Tiny Spring Poems (Part I)
A collection of short poetry tidbits I've written recently.
When
announced her Tiny Spring Poem project, where she posts a one-word prompt every day for her subscribers to reflect upon, I just knew I had to dip my toes into it. The idea is simple: you have 10 minutes to mull over what the prompt means to you and come up with a poem, in any form you want, the only rule being — no editing. I have to admit, the “no editing” part made the task look bit hard in my mind and I naturally leaned towards free verse to make my poems more forgiving, but in the end I couldn't shake the need to write haiku. Because let's face it, what fits the idea of a tiny poem better than the traditional three-line haiku?I've immersed myelf into haiku recently and, much to my surprise, I caught myself naturally forming the seventeen syllables and splitting them into the 5-7-5 form the haiku demands. I didn't need that editing I almost feared, my brain did that on its own. The process of forming a haiku very much reminds me of the flow of writing that happened when I returned to the written word half a year ago: when you have something to say and want to say it, words will find their way; they just start to flow and form on their own, and the more you practice the more confidence you feel that you will find the right words. The exercise of following a one-word prompt, as well as following a short, condensed form instead of a longer one I usually pursue, does wonders for one's thought process and creativity. I decided to compile the first ten of the Tiny Spring Poems to see how I feel about all of them together. Are they truly completely random and standalone? Or is there a common theme and style between these very different poems, connecting all of them like a fine thread? You be the judge. Let me know if you have your favourite among these ten poems.
1. if If the leaves don't die March seedlings cannot sprout anew — Life needs fertiliser
2. watching The dewdrops sliding down the leaves The birds carrying straws in their beaks The seal surfacing between the waves. Maybe - just maybe - if we were Watching Long enough Deep enough Maybe we would actually see.
3. plea A child collecting leaves Looking for cheeseweed Looking for a warm meal This is not the right plant Says a voice of a man This one is not edible A child's eyes fill with tears A plea for humanity
4. drip The myrrh smoldering The wax of the candle drips - The soothing silence
5. entrance Whatever is left of the wood That once built the doors among High stone walls and warm hearths Now rots in splinters and pieces An entrance to a time long gone A memory that now remains In splinters and pieces
6. layered Onions peel their skin Not unlike myself: when cut I shed my layers
7. listening The sound of dewdrops Sliding down the blades of grass: Peace for a moment
8. useful Cacophonous thoughts Drowning my autistic brain — Useful and useless
9. emit Soft drops of water Falling from the skies. The toadstools rise up Clouds of dusty spores Emit from their caps. Somewhere in the stream A small trout glimmers.
10. days I cannot count the days since The first time you've kissed me I lost the count a long time ago And I can only hope there won't be Days I'll have to live without your kiss
wonderful poems. I really liked the third one :)
Absolutely love ‘entrance’ and how you published all the poems at once. Your haiku are splendid! ✨