Stars in My Sugar Bowl

Petite Heirlooms

2012-03-06T18:26:00.004-08:00

in this hand-painted tin I find every button

Photo credit: Lainey Powell, via flickr // CC BY 2.0

National Cherry Blossom Festival

2011-04-28T20:00:00.000-07:00

cherry blossom boughs
along the Tidal Basin ...
Japanese tourists

Photo credit: JCardinal18, via flickr // CC BY 2.0

In the Distance ...

2011-04-08T17:51:00.001-07:00

remembering you
a slight smile upon my lips
... sliver of a moon

Photo credit: Dhilung Kirat, via flickr // CC BY 2.0

Gently Falling

2011-03-10T13:24:00.001-08:00

patter of spring rain
soft against the window's glass
tears slide down his face

Photo credit: Sveta Suvorina, via flickr // CC BY 2.0

Glitter

2011-03-02T09:57:00.000-08:00

Sustainability:

Our carbon footprint

reduced

to diamonds.

Photo credit: malakins, via flickr // CC BY 2.0

Night Music

2011-01-26T12:23:00.000-08:00

Source: Hubblesite.org

a symphony of stars --
your heart, in time
with mine

Winter Moon

2011-01-08T16:55:00.001-08:00

my attention
distracted
waning
light
of the moon

Photo credit: Grafik Mekanik, via flickr // CC BY 2.0

Lazy Sunday

2010-12-20T12:41:00.001-08:00

snuggled
beneath his blanket
beneath his dog

Photo credit: daveynin, via flickr // CC BY 2.0

Poems for National Punctuation Day®

2010-12-19T20:42:00.000-08:00

Last September, I entered the National Punctuation Day® haiku contest at National Punctuation Day®. Contest entries were - you guessed it - haiku poems about punctuation.

I didn't place in the contest (congrats to all the winners!), so I thought I'd post my poems here:

Chasing ellipsis:
he kisses her ... one ... two ... three
times before she leaves.

***

Lost along the way,
she slows, grasping for the end,
nearly comma-tose.

Photo credit: Horia Varlan, via flickr // CC BY 2.0

Formation

2010-12-05T10:00:00.000-08:00

Under a goldenrod eye,
armies of cloud-men strut by
flanked by a blue damselfly
streamers of flags in the sky.

Note: This was my third attempt (the first two were hideously trite) at a tanaga, a four-line Filipino poetic form that traditionally had an A-A-A-A rhyme scheme and a syllable count of 7-7-7-7.

Photo credit: sahua d, via flickr //CC BY 2.0

He is coming

2010-12-04T20:42:00.000-08:00

thin tapers of wax
remind me of why I'm here:
light the Advent wreath

Photo credit: Mario Sormann, via flickr // CC BY 2.0

Blessed

2010-11-24T13:08:00.000-08:00

small servile gesture
kneeling down to offer thanks
on Thanksgiving Day

Photo credit: josephpetepickle, via flickr // CC BY 2.0

Squeezed

2010-11-19T17:42:00.000-08:00

ubiquitous green grasp
choking life from the trees:
deadly embrace of kudzu

Photo credit: Robert Michalove, via flickr // CC BY 2.0

Our First Child

2010-11-15T21:07:00.000-08:00

first sonogram:
so excited to see you
we didn’t notice
your missing heartbeat -
the silence

