This past weekend was Open Write, and we wrote poems over three days. You are welcome to join us in March! Check it out here and subscribe to hear about each new prompt. Writing poems always seem to come from a slice of my life–past, present, or future. Here are the poems I wrote this weekend, with a little extra explanation about each.
Saturday, February 21, 2026 with Seana Hurd Wright
Ode to A Special Place
I loved my great Aunt Thelma, but I purposely left her name out and kept the details about her vague in this poetic ode to her avocado tree. I wanted to write just about the thrill and joy I found in that tree. Sadly, she moved away from that house by the time I was seven. If I had begun to write about my sassy, funny, talented, and dynamic Aunt Thelma, who I had until I was 27, I probably wouldn’t have stopped. Another day I will write about the beloved owner of my beloved avocado tree. (Maybe she will be the first addition on a March Slice of Life Story Challenge idea list, which is going to be needed very soon!)
In addition, I gave myself another challenge with this poetry prompt. I have a jar of words from Georgia Heard’s January writing resource. I randomly chose ten words from the jar and added them to my ode poem. The words: branch, ember, longing, beneath, rest, release, seed, tender, hush, echo. (Oops, I just noticed I didn’t use ember. How would you get that one to fit in this poem?)
Ode to a Special Place
When we weren’t there,
we dreamed of the tiny yard
of her early 1900’s LA bungalow.
We loved her, but when we went
to her house, it was the tree,
the tree was our very reason for being.
This magical tree echoed
the avocado tree in Eden.
It filled to overflowing the small yard,
spilling over fences in all directions.
Large branches grew low to the ground
from the tremendous trunk and across
the grassless yard, then back up
making a zentangle of possibilities
for even the smallest climbers.
This tree was a sanctuary for us, and
the gods of play and avocados and adventure
blessed us with hours of devotion and rites.
We were children in awe–
at sport on the jungle gym of all creation,
at rest beneath the city-hushing canopy,
at mending mindfulness and joy.
After exploring for some time,
we clumsily began peeling avocado skin,
releasing the tender flesh,
scooping it out with our fingers,
flinging the seeds at each other.
Lovingly (while longingly awaiting our next visit),
we would say goodbye to our beloved.
Sunday, February 22, 2026 with Stacey Joy
Honoring Human Emotions
Stacey Joy gave us a link to Brené Brown’s “Atlas of the Heart”, where I learned some new emotion words. The emotions I chose were borrowed from German. After watching the treatment of some Olympic athletes, like Amber Glenn when she didn’t do well in the short program, I was struck with the sad truth of schadenfreude. The emotion of schadenfreude (/ ˈʃɑːdənfrɔɪdə /; German: [ˈʃaːdn̩ˌfʁɔʏ̯də]; lit. “harm-joy”), is the experience of pleasure, joy, or self-satisfaction that comes from learning of the troubles, failures, pain, suffering, or humiliation of another.
Harm-Joy
Why did this emotion
jump out today?
Schadenfreude?
harm-joy?
Pleasure in another’s
trouble, harm or pain?
This chapter
in our history is
bringing out
the worst
in social media users,
in politicians,
in media,
in me,
in us,
in America.
It’s true, it’s bringing
out the worst in us.
But can schadenfreude be
positive? A by-product of justice?
Princes and prime ministers
fall and we do well to rejoice
in the accountability.
Yes, more accountability,
please.
Yet I look forward
to a new chapter
called freudenfreude,
joy-joy.
Monday, February 23, 2026 with Stacey Joy
I Believe In…
Recently, my husband asked me for my forgiveness for something he had said to me. I answered, “Yes. I believe in forgiveness,” so I had to write this one with the “I Believe In…” prompt:
A Tricube After An Argument
I believe in
forgiving–
you and me
the bitter
alternate
is blaming
I’ll choose to
close in love,
forgiving
Thinking ahead to National Poetry Month, in April we’ll be writing poems daily at #Verselove. Check it out here and consider joining us.
What a great variety of forms, topics, and thoughts behind the poems!
Denise, believing in forgiving is something I need to do a better job of in my own life. You really hit it home with that title of Believing in Forgiving because it’s really a believing in people, in union, in spirit and love. It is so human to want to blame, and you call it out. I need to put this on my bathroom mirror for the springtime, because when testing season is upon us, nerves fly. This was an amazing month of Open Write, and I can’t thank you enough for all you do in your writing communities to inspire others and create spaces – and Two Writing Teachers, too. The power of community is strong, and my heart is grateful for all that I learn from others.
This is the 3rd time I have tried to write a comment to you, Denise. Each time I get distracted which seems to be a pattern these days. I am delighted to read your post with so many artful thoughts. I opened the Open Write blog and hope I can join in during the next month. I would love to hear more Aunt Thelma stories. Perhaps, you shall add that to your March SOLSC2026 menu. See you at PF this week. Keep on writing with gusto. You got this.
Denise – I am so glad to have joined the February Open Write this week. It made me sit down and compose some new poetry. I love all 3 of yours, and that the focus was JOYFUL – moderated by Stacey Joy! Nothing can be better than that!
Denise,
I love your tree poem. I could not wrap my head around the special place prompt. No place feels special these days, yet I know that’s just the anxiety of the regime haunting me. I’m glad Stacey made space for a fun tricube for me, but your forgiveness poem is so important to living life well. I appreciate your response to my day two poem. You are the only one who read it. I posted late because I hurt my hand and was on the struggle bus that day, but I did manage to hit double digits in my responses, so seeing only one response to my poem was upsetting.
Denise, your poems are all masterfully constructed; yet, your poem on forgiveness speaks to my heart. Your line about the “blaming as the bitter alternative” is a hard reminder of why I need to dig deep into my heart and forgive completely. Powerful words.
“I choose love” is a wonderful three syllable phrase. May I borrow it sometime? I love your ode to the avocado tree. Your description (zentangle-brilliant word choice) places me there with you. Thanks for sharing these here. I don’t always get around to every poem.
Oh, yes, please use it, Margaret! I guess we all have to choose love, don’t we? It’s the only thing that wins in the end.
Margaret, you say exactly what I wanted to say about word choice and the “being there” so powerfully in the avocado tree poem.
Reading these made my day, Denise. I love the opening of the ode: “When we weren’t there/we dreamed of the tiny yard…” It is so moving, and speaks of deep love of place. As an invitation to write, it is open and evocative. Forgiveness as an act of love and joy/joy, ideas we need to embrace right now.
Denise, I love how your aunt’s avocado tree is so much more than just a tree. It is a sanctuary, a jungle gym, a friend always there to greet you. I think social media has given so many people license to be cruel and say hurtful things abouts others’ troubles and pains. I also believe in forgiving and then forgetting otherwise there is always that festering underneath. Bob
Loving the specificity of the poem about the avocado tree since I live far from where they are grown. Avocados appear in piles at my grocery store–like unearned offerings from the tropics. I have complicated feelings about them since I heard that their harvest is laced with rumors of human slavery and warring cartels. Avocados’ delicate window of ripeness and fragility hint at injustice when their production is scaled. I may have an overactive imagination. But your piece humanized a family’s relationship with the avocado tree. Thank you!
Denise, You packed so much into this post. Your ability to compose poem that reach deep and touch heart and spirit amazes me. I loved the explanation prior to each poem. I was with you under that avocado tree, could so relate to feeling that harm/joy emotion when political wins present and, like others. want to keep the forgiveness poem deep in my heart as an important reminder when marital strife shows its face. Thank you for sharing.