Hello and Happy Poetry Friday! Be sure to visit Karen Edmisten for Roundup.
You're invited to view Tuesday 2-Minute Writing Tip 29: Small Steps Lead to Big Writing. I hope you find the message useful!
What a thrill for Charles & me to be featured on Book Breaks video series for For the Win: Poems About Phenomenal Athletes. It was fun sharing poems from the book about LeBron James (by JaNay Brown-Wood) and Eileen Gu (by Nancy Tupper Ling), in honor of her recent Olympics medals! Kaylyn Farneth has created such a special series for teachers sharing booko-love... be sure to get to know her!
Today's ArtSpeak: WOMEN features work by another new-to-me artist: Agnes Martin. I am intrigued by abstract work, which feels so mysterious to me! I lean heavily on titles of the works to help me find meaning. I instantly loved the "feeling" of "Desert Rain." Stark, yes, but also full of promise...so much unseen! It carried me to Death Valley National Park, which I have long wanted to visit in the springtime, to catch the wildflower season. 2026 is predicted to be a "superbloom" year! I wrote two poems -- one a trinet, the other a failed haiku. (Too many syllables!) Thanks so much for reading.
Trinet After Drought
Desert rain,
what winds
blew you across these mountains today?
I wish I could catch you,
carry you
like a
bride's bouquet.
- Irene Latham
Gift
Rain, forever swift of heart,
waits until mountains are sleeping
to ride in on a brisk wind
& surprise desert with flowers
-Irene Latham
p.s. I read somewhere recently (where??) that "swift of heart" doesn't mean "fast." It means "to be fully committed." I love that!!
Oooh - wildflowers in the desert must be a spectacular sight! Thank you, Irene. I'm loving your 2-minute inspirations.
ReplyDeleteThink small! Thanks for another inspiring writing tip! I also find abstract art interesting but mysterious. Seems to be so heavily symbolic. Enjoyed your poems, especially the swift of heart rain . . . :)
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of "ride in on a brisk wind", Irene, sneaking while mountains are sleeping! I have been to Death Valley with my students, and saw some flowers, mostly popped out on the cacti! It's an environment like no other for sure!
ReplyDeleteAn art piece that would stop me cold, but so engagingly warm with your words! Bright wishes for your Spring-Someday among the DV Blooms! Also, glad you & Charles find these many opportunities to bring the young athletes & poems of engaging FOR THE WIN, to readers. Hope you have a moment to check out "Good, Sports" at Bookseedstudio :)
ReplyDeletehttps://bookseedstudio.wordpress.com/2026/02/22/good-sports/