Photo credit: Anne Norman, via flickr // CC BY 2.0

Trick-or-Treat

2010-11-06T10:35:00.001-07:00

on Halloween night
the North star guides our way
to smiles and candy

Photo credit: YAXZONE, via flickr // CC BY 2.0

Curly Top

2010-11-04T18:28:00.000-07:00

curly cirrus clouds
waving with the autumn wind
Mother Nature's hair

Photo credit: k4dordy via flickr // CC BY 2.0

Reading the leaves

2010-10-12T19:04:00.000-07:00

cryptic messages
swirling on the autumn wind:
wet, tea-colored leaves

Photo credit: Shamanic Shift, via flickr // CC BY 2.0

Falling into Fall

2010-10-10T21:22:00.000-07:00

scarecrow's jaunty hat
tipped in my direction:
the cold autumn wind

Photo credit: Randy Robertson, via flickr // CC BY 2.0

Playing with my food

2010-10-04T20:42:00.000-07:00

plate full of giggles
relaxes my tense shoulders
delightful play food

Photo credit: mayoff, via flickr //CC BY 2.0

P.S. If you search flickr for play food, you come up with some pretty wild things, like a melon Death Star and cookie board games.

Tidal Force

2010-09-24T13:59:00.000-07:00

small arms in motion
teaching the ocean to wave -
nature's conductor

Photo credit: Erik (HASH) Hersman, via flickr // CC BY 2.0

Evolution of the Poem: Faded Memories

2010-09-23T19:23:00.000-07:00

Earlier this year, I read a wonderful post at Kelli Russell Agodon's Book of Kells blog entitled "What You Don't See Behind the Poem". Using Fuzzmail, she gave a glimpse of the evolution of a poem from start to finish. Hers is a humorous tale, and I found myself laughing as I read, and re-read, the post.

I've been thinking about haiku and editing. Short poems look deceptively simple to write. Most of the time, they go through numerous revisions from start to finish. I usually compose on the computer, deleting and rewording as I go, and I tend to forget just how many stages one poem can undergo. I thought it might be fun to work up a poem from start to finish.

Here's the finished product:

FADED MEMORIES

blue linen ribbon
wrapped around a seashell wreath
the scent of sea foam

And here's the messy, ugly, evolution of the poem:

That blue ribbon on my seashell wreath is looking kind of worn and faded … it’s been a long time since I’ve been to the beach ...

faded blue ribbon
ties seashells and sand together
faded memories

faded blue ribbon
wrapped around moss and seashells
memories of the sea

strip of blue linen
ties seashells and moss
into faded memories

blue linen ribbon
tied around a seashell wreath
the smell of the ocean

blue linen ribbon
tied around a seashell wreath
faded scent of moss

blue linen ribbon
wrapped around a seashell wreath
the taste of sea foam

blue linen ribbon
wrapped around a seashell wreath
the smell of sea foam

blue linen ribbon
wrapped around a seashell wreath
the scent of sea foam

Then I had to think up a title:

The Wreath?
Seaside Memories?
Found Treasure?
Faded Memories

Is this poem really finished? I tend to edit my poems every time I look at them, until I finally get to a point where I don't think I can add or change any more without losing the essence of the poem. Since I just wrote this tonight, I don't have enough perspective yet to know if it's finished. Only time will tell.

Photo credit & wreath-maker: Mama Joules

Post - Tempest

2010-09-15T19:33:00.001-07:00

The storm sighs softly,
drawing her final breath;
exhaling leaves from the trees,
she cries herself to sleep.

Note: This poem was inspired by the poetry of Tina Nguyen.

Photo credit: Ellie, via flickr // CC BY 2.0

End of season

2010-09-13T17:09:00.000-07:00

summer memories ~
swept to the back of my mind
like leaves from the porch

Photo credit: Sharon Mollerus via flickr // CC BY 2.0

Daybreak

2010-09-02T07:32:00.000-07:00

waning gibbous moon ~
scoop of vanilla ice cream
melted by the sun

Photo credit: Dave Young, via flickr //CC BY 2.0

Self-inflicted

2010-08-25T21:55:00.000-07:00

on your desk, ninja stars

***

on your arm, faded scars

Photo credit: Damien McMahon, via flickr // CC BY 2.0

Hot for Teacher

2010-08-25T09:29:00.000-07:00

high school chemistry

my favorite memory

his bulging biceps

Photo credit: Patricia H., via flickr // CC BY 2.0

Squawk Thoughts

2010-08-23T20:46:00.000-07:00

Dancing on wet sand, seagulls pivot,
flap their wings above the incoming tide.

