#verselove - 6 holding one another

For the month of April, I am participating in 30 days of #verselove poetry writing with Dr. Sarah J. Donovan's Ethical ELA. 

Today's inspiration comes from Margaret Simon, who provided links to a variety of photographs from around the world that give a unique perspective on this long year of pandemic. She invited us to choose one photo and create a poem about it.

I chose a photo from National Geographic, taken by photographer Anush Babajanyan in Armenia. Anush Babajanyan hugs her daughter Ella when she has trouble finishing her virtual math work. With Mama nestled in the hollow of her daughter's neck, it was hard to tell who was reassuring whom. Throughout this pandemic, we are holding one another up.

holding one another

with the child nestled at her side
Mama reassures
there, there,
we hold one another up,
yes, yes, this pandemic is hard,
yes, yes, we are not leaving the house, 
yes, yes, I will teach you everything,
yes, yes, I am here for you,
as we did yesterday, so, too, today, and perhaps many more to come,
I am here for you, yes, yes,
so much we have to learn, yes, yes,
we are home together again, yes, yes,
we’re going to make it through, yes, yes,
we hold one another up,
there, there,
reassures the child
with Mama nestled at her side

Apr7Poetry - Girls' play

I'm trying something new, taking a risk this month - participating in
#VerseLove with Sarah Donovan,
hoping to write poetry every day this April.








Today's poetic challenge is to write an "ekphrastic poem," which is one that originates with a piece of art or photograph, providing a creative description or imagining of the scene itself. We were given several photos as a starting point, and invited to open up our senses and write!

I chose this photo:

Girls' playground, Harriet Island, St. Paul, Minn.

• Digital ID: (digital file from original) det 4a12326 http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/det.4a12326
• Reproduction Number: LC-DIG-det-4a12326 (digital file from original)
• Repository: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pp.print

Grab the rings, soar in the sky,

Together, sisters, we play.

Waste no moment here outside,

My favorite time of day.

Dress and tights won’t hold me back,

With each swing, I feel the breeze.

Simply nothing that I lack,

Like a bird, I am so free.

I find it so confusing,

It doesn’t make sense to me.

You stopped running and doing,

Simply to goggle and preen?

Hold on tight, big swing, repeat,  

My muscles will see me through.

Move the stepstool when I leap,

Then, I’ll do the same for you.

Grab the rings, soar in the sky,

Together, sisters, we play.

Waste no moment here outside,

My favorite time of day.