The striking line, “You can’t sum it up. A life.” comes from the poem “The Hurting Kind” from the book THE HURTING KIND by Ada Limón.
The poem itself, in response to Margaret Simon’s gorgeous photo, is a “This Photo Wants to Be a Poem…” poem, which was Margaret’s challenge this month for the Inklings.
Here’s how the rest of the crew met Margaret’s challenge:
Linda@A Word Edgewise
Heidi @my juicy little universe
Molly@Nix the Comfort Zone
Catherine@Reading to the Core
Margaret@Reflections on the Teche
Linda B. has the first Poetry Friday roundup of September at TeacherDance.
A(nother) Year of Reading 
I love seeing all the beautiful photos again from the Wednesday prompts. Your poem filled me with wonder this morning, Mary Lee. Thank you.
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I can’t see the sunrise anymore because of apartments across from me, yet on occasion, I can see an ‘edge’ of that “blaze of improbable fire” & know it is there. The “whatever it takes” phrase is touching, Mary Lee. Love all that you gathered for this poem. Happy Friday!
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So much to love about this! That my morning sky photo could inspire such a beautiful poem inspires me. The striking line…wow! And the amazing words you chose, blaze, tangerine, peach…such wonderful imagery.
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Mary Lee, you painted the sky in vivid colors adding a “blaze of improbable fire”. Your thoughts stir me as the poem progresses. Thanks for the morning poem to start my day.
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Those last two lines are a discomfiting assertion for anyone who thought they were just pleasantly admiring the sunrise. Or maybe for a person who’s feeling rather horizonless this morning. I like the way you folded sum over equation to fashion sky.
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Just beautiful. I love how the “sky becomes a complicated equation.”
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Beautiful imagery and word choice, Mary Lee. I love “improbable sky” and also the weaving of “sum” and “equations.”
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What a fabulous response to the photo and the challenge! You chose a wonderful strike line and I love ” whatever it/takes to tilt a chin or a face up” –something about that line totally pulled me in. Well done!
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Wow! to both the photo and the poem. I love the strike line and how you connected it to your final line. Lovely!
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Wow! The horizon’s of your life…whatever it takes to tilt a chin. Wonderful depth in this golden shovel. I’d like a slice of that sky, please.
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Powerful poem Mary Lee, that last line reminds me of an Ada Limón gut punch line. I also like your middle line “simply the sum of shape and shadow,” and “to tilt a chin or a face up” there’s that effort to touch another, thanks.
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Really love this! Thank you for sharing! Very creative.
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Oh, I see that sky putting on a show just to get people to look up! I love the thinking that this line brought to me today: “and whatever it / takes to tilt a chin or a face up”
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That first line!
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Beautiful, Mary Lee.
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