***

Their webbed toes tickled by foam,
seagulls give chase as the tide runs away.

Photo credit: Jan Smith, via flickr // CC BY 2.0

I remember ...

2010-08-17T20:44:00.000-07:00

bliss-
filled nights,
our first time
together
when time
stood still
we stopped
together

still

unlike
now

Photo credit: Alyson Hurt, via flickr // CC BY 2.0

Curtains

2010-08-15T14:24:00.000-07:00

such delicate lace
gracing my dusty windshield
insect's fragile wing

Photo credit: inajeep, via flickr // CC BY 2.0

Perseid's Eyes

2010-08-14T11:28:00.000-07:00

sharp shiny needles
pulled from a black pin cushion
meteor shower

Photo credit: Ed Sweeney, via flickr // CC BY 2.0

Stickler for detail note: Sweeney's photo is of the 2009 Leonid meteor shower, but it illustrated what I was thinking so perfectly that I had to use it. :)

Out of Bounds

2010-07-30T19:53:00.000-07:00

tiny soccer ball
bouncing across my sun roof
luminous full moon

Photo credit: Toshihiro Oimatsu, via flickr // CC BY 2.0

Happy Fourth of July!

2010-07-04T12:30:00.000-07:00

thunderous booming
raindrops of red, white, and blue
splatter the night sky

Photo credit: dcJohn, via flickr // CC BY 2.0

Third Grade Science Project

2010-06-11T20:57:00.000-07:00

pinned down in mid-flight

a styrofoam butterfly -
button eyes twinkling

Refuge

2010-05-24T19:14:00.000-07:00

fuzzy warm slippers
comfortable and cozy
for the brown recluse

Photo credit: Jamiesrabbits, via flickr // CC BY 2.0

Before we were married ...

2010-05-20T18:51:00.000-07:00

standing in your living room,
terrified
because you see me
and still love me

Photo credit: Tim & Selena Middleton, via flickr // CC BY 2.0

Simple brilliance

2010-05-07T21:11:00.000-07:00

dandelion suns
a galaxy in my yard
their smiles radiant

Photo credit: Ruthanne Reid, via flickr // CC BY 2.0

Crowd Control

2010-05-03T17:12:00.000-07:00

I can’t babysit them like I used to;
there’s no time to set them down gently.
When I get interrupted, as I often do,
my poems don’t queue neatly
like patrons at the post office.

Rather, they are a raucous crowd:
unruly soccer fans, kicking,
clawing, screaming at one another,
clamoring for my attention,
desperate to be noticed.

I hear them strangling now,
words congealing on the page,
stagnant as a blood clot.
Scabbing over, they will harden.
The leftovers wait to be picked off,
wait, impatiently, for their reprieve.

Photo credit: John Martinez Pavliga, via flickr // CC BY 2.0
(I realize this is a crowd of football fans, not soccer fans, but they certainly look raucous to me!)

Happy Poem in Your Pocket Day!

2010-04-29T05:20:00.000-07:00

April 29th is Poem in Your Pocket Day. To celebrate, I participated in the "Envelope Project", where you take the first line of a famous poem and use it as a springboard to write your own poem. This year, the first lines were all taken from Emily Dickinson's work.

I chose "The Murmur of a bee." You can see the sentence in it's original context here. My poem is below.

The Murmur of a Bee


The murmur of a bee
as he talks to the flower,
he softly strokes her petaled face
before the coming shower.

Then, damp and dewy, he flies home
buzzing loudly in his haste,
with her pollen on his mind
her memory, his to taste.

[Update: This poem was honored by Poem in Your Pocket Day NYC as an "outstanding poem."]

