Creek sung sweet

 Creek sung sweet

Repost from April 13 2024

 Nature has another thing to do   

To you and me; so take the lively air,   

And, lovely, learn by going where to go.

           ~ from The Waking by Theodore Roethke 1908–1963

Honestly I was quavery, lacking bravery, but the Sun drew me out

(and the sound of the birds), it was like a re-birth.

A freak quiet on the street, almost too good to be true, but for the

birds and me, there wasn’t anyone around.

I emerged as if from prison, suddenly free to walk

took to it like a duck to water in a swimming sort of saunter

Stunned by bird song, And the air! The air I was so starved for,

 I drank it in like water.

Immersed in this earthy scented safety, I felt a surge of energy.

Suddenly I was walking, though I faltered at the start, I caught my stride 

And in that Roethke style, my feet knew where I needed to go.

Across the road and through the wood to the creek—

The creek. The creek sung sweet in that hushed forest shade

I thought I heard it speak to me, I was charmed, and stayed awhile 

watching the clear water flow— a soothing sort of fun.

Would I, if I could’ve stayed longer, but yard work called

 (it is Spring after all)  and my feet told me to follow the Sun.

Today’s Prompt: write a poem about a remembered, cherished landscape. It could be your grandmother’s backyard, your schoolyard basketball court, or a tiny strip of woods near the railroad tracks. At some point in the poem, include language or phrasing that would be unusual in normal, spoken speech – like a rhyme, or syntax that feels old-fashioned or high-toned.

Previous prompt from April 2024: play with rhyme. start by creating a word bank of ten simple words. five corresponding to the five senses. three more concrete nouns. and the last two verbs. now come up with rhymes for your ten words. Use your expanded word-bank, with rhymes, as the seeds for your poem.