Happy Poetry Friday! I'm back in the round up this week with a poem inspired by a pic of one of my favorite flowers, the Four o' clock. Thanks for stopping by the ridge to read it, and for more poetry goodies, head over to Jone's space HERE!

One of my favorite things to do is to walk about the ridge, admiring all of nature's gifts. There are always poems hiding about in the images around me. Just the other day, I was walking about when my nose caught the scent of the most glorious smell. I followed that smell, and it led me straight to a bed of freshly bloomed Four o' clocks. I knew I had to capture this splendid image while I had the chance. You see, Four o' clocks open at four and remain open throughout the night and into the morning. They only bloom once before they wilt and fall off the plant. So of course, I had to snap a pic and write a poem to honor these short blooming beauties!

I studied my photo of the Four o' clocks and zoomed in on every tiny detail I noticed. I asked myself, What do I notice? and What does this image "say" to me? Next, I tried to describe it using my five senses and my reactions to the image. Then, I wrote everything out in my notebook. Finally, I reread my entry with my poet's eye and found this poem blooming there!  

Snap a picture of something you like, wonder about, or notice. If you don't have access to a camera, snap a mental image in your mind. Study your picture and zoom into every detail of the image. What do you notice? What does the image "say" to you? Talk it out with a friend. Describe it from the inside out. Then, write it out in your notebook. You can bet, there's a poem hiding in each pic you take!

Happy Poetry Friday! It's great to be back in the round-up with friends this week! Rebecca is hosting this week at her space, Sloth Reads. Be sure to drop in there!

I just love the merry merry month of May! There is much to notice and observe. Birds and bugs fill the air. There's a sense of calmness everywhere! This marvelous month has me singing and wanting to write tons of rhyming poems. I came up with this little rhyming poem while I was lying lazily on a blanket in my yard last weekend. I was enjoying a long overdue rest when I noticed all the winged creatures of the air busy in flight. I thought of how wonderful it must feel to stretch your wings and go. I wish you many more May days filled with rest and times of giddy-up and go. Happy May days everyone! 

It's fun to play with rhyming poems! Sometimes when I'm writing a poem and get stuck, I pick a word or two from my poem and make a list of rhyming words. This often helps me get going again so I can generate more ideas for my poem. It can even surprise me by offering a new direction for my poem entirely. So whenever you're stuck, you might try some rhyming word fun!