“Mandalas with Metaphors” Poetry Prompt with Anna J. Small Roseboro

Today’s prompt comes from Anna J. Small Roseboro. She asked us to choose a flower, an animal, a bird, a color, a place, a person I admire and a line or quote. I found poems I had written about each of these things, and used snippets and ideas from each to write a poem about who I am. The poems that inspired me are linked below.

Mandala about Me

I’m back in the compost pile today,
Not a pile, but a prayer bouquet
Of soil and poems, promises redeemed.
Be fruitful earth and poets, God beamed.

I went back and found the flowers,
The animals, all that fill my hours—
Topics I have written poems about–
Mirrors of life, here each gets a shout

On not being able to make up my mind
The flower that speaks of me are all those that have bloomed, fed, and shriveled to produce ripe sweet fruit. I am a whole fresh fruit atlas.

On knowing when to speak
Coyotes make their mark stealthily, except when they don’t. Then they make their yip-howls fill up the neighborhood, making people take note.

On not being flashy
Pigeons coo, unconcerned that they aren’t showy, but they know they are well-tended.

On finding color
Secure blue and sequins sought out and gathered these bits of nature in this dry and dusty land.

On going home
Through the door from one place to another. But either here or there, whispers from God point to life-drenched promise of home.

On being wise
Dr. Solomon servant of the upside-down realm of Jesus, did not stop his work in the urgent care clinic for poor and sick people. Covid killed him one year ago this week. Now the clinic where he worked has been dedicated to his memory.

On living upside-down
The last will be first, and the first last.
The greatest among you will be your servant.
Sometimes living with upside down values doesn’t seem to make sense, but clawing to the top of the pile makes less.

March Open Write on Ethical ELA

13 March 2021
Weddings at Recess with Kim Johnson

Three
Little girls
Safely tucked inside
The tan station wagon
Keeping bears at bay in
Their cozy steel and glass refuge
Yellowstone was known for audacious gutsy grizzlies
She arrived one night and ate our bacon
And scarfed the boysenberry jam from the can then
Took a stroll throughout the campsite leaving dusty and sticky
Pawprints across the teenagers’ sleeping bags and tarp “bed”
But the torpid teens slept like a shipwreck
Throughout the visitation. The next morning buzz
Fascinated, yet terrorized three little girls
Who thankfully returned to their
Station wagon that night
Safely peacefully tucked
Inside their
Refuge

Second Grade Pain with Kim Johnson

14 March 2021
Homemade Dresses

Homemade dresses with rickrack trim
Love from my mother’s hands and heart
Seven new dresses for her seven-year-old daughter
I started second grade in style

Love from my mother’s hands and heart
Even though she was busy with six other children
I started second grade in style
Proudly chose which to wear on the first day

Even though she was busy with six other children
My mom, without a husband to help, did her best
Proudly chose which to wear on the first day
Proud to tell my teachers who made them

My mom, without a husband, to help, did her best
Seven new dresses for her seven-year-old daughter
Proud to tell my teacher who made them
Homemade dresses with rickrack trim

Stacey Joy shared a Pantoum creator, which makes these poems so easy to create. I just tried it out with this one:

You are God.
Who am I?
You are the light in my days
The keeper of my darkness

Who am I?
You hear me and you know me
The keeper of my darkness
You see into all my fears

You hear me and you know me
God of all comfort and hope
You see into all my fears
You are my redeemer

God of all comfort and hope
You are God.
You are my redeemer
You are the light in my days

15 March 2021
Your Life’s Table of Contents with Dr. Kim Johnson

“My Book of Poetry”
A Table of Contents

One, one
Lots of Fun

Two, two
Gratitudes

Three, three
Memories

Four, four
Closing doors

Five, five
All my drives

Six, six
Getting in a fix

Seven, Seven
God’s in heaven

Eight, eight
Things I hate

Nine, nine
Joys of mine

Ten, then
Do it again

16 March 2021
License Plate Poems with Katrina Morris

Shࢽkr٨n,
٨ع ٲ ە ࢽ

٨r٨bٲc?
Y ࢽ ە
c٨n
wrٲtع?
Nە,
bࢽt
thع
عnglٲsh
So٨rs

nعw
hٲعghts–
Quٲt ع
٨
sٲght
wٲth
Thع
M٨shrٲq
lٲght

17 March 2021
Backwards Poetry with Katrina Morris

This form is by Marwa Helal.

The Arabic ط

A Poem to Be Read From Right to Left

ط taa letter the see I Whenever
back me brings it
school of day first my to
.Bahrain in
٤ January was day The
.January ٤ here say they as or
teacher kindergarten English new the was I
.year mid starting
.days ten for country the in been had I
knew already who children were students My
culture Bahraini more
.will ever I than language and
class Arabic an through sat I
table tiny rainbow a at
by surrounded
.children young
here worked things how learning :Me
.orientation facto de my in
.me loved already children the knew I
babies these with start to gift a What
.fears my all than bigger were hearts whose
*tomatoes for is taa that learning :They
in taas of line a write to how and
.determination wobbly
ط ط ط ط ط ط ط ط
Right
to
Left,
Right
to
Left
.style Arabic
period Next
,up lined we
,right turned
,hall the down
,upstairs went
,left turned
teacher nervous their of classroom the into
–learning continued and
style English in time this
Left
to
Right,
Left
to
Right
.hard something do also could I believe me helped They
_______________
* حرف الطاء طماطم