Photo credit: Christine, via flickr // CC BY 2.0

Burst

2010-04-15T17:31:00.000-07:00

party pink flowers
stark against naked branches
silky leaves asleep

Photo credit: Dendroica cerulea, via flickr // CC BY 2.0

Flooded

2010-04-08T16:28:00.000-07:00

Here, I find solace:
the center of the poem
eye of my maelstrom

Photo credit: Kim Strømstad, via flickr // CC BY 2.0

Happy Easter!

2010-04-04T05:00:00.000-07:00

laden with blossoms
trees dressed in their Sunday best
Easter corsages

Photo credit: terren in Virginia, via flickr // CC BY 2.0

Dusk

2010-03-30T20:49:00.000-07:00

purple-gray rain clouds
huddled in an orange sky
lone blackbird at dusk

Photo credit: Marc Wellekötter, via flickr // CC BY 2.0

Springtime Serenade

2010-03-30T08:23:00.000-07:00

my home, my home, mine
a chant of domestic bliss
frog chorus at dusk

Photo credit: Stephen Barnett, via flickr // CC BY 2.0

Poetry Book Giveaway 2010 for National Poetry Month!

2010-03-28T14:24:00.000-07:00

***Update! Congratulations to Evie Shockley, of may I have a word with you?, winner of Edward Hirsch's The Living Fire: New and Selected Poems and Stacy Lynn Mar, winner of Good Woman: Poems and a Memoir 1969-1980 by Lucille Clifton. I will be contacting both of you shortly so I can get your books sent to you. Thanks to everyone for visiting and commenting!***

April is National Poetry Month and Kelli over at Book of Kells came up with this great idea for a poetry giveaway. What if bloggers all over the world gave away two books of poetry this month to their readers -- one of their own, and one from a poet they admire? What a wonderful way to discover new poets! I had to join in.

Now, I don't have a book of my own in print yet, so I thought I'd give away books by two poets that have influenced me:

Good Woman: Poems and a Memoir 1969-1980 by Lucille Clifton contains "Homage to my Hips," a marvelous poem that taught me to love my curves. I had the pleasure of seeing Ms. Clifton read her work at Duke before she died and I have a signed copy of one of her books in my collection (sorry, I can't bear to part with that one!).

The Living Fire: New and Selected Poems by Edward Hirsch is my second, although no less worthy, choice. I really wanted to give away Wild Gratitude, but it isn't in print right now. Edward Hirsch came to speak to my writing class in college when I was just 17. Wild Gratitude had just come out and the world had no idea how big Hirsch's influence on modern poetry would be, although I suspect that my poetry teacher might have had an inkling. I wrote a poem in response to one of Hirsch's and he signed my copy of Wild Gratitude acknowledging my poetic response. As a poet, that signed book is one of my most treasured items (again, another book I can't bear to part with!).

Please leave a comment on this post only by April 30th if you'd like to win one of these books. Be sure to include some contact information. I will choose two names at random with the help of my husband, Itinerant Cryptographer (he's handy with numbers). I will draw the names on May 1st and announce the winners here, on this blog post, by May 2nd and I will try to reach you then. As soon as we make contact, I'll order your book and have it sent to you. If I can't reach you by May 5th, I reserve the right to draw another name.

Be sure to drop by Book of Kells -- she's running a list of bloggers participating in this giveaway along the left-hand column of her blog. The more blogs you visit, the more likely you are to win a book of poetry!

Happy Poetry Month! Good luck!

False Witness

2010-03-28T09:11:00.000-07:00

negativity -
banned from my mind: you, your rage
banished to darkness

Photo credit: Amanda Govaert, via flickr // CC BY 2.0

Blue-Collar Clouds

2010-03-25T12:40:00.001-07:00

low-slung stratus clouds

straddle the turbulent sky
weather's working class

Photo credit: Paul Downey, via flickr // CC BY 2.0

The Purpose of Garden Gnomes ...

