No mouth or tongue. No voice. No eyes or ears.
Yet Nature speaks to us, commanding in her silence.
We respond…
Gifts from Carol.
Her untitled poem on the yellow card is below.
(untitled)
What’s better than a Sunday morning
Sitting on our deck with coffee in hand?
Birds sing as the trees rustle in the light breeze.
All else is quiet.
Surrounded by my flowers with sun on my shoulders,
I drink in the peacefulness of this place.
A monarch flits from flower to flower
On my common milkweed.
I’m so glad you’re here, I think,
If only to myself.
The rocker might neveer return to the patio!
Far from heere I can see what I love.
Now, a car door slams and a
Lawn mower starts beyond our serene boundary.
The spell is broken.
I go inside.
©Carol Labuzzetta, 2023
Carol Labuzzetta responded with her gifts of words and images – a delightful Summer Poetry Swap package I received this week. She included her beautiful found-object poem “Debris” which I loved when she first shared it with us back in June. The old cabin, while gone, still speaks through time’s leftover debris.
Carol included a new poem (new to me?) that resonated. She and I share a favorite pasttime: sitting on our decks, coffee in hand (see untitled poem below). She sent a handmade bead-bookmark, already holding my place in THE PATH TO KINDNESS (J. Crews), notecards of her photo-travels, and perhaps my favorite: a special haiku handwritten on the other side of the bright yellow card. It reads:
For Patricia, A Haiku-
black bears scouting food
from my kitchen not the woods
leave now, eat later
©Carol Labuzzetta, 2023
I’ve been working on ekphrastic poems this summer, my feeble attempt to translate for Nature. Here is an ekphrastic cinquain:
untitled
beauties
bonnets affixed
perfumed, dressed to the nines
gaggle of gossipy girlfriends
peavine
Photo and poem ©2023 Patricia J. Franz
It’s #PoetryFriday!Â
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Patricia Franz is a kidlit writer and published poet. She believes children, dogs, and sourdough have a lot to teach us about life, joy, and wonder. She has raised two boys, four dogs, and holds a master’s degree in Theology with a focus on children’s spirituality. Patricia, her husband, her Bernese Mountain dog, Bonny, and her sourdough starter split their time between the Arizona desert and the Sierra Nevada mountains. 
A lovely way to begin the day!
Truly, a blessing!
“Far from here I can see what I love.” I enjoyed Carol’s peaceful tribute to porch-sitting!
That was my favorite line, too.
What a beautiful exchange! And the hot pink of your bonnet-affixed beauties is stunning! I can imagine that gaggle gossiping in your garden. : )
Funny that pink registered this week – it’s not typically a favorite color for me.
“The rocker might never return. . .” speaks loudly for early morning porch-sitting, until the mower. Carol’s gifts are so thoughtful! And, I love the “gaggle of gossipy girlfriends”, Patricia. They fit in very well with my “pinkish” post today!
Right? Synchronicity strikes!
I love how you worked rhyme and alliteration into your cinquain! Thanks for sharing all the beauty :>)
I love the daily cinquain prompt.
I loved all the poems shared here. A lines that stand out, and that I will remember: Nature speaks to us, commanding in her silence. We respond.
Nature, like an imposing matriarch?
The color on the peavine is astounding, those gossiping girlfriends! Thanks for sharing Carol’s gift, so many gorgeous images and words.
They grow wild around here (peavines and gossipy girlfriends!)
There’s so much to enjoy here! Carol’s poems are lovely–I breathed in the serenity of morning on the deck, and then laughed aloud at the bear haiku. I love your personification of the peavine blossoms. After reading your poem, they totally transformed in my mind. How delightful is that!?
Gift and power of words, right?
Patricia, fun! I enjoyed a poetry swap with Carol this summer too. The bear in her haiku made me laugh. I love the rhyme in your cinquain nines/peavine. It makes it fun to read aloud. So sweet with their pretty bonnets.
Tabatha has given us such a gift with the swaps.
Poetry Swap gifts are the best!
Gifts that keep on giving!
Carol’s poem speaks to the serenity we seek. The spell broken by those noisy intrusions. The quiet ritual you and Carol share is worthy of preservation, Patricia. There is much here in these words to embrace.
the human hungering…
I love your peavine “dressed to the nines!”
it’s the PINK! – lol
Patricia, Thanks for the shout out! I’m so glad you liked my swap goodies. I love the pea vine poem – especially the line a gaggle of gossipy girlfriends – Thanks for sharing it all!
What a joy your gifts are!
So much poetry goodness here, Patricia! Both yours and Carol’s poems are tributes to the natural world and its gifts.
…and to Tabatha’s sense of gift-giving!
Love all of this poetry goodness! The photos, the words, the mornings on the deck (though my preference is tea). 🙂
sometimes I wonder what I would do without that morning sit-time!
It sounds like you’re describing humans until the very last line! 🙂
Patricia, this is a rich post filled with nature’s bounty. I do remember the old cabin photo and poem. Your package from Carol L. is wonderful. The poem connects you both. I love this line, I drink in the peacefulness of this place. The ending has a satisfied finality to the poem. Then, I read your ekphrastic cinquain and fell in love with your various descriptions of the beautiful flowers. Have a great week.