Nestlings

Are we there yet? 

Where? 

Doesn't matter.

Goodness. What a week. I am quite exhausted. How are you holding up? 

This week, SWAGGERS have accepted a challenge to write Nestlings in the style of Irene Latham from her book, This Poem is a Nest (Wordsong 2020).

I went into this challenge with one idea...I need a lot of words. 

In the past year, I played around with Haibun and Tanka. Perfect! A lot of words to play with. My nest is a Haibun and Tanka draft. I didn't clean this draft up...as I only needed to strip words from it. Ha! But, as I read it over and over I see lots of room for improvement. If I create nestlings again, I will be sure to make sure my nest is not so drafty as Molly says. 

Haibun Nest

     In physical therapy, I lay on a table embarrassed over the tears coming out of my eyes. I had no specific sadness. My pain level was just five. But tears, they poured out of the corners of my eyes and down the sides of my face right into my ears. 

      The therapist, working my arm asked, Where is your happy place? 

      The pond. 

      Tell me... 

      All my favorite ghosts are there.

      You have favorite ghosts? 

      They gather around the fire ring on the shore where we sat in lawn chairs holding wire coat-hangers turned marshmallow roasters. They are silent. But pines tattle Aunt Diane’s secret potato salad recipe. goldenrod giggles over Grandpa’s purposeful drawl of Holy Ghost at dinner prayer that made all of us Holy Spirit raised kids look to see if there was also a wink. 

      Maples weep over Rick’s taking of his own lovely life…his goodbyes somewhere in the woods, embrace shaped. Uncle John’s peaceful stutter of steps rhythmic from years of monastic prayer is everywhere, everywhere, everywhere…sparks from the fire rising to the moon. Peepers trace generations in mud that we tracked home without even thinking to wipe our feet. 

Tanka

what can a pond do?
a family gathers round
its banks in summer
wrapping up all sun and moon
picnic for their hungry ghosts

Nestlings 

Photo by Pixabay

Fire Ring 

sparks wink 

pines tattle 

Bottled

tears poured without thinking 

sadness over maples 

Cemetary

ghosts everywhere, 

      everywhere, 

    everywhere 

silent lovely life goodbyes 

The Happy Place Bank 

 

Giggles 

Salad recipe 

Secrets 

Prayer 

Picnic 

Lawn chairs 

Sun and moon 

Marshmallow roasters 

Embrace 

Generations 

Yum

My 

Marshmallow 

Moon

Happy New Year and thanks to Sylvia at Poetry for Children for hosting our round-up this week.

Please look for nestlings from other SWAGGERS
Molly
Margaret
Catherine
Heidi