Recently we had a storm come through in the night, high winds and a few snow flakes. By morning only the clouds remained to tell the story. Low clouds scudded by at a pace. Above them, larger clouds floated along sedately, benevolently. Both were headed north. It looked like a tortoise and hare story.
The next time I looked up, I saw this:
Look Up!
Is that a ribcage
there in the sky?
And a hint of a backbone
catches my eye
Where did they come from?
Did a cloud creature die?
Before I can ask
they go scudding on by.
- Karen Eastlund
Looking up and cloud watching has been a good escape lately. And then...
I ran across a wonderful poem by Kate diCamillo, writing about a snowy scene in NYC:
If I was in charge of making
snow globes, this is what I would put inside:
the old man in the black overcoat,
the black dog,
two friends with their faces turned up to the sky
as if they were receiving a blessing...
read the rest here.
Clouds themselves can feel like blessings. I wondered where they were going, and how they found their shape, and I began to think of them as a metaphor for writing. We don't always know where ideas come from, or how they will take shape, but we scud our words across the page, follow the prevailing winds, and somehow we get there.
It's Friday again, and that means an online convention of poets! This Poetry Friday is hosted by Tabatha at The Opposite of Indifference. She's offering thoughts and a poem about puzzles...and yes... I've managed to solve a Wordle or three, and they are fun! Anyway, the rest of the group will post links there, so feel free to visit her and join in.
Thanks for reading today. Please leave a comment and remember to look up and see what blessings might come your way.
Awesome, just awesome, Karen. I love seeing things in clouds & while I didn't 'see' a ribcage, but I did think "skeleton". I love your use of "skudding". Yes, they do! And I love the connection of clouds and writing. Kate DiCamillo's poem is terrific, isn't it? It's a lovely post!
ReplyDeleteKaren, I was impressed also with your metaphor and this thought, "we scud our words across the page, follow the prevailing winds". We certainly do. If we are lucky after much revision, our words become the poem we create. I enjoyed your post today.
ReplyDeleteI 'cirrusly' love this post, Karen. You captured a 'heavenly' moment in your photo/poem. Thanks for the reminder to look up more often. :)
ReplyDeleteKaren, one year I picked sky as my OLW and took a cloud/sky pic each day... this one is gorgeous and I love ribcage and backbone finding their way into your poem! xo
ReplyDeleteI often admire "cloud creatures" and how they shift and change, the wisps of backbone and ribs in yours. I am such a DiCamillo fan and so enjoyed this poem. It's perfect!
ReplyDeleteThank you for the poems and the sky love, Karen. I used a shot of the sky as my Poetry Friday logo background today -- I thought the contrast of light and dark was fitting, since poetry witnesses both.
ReplyDeleteFinding inspiration in clouds is the very work of a poet. Thanks for your poem perspective. I thought I saw feathers.
ReplyDeleteOh, my goodness...what incredible words you pair with your cloud watching. Beautiful...as beautiful as DiCamilo's poem.
ReplyDeleteThank you for both your snow poem and Kate's. Lovely, both. I'll think of them tomorrow when we have a 100% chance of snow!
ReplyDeleteLove everything about this post. Going back to to my "skylines" project any day now!
ReplyDeleteLove this post, Karen -- your poem, photo, and Kate's poem too. Clouds are indeed blessings; it's always fun to imagine what the different shapes might be. I love their ethereal quality.
ReplyDeleteI like your idea of looking up at the sky and thinking there may be some blessings up yonder, perhaps that's why sky gazing is so rewarding. Lovely poem yours and Kate's, and the scudding cloud image too, thanks!
ReplyDeleteI love both poems!
ReplyDeleteThank you for the reminder to look up and imagine, Karen.
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