Zentangles

Thursday April 4

When I am waiting around I like to Zentangle.  Zentangles?  Yup, creative drawing you can do anytime and anywhere.  All you need is a pencil and paper.  I prefer a small pad and a black marker.  My inspiration to Zentangle came from a book of that title - One Zentangle A Day: A 6-week course in Creative Drawing for Relaxation, Inspiration, and Fun by Beckah Krahula. 
 
I truly get lost.  I do honestly relax and I find inspiration in finding the poetry of the tangles.
This is the tangle I worked on at the Doctor's office the other day and when I untangled it I found the inspiration and imagination to write a poem about peas.  I had to color the peas green to keep me focused! Today's lesson was drawing onamato tangle which is a pattern of orbs that add texture and depth to the tangle.  I like the way they take a life of their own and recede with the arc.  To tell you how my mind works I looked at the word onamato and it reminded me of onamatopoeia which led me to alliteration.  I love list making and out came "P" words and "S" words.  The mind is a fascinating thing!

 

 rough draft of Peas

A plethora of peaceful
simple spherical seeds
lined up like perfect orbs
snooze and snuggle in paradise.
Persnickety vines peddle up sturdy poles
twisting and turning like
old forgotten abandon dirt roads.
Seed pods dangle precariously in mid air
holding and hugging the purring petite  peas
waiting for the pot bellied peas to go POP
into full bellied snow or snap peas
ready to be plucked, sauteed, and simmered
into spring seasonal delights.

A Trip to the Ocean

Wednesday April 3


I love my time alone walking the shore as the tide recedes.  It is fun to see what the sea left behind.  I am reminded of one of my favorite picture books to help students "see" the possibilities of where poetry can be found and also to rethink the old idea of what's in the bottle.
 
Today it was slim pickings but I found this  shell and began to "see" the poetry in its spiral design.  With notebook in hand I tried to connect my pencil with the paper to capture the shape and feel the layers of spirals.  Remember being an artist is something new to me.










An ancient tower
of ocean battles resting
scarred and weather-beaten smooth.

Faded Memories

Tuesday April2








I'm so sad.
My favorite Osh Kosh pants are
well-worn, faded, and patched
and too short to wear and mom says,
"They can't be saved!"

I'm so sad.
Dad and  my 3 brothers wore them
and now they're mine
for the very last time and mom says,
"They can't be saved!"

I'm so sad.
My hands rest in warm worn-out pockets
fingers brush tattered torn cuffs -
all scars of play and adventures and mom says,
"They can't be saved!"

Mom smiles,
"Don't be sad,
there are memories and stories stitched in                                                                   
pieces of those faded and well-worn pants!
Those can be saved."

Here it is day one of National Poetry Month.  Today I want to share a favorite new edition to my poetry collection - Pavlov's Elephant by Rosalee van Stelten. These poems make me laugh,  give me pause, and actually extract something of  my own memories.  Thank you Rosalee for the following poem from your book.


 


Begetting

Some believe
spiders hatch their eggs
by staring at them

I believe
by staring at this page
I will hatch a poem.

Read more about Rosalee at

MsMac at http://maclibrary.edublogs.org/2009/05/04/nonfiction-monday-pavlovs-elephant/
and
http://frontenachouse.com/book/pavlov’s-elephant/