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Linda’s challenge for the Inklings this month was
Write a prose piece–find a poem in it.
Or, write a poem, expand it into a prose piece.
Or, find a prose piece, transform it into a poem.
Or, find a poem and transpose it into a prose piece.Any interpretation of this prompt is perfect.
Sometimes a very narrow and constrained challenge is just right, and sometimes a wide open invitation is what a writer needs. Thanks, Linda!
Here’s how the other Inklings met Linda’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
Buffy Silverman has this week’s Poetry Friday Roundup.
A(nother) Year of Reading 
Wonderful, Mary Lee! I especially love the trees healing broken hearts.
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The image of shadows splintering is so evocative! Thank you for sharing. 🙂
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Beautiful images, Mary Lee! I am hoping to meet you at NCTE. I’ll be attending for the first time!
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Oh we’ve got a theme going for sure about the healing power of nature! In the prose piece love all those “Look”s and the way you weave in the science. Lovely. xo
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I love the repetition in your poetic paragraphs and the progression through them. Trees are certainly healing–thanks for the reminder!
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Mary Lee,
I like the four directions and connections for looking. The haiku at the end is powerful, so many broken hearts.
Your poem reads like a haibun. The challenge is very much like haibun! I will have to share one next week.
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Mary Lee,
A powerful haiku that says it all, the broken hearts. This is very haibun like. I am going to share a prose and poem next week.
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Love the prompt – to find poetry in our everydays and how you made that come alive in your final line: finding healing in trees. Beautiful, Mary Lee.
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Love the prose and the poem, Mary Lee–especially the looking in different directions, the realization that the shade was once welcome and the splintering light will be welcome soon.
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Mary Lee, Your combined poem and prose make for an interesting pair. You bring up a thought that will make me ponder-not to be sad that the trees have lost their leaves and have spaces but that they open the door for light and transformation.
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I love the poem. I confess that I skipped the prose. When I’m on a poetry mission, I seem to just filter out prose, and I always filter out prose poems (that’s what I thought yours was). I went back and read the prose–I love how in the final lines, you talk tree anatomy. And then in your poem, you go to metaphoric anatomy. Cool exercise!
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They give and give, don’t they. I love the prose and the poem, Mary Lee!
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Five whole days later, and it’s STILL fresh and delicious! Nice work, my friend–every not-stanza of your prose has something special to offer.
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Your prose poem is quite fortuitous, Mary Lee. I have been reading ‘You Are No Longer In Trouble’ by Nicole Stellon O’Donnell.- an antholgy of prose poetry. I am now about to explore further as a result of my reading. Your prose poem will serve as an example I can learn from. Love the line- ‘Sky is beginning to show through the emptying branches.’ Such poetic essence in those words. Bravo!
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Mary Lee, I admire the way you expertly weave together science and art. Beautifully written.
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The distillation process is definitely one of your specialties. I love the prose piece…but feel the poem as much or even more.
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Wow — you met this challenge and then some. Love both prose and poem. Brilliant job!!
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This prose piece and haiku are beautiful, Mary Lee. Trees are endlessly comforting and fascinating, especially as I have learned more about how they communicate and the ways they they survive, like the California redwoods.
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That final haiku gets me every time. Where would we be without the comfort trees, and nature, so generously provide, time and time again? I also love how you structured your prose and the wonderful word choice and nuggets of science nestled within its branches. Brava!
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Your prose and poetry are in perfect harmony, Mary Lee. Your haiku…wow. You’ve inspired me to now ‘Look around…’
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Mary Lee your poem takes the shape of tree with branches stretching wide as if arms to embrace. I like the movement of “Look up” out, down, and in— our likeness to tree, and closing with feelings of our heart. Gorgeous pic too, thanks for all!
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Mary Lee, what a gorgeous prose piece of paying attention and looking up, down, out and in. One of my favorite passages is where the welcome shade of July splinters to “you’ll be glad for every sunbeam that filters between empty branches to warm your bundled body” Your haiku is a sweet AMEN to the prose piece. Healing indeed.
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I found both your prose piece and poem full of meaning. I especially love trees healing human hearts. So true!
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Yes, we will be so happy to see those sunbeams in January!
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Mary Lee, I appreciate the science of your prose, but the art of your haiku is breathtaking. Thank you for sharing these healing words.
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