2010-03-22T14:44:00.000-07:00

fairy dust scattered
overnight, blossoms emerge -
the magic of spring

Photo credit: Mathew Ingram, via flickr // CC BY 2.0

Scavenger

2010-03-18T18:36:00.000-07:00

lumbering catfish
lurking in the murky dregs
mobile barbed wire fence

Photo credit: Brian Drum, via flickr // CC BY 2.0

Link love for The Haiku Buckaroo Contest 6.0

2010-03-06T19:37:00.000-08:00

My friend Tanja pointed me to My Mommy's Place, home of The Haiku Buckaroo Contest 6.0. Of course, I have to enter this contest. I need the Haiku Buckaroo logo to dress up the margins of this blog. ;)

When I thought about My Mommy's Place and haiku, my mind drifted to my kids. This one's for the boys:

quiet, starlit night
in the stillness before dawn
tiptoes and giggles

And this one's for my baby girl:

her eyes, clear and cool
her curls, a tangle of red
my dominant genes

Bad Doggerel

2010-02-17T18:10:00.000-08:00

stray mongrel poem
lost, snivelling, doggerel
tale between its legs

Photo credit: Pixel Addict, via flickr // CC BY 2.0

I Love Joe

2010-02-13T21:38:00.000-08:00

beans
hard, firm
grabbing, pressing, squeezing
grinder, blades, percolator, water
sniffing, sipping, savoring
fragrant, aromatic
coffee

Note: This was my first try at a diamante - interesting. That fourth line is hard: the first two nouns pertain to the top word and the second two nouns that relate to the bottom word. It's hard to move a poem with nouns. I wonder why they were chosen for the fourth line?

Photo credits: (top) Refracted Moments™ (bottom) Gunjan Karun, via flickr // CC BY 2.0

***

[Update: 2/16/10 - I stopped by to add commas to the fourth line - I'm still having troubles with that one!]

Shelter

2010-02-08T06:30:00.000-08:00

Earthenware mugs sit on the table
filled with hot chocolate, now cold.
The little boys have run wild again,
outside with the blizzard-like winds,
laughing as they burrow into the snow,
burying themselves in layers of ice,
encasing their bodies in a womb-like tomb
where they can retreat from adulthood,
back away from life’s worries, head back
to a time when life was always nurtured
forever warm and safe, even when --
especially when –- it was cold outside.

Note: This was my first attempt at a Jackpine sonnet. For more about Jackpine sonnets, read this.

Photo credit: Ruthanne Reid, via flickr // CC BY 2.0

Even Now (for JF)

2010-02-07T16:43:00.001-08:00

So we decided to remain friends
because I knew in my heart
that I couldn’t stand her
dating you, and me
off to one side, watching,
waiting for the phone to ring
desperately wanting
things to go back
to when we were
just two.

And we remained friends
even after the time I got drunk
and followed you around
to the neighborhood bar, cornered
by our dateless co-workers,
desperately lonely,
singing karaoke
off-key, horrible
memory, haunted me
for years.

Today, though apart,
I think of you, my friend,
and me, and how we married
other people, our best friends,
and I know, once again,
that I made a good choice
to let you go.
I wish you the best,
not desperate, not lonely,
just curious,
even now.

Photo credit: Dragunsk, via flickr // CC BY 2.0

Sparkle

2010-02-05T14:45:00.000-08:00

crystalline flakes fall
through the pearlescent snow clouds ~
my daughter's first tooth

Photo credit: Wilson "Snowflake" Bentley, NOAA's National Weather Service Collection

Love Lessons

2010-02-01T16:18:00.000-08:00

Lingering over Valentine evening
Our voices entwine
Votives endless
Empathy

Photo credit: Rajwinder Singh, via flickr // CC BY 2.0

Note: I wrote this poem as an entry for a contest at Soulpoetrysite.com. The theme was to write a love acrostic poem.

