Friday, March 18, 2022

Creativity Is a Chameleon (poem)

Hello and Happy Poetry Friday! Be sure to visit Ruth at There is no such thing as a godforsaken town for Roundup.

I realized this week that my ArtSpeak: Animals project so far has been a bit heavy on mammals. So today I have a reptile for you!

Fun fact: I thought chameleons were amphibians...but no! Because they do not undergo metamorphosis, and they are cold blooded with scaly skin, they are reptiles.

And since I've (pretty much always) got creativity on my mind, here you go! Thank you so much for reading.


Creativity is a Chameleon


quiet
as it absorbs
sun-flood
of new ideas

    tail curling
    each eye circling

still
until sticky tongue
zipzaps a fly

    radiant
as a thousand colors
shift,
        shine


- Irene Latham

12 comments:

  1. "quiet" "still" "radiant" - perfect words in perfect places.

    ReplyDelete
  2. It is a beautiful picture, isn't it? I love all that you gave to your chameleon, Irene, a "shift, shine" for sure! Happy Friday!

    ReplyDelete
  3. "radiant as a thousand colors shift" -- wonderful poem, Irene!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I love that the chameleon is absorbing new ideas. So often we use chameleons as a metaphor for fakey fitting in, rather than having strength and principles. This is a more positive take.

    ReplyDelete
  5. zipzaps! Oh, I need to share this one with students. I love it. And, not only is this a new animal...but it is a "Noun is a..." poem. I'm liking these.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Oh I love the "sun-flood of new ideas."

    ReplyDelete
  7. ditto Marcie! Now I want to hear from the chameleon about those ideas. :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. "shift, / shine" is definitely how it feels when the answer comes! :-)

    ReplyDelete
  9. I love that picture so much. "each eye circling" yes :)! xo

    ReplyDelete
  10. I always revel in the word choice in your poems. Here sun-flood, zipzap, radiant, shift, shine.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I'm enchanted by "sun-flood of new ideas." Oh, Muses, send me a sun-flood! :)

    ReplyDelete

Your thoughts?