Cascading Along With Words

Join me as I continue to add poetry to my "Spring Seeds Gracing April Gallery and Padlet". I invite you to add at least one original image poem (or other options) to the padlet I created. You can find the invitation here.

Spring Graces Our Earth

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early spring unfolds

golden rays sparkle

zephers whoosh along

lush azaleas burst

renewing post-winter gardens

early spring unfolds 

in afternoon splendor

blossoms spread beauty

golden rays sparkle

dusk's colors dance

awakened buds rest  

zephers whoosh along

©CVarsalona, April 2026, poem and photo

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I was inspired yesterday to use a new poetic format, the cascade poem, shared by Margaret Simon's This Photo Wants to be a Poem. 

Spring's Meet-and-Greet at the Pond

baby ducklings splish and splash

in the pond at the end of the street

grandgirls frolic while watching ducklings play

—–

But Mother Duck hides in the shadows of day

observing her little ones

baby ducklings splish and splash

—–

few more minutes to watch and dash

rows of ducklings follow the leader

in the pond at the end of the street

—–

sunshine warms our meet-and-greet

time to say goodbye-no one wants to leave

grandgirls frolic while watching ducklings play

CVarsalona 2026, first cascade poem.                     Duckling Nature Photo by Margaret Simon

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Margaret Simon stated: "At Ethical ELA, Erica Johnson is leading us in writing a “Playful Cascade” which is a poem form that takes each line of the first stanza making them the last line of the next stanzas. I decided to use tercets, 3 lines per stanza."

Thank you to Heidi Mordhorst for hosting the Poetry Friday Roundup here. I appreciate that Heidi has gathered two other poetry friends, Margaret Simon, and Jone MacCulloch to create a lively conversational video on poetry with and for kids! The key thoughts they explore are: 

1. Approaches to the teaching of poetry with elementary-aged kids 
2. Why it's important
3. How writing with kids inspires and sustains us, three middle-aging white ladies

Nature and Writing Nurture My Soul!

May it do the same for you.