~Barbara Kingsolver
I love the joyful surprise of finding a clever poem (and a beautiful postcard) in my mailbox. For the Summer Poem Swap, Becky Herzog used an Emerson quote I shared on my blog as a springboard.
In Solidarity with (Mother) Nature
by Rebecca Herzog
Nature never hurries. Atom by atom, little by little, she achieves her work.
~Ralph Waldo Emerson
I carve out time
(chiseled in Play-Doh, not stone)
I listen for the muse
(she sounds a lot like my kids)
I fall into a rhythm
(the beats are foot stomps overhead)
I toss the words onto the page
(and teach a child to catch a ball)
I wring out my tired brain
(while little hands squish my cheeks)
But bit by bit
(and little by little)
I achieve my work
(the work is never done)
*************
Poetry For Children has the Poetry Friday round-up. Thanks, Sylvia!
18 comments:
Beautiful, playful poem–and moving-colorful art by Rebecca! I love the metaphorical analogies she's created with in the couplets.
"I achieve my work
(the work is never done)
and it continues … lovely poetry swap Tabatha, thanks for sharing it!
Lovely, fun poem. Brings back memories of a time that I hadn't realised had passed... until it was gone.
What a wonderful poem! I love the structure and grew unexpectedly misty-eyed at the memory of small hands squishing my cheeks. Ah, those long ago days! Thanks for sharing yet another rewarding and rich poetry swap!
OH, Rebecca! This is such a beautiful poem. I have been and am still am in all those moments you describe. Just last night, my 17 y.o. came to where I was writing to tell me about a workshop she signed up for, needed a ride to and me to pay for.....at 10 pm! Suffice it to say that we worked it all out...but my writing time was gone, gone, gone. Thank you for being part of the Summer Poem Swap. Tabatha, I love that you've shared Rebecca's work here.
How lovely is this?! Beautiful poem, and yes, the work is never done... and that's beautiful, too. Thanks to both. xo
It's a beautiful gift, this tribute to motherhood (grandmotherhood?). At least that's my connection. I love the play included and the gorgeous art.
I love this mothering poem, especially the line with Play-Do. That comes with a distinct scent. Sharing poems in the summer poetry swap is so fun. Thanks for making it all possible!
What a fun poetry swap! Love the dual poem + parenthetical lines!
Wonderful poem. What a great card.
What a clever poem - I love the use of parentheses and, as a mother of six, can so relate.
Rebecca's poem should be the anthem for working women everywhere! Although my children are grown, I remember well my muse sounding "a lot like my kids!" Thank you so much for sharing!
I like Becky's poem a lot! Thanks for sharing it!
The struggle of motherhood embodied! Hooray for mothers (and Mother Nature)!!
love the format of this that Becky has created!
"I carve out time
(chiseled in Play-Doh, not stone)"
I love this poem--and I love that Rebecca chose a quote you shared as inspiration for her art and poem. It is indeed a treasure to find in your mailbox!
Oh I love this poem--brings me back to the time when my kids were young and I had little time to write, but managed to somehow do as much (more?) than now. Chiseling out time in Play-Doh indeed!
Rebecca has it right: you may be some kind of exhausted when you mother young kids all day, but if you're attentive, that life is very productive! And yes, the work is never done.
Sorry not sorry I missed the sign ups for the Summer Poem Swap...I feel left out and also freed to work on my memoir project.:)
I am so glad that you enjoyed the poem! It was fun to write and was a bit cathartic. :) I am really enjoying the summer swap.
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