Day 14 April 14, 2025
There floats an island paradise
where the bleating sheep signal
the end of day and frogs in the distant ponds
awaken and echo up the valley.
The full moon climbs the whispering firs and field
mice skitter for cover. White-tailed
deer forage and root for new grass.
The stag stotts through the forest
snapping dry branches. A fawn
on wobbly legs nudges the doe’s
teat, its mewling abated. Water murmurs
and flows over loose rocks to the sea
where a seal plops off a sandstone shelf
into the bay and slips under the lapping waves
to swim in the roving current among herring, rock cod
and abundant salmon fry.
No fishers or seiners with thrumming engines,
no plastic trash to tangle fins and gills.
Prompt for today:
Try writing a poem that describes a place, particularly in terms of the animals, plants or other natural phenomena there. Sink into the sound of your location, and use a conversational tone. Incorporate slant rhymes (near or off-rhymes, like “angle” and “flamenco”) into your poem. And for an extra challenge – don’t reference birds or birdsong!