Snow at Dawn

2010-01-30T18:21:00.000-08:00

crisp winter, pre-dawn
waiting for the air to breathe
snow gently falling

Photo credit: Jason Hollinger, via flickr // CC BY 2.0

On Loan

2010-01-29T19:18:00.000-08:00

library book stack
guides to financial freedom ~
more overdue fees

Photo credit: CCAC North Library / CC BY 2.0

The Point of the Pen

2010-01-28T06:18:00.000-08:00

modern haikuist
divining nature's beauty ~
a pen strikes the earth

Photo credit: Mixy Lorenzo, via flickr // CC BY 2.0

The Wild Wild Web

2010-01-27T15:10:00.000-08:00

web exploitation:
the modern day prospector
claims last urls

Photo credit: Luke, via BurningWell.org

Vandalized

2010-01-25T11:37:00.000-08:00

love vandal at work
heart splattered in graffiti ~
passion is misspelled

Photo credit: MaxiuB, via flickr // CC BY 2.0

Original art by unknown graffiti artist near Fuengirola, Spain.

Kauai

2010-01-22T20:08:00.000-08:00

double rainbows dance
arching over canyon walls -
the joys of summer

Photo credit: Bryce Edwards, via flickr // CC BY 2.0

Note: I chose this photo over one with a double rainbow because this is the canyon that I was visualizing when I wrote the poem. You see so many rainbows in Hawaii! It's no wonder the state license plate has a rainbow on it.

Impasse

2010-01-20T05:31:00.000-08:00

I learned about Sedoka last night over at Joseph Harker's poetry blog, naming constellations, so I wanted to try one. According to AllPoetry.com, a Sedoka is a poem with the syllabic form 5/7/7 5/7/7, where each stanza (or, more accurately, katauta) comes at the same subject from different perspectives. I thought it would be fun to try one, which is how I came to write Impasse.

such impassive frost
devours heat from my soul
snow-bitten, withered, I lie

you lie before me
imposter, super-imposed
yourself, burnt in effigy

Photo credit: Gordana Adamovic-Mladenovic, via flickr // CC BY 2.0

Reaction to "Chocolatetown"

2010-01-19T15:41:00.000-08:00

I was cruising through flickr, looking for a picture to go with a different poem, when I happened upon this photo. I was immediately sucked into the frame, wind upon my face at dusk, hazy maritime air heavy in my lungs. So, of course, I had to write a poem.

window draped in dusk
flashes iridescent light
sunset’s stolen kiss

Photo credit: Petar Krizmanic, via flickr // CC BY 2.0

Short Flight

2010-01-13T18:02:00.000-08:00

flying in circles
the helicopter buzzes
baby's toothless gums

Photo credit: Naomi, via flickr // CC BY 2.0

Win a copy of 2010 Writer's Market!

2010-01-12T10:55:00.000-08:00

This contest is now closed. Thanks to all who entered!

[Update: Well, the 10-sided die has been cast ... and lightverse, you are our winner! Congratulations! Please contact me and let me know where you'd like me to send your book. And thanks to everyone who entered. You made my day!]

To celebrate the launch of this new blog, I am giving away an unused paperback copy of the 2010 Writer's Market published by Writer's Digest Books. This tome is a great addition to any writer's toolkit, containing listings for 3,500 places to publish your work. I already own a copy and received this extra one at Christmas -- a perfect opportunity for a giveaway!

To be eligible for the drawing, please leave me a comment about science, poetry, or both, on this post only.

Tell me about your favorite scientific subject, describe a fun science activity, tell me what you like about my other blog, Mama Joules, provide a link to a family-friendly science website, or tell me anything else about science.

If science isn't your thing, (drop by my family-friendly science blog, Mama Joules, and then) talk to me about haiku, tanka, haiga, alliteration, Robert Frost, Gwendolyn Brooks, or anything else relating to poetry.

And if, like me, you enjoy both science and poetry, share your thoughts on Scifaiku, Fibonacci sequence poetry, or some other topic similar to both.

