Poetry Friday — [Five Pebbles]

* * *

all those years
walking in early-morning dark —
does Orion miss me?

* * *

I tend the trillium —
oak’s companions since forest-time —
do they know me?

* * *

insect on the car —
we’ve never met before now —
did you choose me?

* * *

leaf-footed bug —
Leptoglossus oppositus —
what name do you call yourself?

* * *

full moon wakes me —
my face, briefly bathed in moonbeams —
do iris buds feel it, too?

(c) draft, Mary Lee Hahn, 2024

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The Poetry Sisters’ challenge for this month was inspired by Rebecca Kai Dotlich and Georgia Heard’s, Welcome to the Wonder House. Our mission was to write about “unanswerable questions.” And though life seems often to be one unanswerable question (or unfathomable event) after another, I found it INCREDIBLY hard to write to this prompt. Luckily, Jane Hirschfield was able to offer assistance. In her new book, The Asking, she has several collections of small poems she calls “pebbles.” I’ve found these “pebbles” in several sections of the book, and it must have been more than coincidence that when I turned the page for today’s reading, there was [THIRTEEN PEBBLES]. Thank you, Jane.

Here’s what the rest of the Poetry Sisters are wondering about:

Liz @ Liz Garton Scanlon
Tricia @ The Miss Rumphius Effect
Tanita @ {fiction, instead of lies}
Laura @ Laura Purdie Salas
Sara @ Read Write Believe

Ruth has this week’s Poetry Friday roundup at There is no such thing as a God-forsaken town.

The image is via Unsplash.

24 thoughts on “Poetry Friday — [Five Pebbles]”

  5. I love that this was a struggle, and yet you’ve got moonbeams, trillium, Orion, and leaf-footed insects — all the wonder in the world. I think these string so beautifully on your haiku chain. Well done, you.

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  9. Yes, Orion missed you. I’m sure of it…but what lovely questions. Even your questions are pretty…and, one of these days I’m just going to mess with syllable counts in haiku. These are great! My new mentor text.

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  10. I love how the poet is present in your poems, noticing and asking: I see you—do YOU see ME? That question asked, over and over in fresh ways, reminds me that we are in relationship with the natural world always, even if we sometimes forget. (Also: My irises are blooming, so I’m going to think of your poem each time I see them, and wonder if they are murmuring about how much purple I wear.)

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  11. I like that you posed questions, even though you write that it was hard, the questions feel full of wonder, Mary Lee, some we may never answer but pondering will be a nice thing. Thanks for sharing about the ‘pebbles’, too. I like the idea!

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      2. You found the roundup of past challenges, but if you want to take part in the next one, Tanita is very good about including information about “next month” in her posts. We always post on the last Friday of the month.

        I’ll save you the bother of looking it up: Poetry Peeps! You’re invited to our challenge for the month of May! Here’s the scoop: We’re writing in the style of Lucille Clifton’s homage to my hips, and choosing our own body parts to pay homage to. Are you a fan of your neck? Have you always wanted to write a sonnet to the bumps on your tongue? You can read a few body part poems to get your motor running (or, listen to Miss Lucille read! You’ll get goosebumps). Are you game? Good! Whatever song of yourself that you sing, you have a month to craft your creation and share it on May 31st in a post and/or on social media with the tag #PoetryPals.

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  18. Mary Lee, those questions are fascinating and joy-filled. I especially love your waking to moonbeams on your face and the sweet question about irises. Lovely pebbles to carry in my pocket for poem in my pocket day tomorrow.

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  19. Mary Lee, thank you for your pebbles that you left on the page for the reader to ponder. That I shall do. I totally forgot to write a #PoetryPal poem. My continual question is Why does time fly by and leave me wondering what did I do in this one day?

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