A
Photo
Prompt
Halfway there…
Today marks the midpoint in our celebration of National Poetry Month!
Matt Forrest Esenwine challenged us with the three photos below and I came up with “secrets” — Read on!
Then, go visit Matt who hosts this week #PoetryFriday roundup. He has an interview with Leslie Bulion, whose brand-new picture book Serengeti: Plains of Grass (Peachtree Publishing) came out March 1 – the same day as Matt’s I Am Today (POW! Kids Books)!
secrets
the secret to growing tomatoes
is to listen to them chatter
after a soak in the sun
swinging from stems
summer heat reddens the skin
the secret to a walk on the shore
is to listen to stones
stories from the sea
stamina while sand
smoothes away rough edges
like the wisdom of a grandma
the secret to a Sunday drive
is to listen to a dog
an open window
wind on whiskers
a wink, a pink tongue
a willing lap
the secret is to listen
take a drive
walk the shore
grow tomatoes
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. 
Ah yes, the secret to just about everything is to listen, right? I especially love thinking about stones telling stories of the sea.
I’ve found photo prompts help me personify the subject, which leads me to interview them! I spent a whole morning interviewing this crew!
You used all three images uniquely, so well done! And good luck in the drawing! 😉
Thanks for the inspiration!
Just lovely, Patricia! My favorite part is “wind on whiskers.” 🙂 Truly listening is a secret many need to be reminded of and practice more.
Maybe poetry is the key to unlock this practice? I am much more attentive to remaining quiet and listening as a result of immersing myself in poetry this month!
Ooh — that stanza about the sea is so wistful and wise. Of course, my beagles are glad that you wrote about doggies!
So happy I can bring some joy to the Beagles! 🙂
Patricia, what a great idea for your CUBED poem. Lovely way to include all the photos. I love the secret is to listen. That is a great life message. (this simile is superb: “while sand / smoothes away rough edges / like the wisdom of a grandma”)
Thank you, Denise, I’m glad it resonated!
Ooh, love that!
Thank you, Susan.
Love your secret listening poem, so many doors begin to open when we lend an ear to listen, love how you tied it all together in the last stanza too, thanks Patricia!
Thank you, Michelle!
Smidgey whole heartily agrees with your advice to “listen to a dog”.
Her message is first and foremost “cheese” – she can never keep it a secret.
Fabulous poem, Patricia. 🙂
Well, this is high praise coming from Smidgey! 🙂
This is so wonderful, Patricia! Each part is something to keep close to the heart. Matt’s prompt brought special words from you.
Thank you, Linda; I really enjoyed linking the three photos.
You got it just right — the secret is definitely in the listening!
Thank you, Mary Lee!
This is a wonderful poem, Patricia! The perfect summertime poetry treat. I love the images of chattering tomatoes and wind on whiskers, and I especially love “smoothes away rough edges
like the wisdom of a grandma”.
I’m glad you liked it Michelle. Thanks for stopping!
Patricia, it is wonderful reading your poem and seeing how you incorporated the three images. I also was intrigued by the surmised wink the sweet dog gives in the photo. Listening intently is a skill I tried to develop over the years. It was my one little word one year and your poem is full of the wisdom of listening. I especially liked the insertion of the word grandma in your poem.
Thank you, Carol!
Oh this is just gorgeous! I love how you’ve explored such disparate photos through the repeated phrase, and how you bring it all together in the end. Thank you so much for sharing this with us!
Thank you for visiting, Elisabeth. Matt’s photo prompts were a delight!
What a fun poem, Patricia! (I wonder if the dog stanzas are beginning of a picture book poem?)
lol– I’m always wondering if there is a dog PB in there!
This is so beautifully structured, Patricia. I love it!
Thank you, Laura; NPM and PF have been gifts for me, for practicing and playing with form, structure, words, etc.
I enjoy the sounds in your poem, your use of “s” sounds, which are lovely read aloud and bring the poem to life.
Thank you, Janice!
Looking at the photos, I couldn’t imagine what you’d say, but you clearly listened. Well done!
Thank you, Christie!
Oh my, Patricia, what a marvelous poem you wrote! I love the repetition of “the secret” and “I listen” and how you used these words to connect the photos in your poem. Your personification in the first two lines quickly hooked me. I especially love the idea of listening to stones and how those stones tell “stories from the sea/stamina while sand/ sooths away rough edges/like the wisdom of a grandma”. I love how I can hear all your /s/ sounds through your poem and your /w/ alliteration in the 6th stanza. I also enjoyed how your last stanza sums up your poem but reverses the order in which you introduced each photo prompt. So much heart in your poem, too. Wow.
Thank you for your kind words, Gail. I’m glad this poem reached you. Of course, we have Matt to thank for those pics!