You must include something about science, poetry, or both, in your comment to be eligible for this drawing. I reserve the right to delete any comments that contain spam, sexually explicit references, swearing, or other overtly troll-like content. Please make sure to include enough contact information that I can E-mail you back if you win!

I'll be accepting comments here for roughly two weeks (until 8 pm EST January 20th) and then I'll have my husband, Itinerant Cryptographer, help me pick a winner at random (since he does that sort of thing for a living). At that time, I will announce the winner here, by updating this post, and I will request that you contact me by E-mail to claim your prize.

If you are chosen as the winner and haven't contacted me by 8 pm EST January 24th, you will forfeit the prize and I will draw another name from the list.

I look forward to reading your comments. Good luck!

Photo credit: Francis via flickr // CC BY 2.0

Tiny Temper

2010-01-11T15:31:00.000-08:00

terrible spasms
red-faced twisting and writhing
toddler tantrum

Photo credit: Pedro Klien, via flickr // CC BY 2.0

Babycakes

2010-01-10T21:23:00.000-08:00

pregnant at 40 ~
I didn't know I missed you
until you were born

Photo credit: Lawyer Mama, via flickr // CC BY 2.0

Guardians of Dusk

2010-01-09T15:45:00.000-08:00

magical dragons

reveal themselves at sunset ~
fire-breathing clouds

Photo credit: *Micky, via flickr // CC BY 2.0

Housekeeping Under Duress

2010-01-08T21:46:00.000-08:00

torment awaits me
twirling the brush in circles
shiny clean toilet

Photo credit: Evil Erin (via flickr). CC BY 2.0

Evil Eye

2010-01-07T19:06:00.000-08:00

~ with shimmering eyes ~
~ diabolic fixation ~
~ he unzips her soul ~

Photo credit: Ky Olsen through a Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic License via flickr.

Sibling Scuffle

2010-01-07T08:27:00.000-08:00

rec room spin cycle ~

the endless agitation
of siblings at play

Photo credit: Sharon Mollerus, through a Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic License via flickr.

(Note: I liked this picture so much that I changed my subject from "brothers" to "siblings." The word "scuffle" in the title is my nod to Sharon's photo caption. Her shot embodies what I was trying to capture.)

Meditation

2010-01-06T07:39:00.000-08:00

majestic fir stands
crowned with glorious snow caps
arms outstretched in prayer

Photo credit: Sharon Mollerus, through a Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic License via flickr.

Escape Artist

2010-01-05T14:10:00.000-08:00

tumbling before me

the agile contortionist
fights the diaper change

Photo credit: David Goehring, through a Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 License via flickr.

Nature's Act of Contrition

2010-01-05T05:39:00.000-08:00

fierce incessant wind ~
anguished sobs at my front door
her pleas for mercy

Photo credit: Gordana Adamovic-Mladenovic through a Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic License via flickr

Fingertip Embrace

2010-01-04T18:41:00.000-08:00

our first hand-made heart ~
diamond-dipped fingers embrace
on our wedding day

Photo credit: Tammra McCauley through a Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic License via flickr

Baby Meets Kitchen

2010-01-04T16:30:00.000-08:00

tiny explorer
conquers new territory
Cheerios bouncing

Welcome!

2010-01-04T15:08:00.000-08:00

This summer, I joined Twitter to promote my family-friendly science blog, Mama Joules. I expected to post about science - which I do - but then something unexpected happened. I discovered the #haikuchallenge offered by @baffled and suddenly, I found myself writing haiku. Historically, I haven't been a big fan of haiku, so this came as quite a surprise.

I've found that I enjoy writing these little poems. They bring a few moments of peace to my otherwise chaotic life. Through them, I have been given the opportunity to glimpse stars in my sugar bowl.

I'm not the most organized of people, so I thought it would be nice to have a place to collect my thoughts. Welcome to my virtual catchall drawer for snippets of poetry. I expect to update this blog irregularly as the muses move me.

Thank you for stopping by.