the feeling of being in the moment! I must try a boketto!

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  5. Oops! I am the one with the comment published as "anonymous.

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  6. Love getting lost in a moment. In now. I have to really make an effort, and I fail a lot. I also enjoyed hosts with your hostas! Thanks for the invite for next Friday...

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  7. With our cooler weather these recent few days, then rain, I've found myself lost in that moment of time, Carol. The sky changes then again, clouds, then clear. I'm sorry about your allergies, like my son. Fortunately I don't have them but know others who suffer. I love that phrase, "ornamental elegance" - It is everywhere, right? Happy weekend!

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  8. Carol, your process was most evident in preparing to write your Boketto. You cleared your mind of extraneous thoughts and gave your full attention to the moment. Your excursion into plants and nature captured their existence, while you respectfully remained outside. Bravo on your Boketto. Well done!

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    1. Alan, thank you for joining me here and providing your generous comment. The boketto format is one I shall delve into many times and remember that your poem was my mentor text. Many thanks for always bringing something fresh to my writing table.

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  9. Thank you for sharing this "summer joy" and thoughtfulness with us, Carol - and YES to noticing and capturing the unassuming wildflowers behind your granddaughter's school.
    I've been coming and going a lot but will try to remember your lovely invitation for next week. Happy Almost-Fall!

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    1. Robyn, finding joy in simple moments is a delight and trying to write about the event is a journey into self. I would be honored if you have time to share one of your haikus next week.

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  10. Oh, that beautiful ragweed! It was such a pain when I was a kid...itchy eyes, runny nose. But, it's pretty. I love that greeny-gold of late summer. Love seeing your process. Your entrance to poeming with, "I get lost..." is lovely.

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  11. Luckily, I don't suffer from allergies. (I got the arthritis, instead! ;-) Gorgeous photos and as always your accompanying poems are just perfect.

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  12. Carol, I love learning about the boketto through your great detail and two mentor poems. (I missed Alan's original post.) I love "ornamental elegance" and "hosts of color."

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  13. Definitely allergic to ragweed. It makes it hard to enjoy the lovely fall days. I love being outside and writing on the porch, but when the ragweed is raging, it is HARD.

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  14. Oh my, yes to this: "reminder of childhood and / allergies" ACHOO!

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  15. Thanks for the introduction to bokettos and for your lovely poems. I'm definitely going to tuck this form away to try! I always appreciate your appreciation of nature and how you combine photos and poems so adeptly.

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  16. "Lost in a moment of peace" -- This may be my life's aspiration, Carol. And I am delighted to notice that on both sides of the country hostas are present (mine have not yet bloomed - and may not in the mountains this late, but I do love their swirled leaves).

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  17. Thank you for sharing this form - which is, likewise, new to me - and your lovely attempts at using it. See you next week.

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