~Dorothy Scarborough
Last week I shared a journal from Linda, and this week I'm sharing the poem that went with it. I've also got a poetry zine that Kay McGriff made for me, knowing how much I like zines. Linda and Kay are very thoughtful swappers!
These summer evenings, we have fireflies all over our street. The sight of them and their "lamps of love" always pleases me.
Yet mark! as fade the upper skies,Linda captures many summer traditions in her poem Firefly Tea:
Each thicket opens ten thousand eyes.
Before, beside us, and above,
The fire-fly lights his lamp of love
~Reginald Heber
Summer Night
drops of dew
camp fire
circles loved one
a ghost story
or two.
Sun burned nose
bare feet
swim suits drip
dreams sweet
flicker...flash
set aside to sleep
Drink slowly
Repeat
***********
Kay's zine:
Against All Odds
by Kay Jernigan McGriff
I am amazed
by green shoots
poking up
through cracks
in the sidewalk,
taking root
and reaching for the sun
against all odds.
I hope
that acts of kindness
can break
through cracks
in the walls of fear
and anger and hatred
that we build between us.
I want to be surprised
by kindness
taking room
stretching
toward each other
against all odds.
The folded kindness zine plus some rose lemonade tea
***********
There is no such thing as a Godforsaken town has the Poetry Friday round-up. Thanks, Ruth!
11 comments:
Lovely. I really do enjoy the swaps.
Kindness. That is what I wish, too. (And a flicker of firefly as glitter on top!) Lovely gifts, Tabatha. (You are the gift to us, swap after swap.)
C'mon, Tabatha, you have to share the story of how you "accidentally" bought 17 lemons!
I've been thinking about the green weeds poking up in my sidewalk, too, and it does seem like a life force, growing "against all odds" in spite of the bricks that control it. I love the way the poem looks on the page and the poems link to kindness.
"I want to be surprised by kindness" is exactly how I feel about the poetry swaps, Tabatha. There's always a surprise in the connections we make through this tradition. Thank you for sharing Linda and Kay's wonderful gift-poems.
Tabatha, your gifts from Linda and Kay are wonderful gifts made with poetry love. You must have been thrilled when you saw them. Creativity is certainly the commonality in these two swaps.
Nice capturing of summer in Linda's swap poem. I'm hoping on those "acts of kindness" in Kay's poem to poke through every once in a while. Thanks for sharing these sensitive and thoughtful poem swaps Tabatha!
Thank you for sharing your gifts with all of us (on multiple levels), Tabatha! Linda and Kay are multi talented poets and their 'acts of kindness' have given us a 'flicker and flash' that brightens OUR days, too. :)
Tabatha, your poetry swap always sounds like fun. I enjoyed reading the beautiful poems Linda and Kay wrote and seeing the zine Kay sent you. Thank you for sharing.
Precious poetry gifts. I'll take some of that kindness with my tea.
Fireflies, butterflies, Japanese Beetles...such a delight to share summer with these creatures!
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