 Welcome Poetry Friday friends! It's good to be back after taking a week off to enjoy my first deep breath of summer vacation. Thanks for stopping by! For more PF offerings, visit Buffy's Blog HERE. I decided to try something different this week. I had never written a haiku before, but I talked myself into giving it a try. I have to admit, I was really nervous. But after reading several beautifully written haikus by many of my Poetry Friday friends, I found the courage to branch out and take a chance. The result is my first haiku! I'm really glad I tried this form of Japanese poetry. It just goes to show, you never know until you try!  This is an image of the meadow here on the ridge. The wildflowers and weeds are lovely this time of year. I like taking photos of each one to identify it. This way, I can call them by name as I admire them. They have such interesting names you know! Here is the list of names I used to choose from for my haiku: queen Anne's lace meadow parsnip sand brazoria wood-sorrel green-wild Indigo wild parsley basil beebalm fleabane ironweed Invitation to Write:Sometimes it can be easy to talk yourself out of something before you even give it a try. But you never know until you try. I think this is great advice for writers. Taking a risk and writing outside of your preferred form or genre can be a little scary, but the end results can be quite rewarding. The important thing to remember is to keep writing!
12 Comments
6/2/2017 03:23:27 am
Good Morning Keisha! 6/2/2017 05:39:53 am
I love the haiku, Kiesha, and "burgeoning". Your meadow filled with those varying plants must be a joy to see here at the end of spring, beginning of summer. It's a good challenge to try something new, something like stepping off that diving board, right? Happy Friday!
Mary Lee
6/2/2017 06:07:19 am
Love the specific plant names, and BURGEONING. Here's a challenge for your next haiku (or for your next draft of this one) -- relax the 5-7-5 rule a bit and make it short-longer-short. You could totally take out the "the" in the last line! Happy haikuing! (I'm still learning, too!!)
Kiesha Shepard
6/2/2017 12:27:41 pm
Thanks for the advice Mary Lee! 6/2/2017 06:21:07 am
Love the haiku and the photo of the wildflowers. I love walking through the woods or meadows and admiring them, but I'm terrible at knowing what they are called. Maybe I should tackle learning a few names of wildflowers (or even the ones growing in my flower beds)? 6/2/2017 08:36:23 am
Good for you for trying something new, Kiesha! Love the specificity of your haiku--I can see your meadow. 6/2/2017 11:43:42 am
I love taking photos of flowers that I have never seen before. Your risk-taking paid off, Kiesha. I like the tips Mary Lee gave. I will remember them. Would you like to offer this poem (as is or revised) for my spring gallery? Please send it to my email when ready and to #Springsations on Twitter. 6/2/2017 12:31:55 pm
I love this! It's so important to push ourselves creatively, and to try new things, it helps get those creative juices flowing! 6/2/2017 02:51:52 pm
Great haiku! It's funny how we all lean in different directions when we write poetry. Great to step out of our comfort zone, for sure. Next try a tanka, by adding 7/7 to the 5/7/5! It's perfect for haikus that you just want to say a bit more! 6/2/2017 09:59:13 pm
Oh, Keisha, I love your haiku. A few years ago our vacant lot was covered in Queen Anne's lace... so beautiful, like a meadow in the heart of the city. I have some lovely pictures of it. This summer three homes are being built on that lot and I miss my private meadow. Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWelcome! I'm Kiesha Shepard, and I have a love for writing and the teaching of writing. Whispers From the Ridge is a place where I can share my words and ideas for teaching writing. It's also a place for you to find inspiration for writing the words inside of you. I invite you into my world of writing as I capture the whispers from the ridge. 
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January 4 Sylvia at Poetry for Children 11 Kat at Kathryn Apel 18 Tricia at The Miss Rumphius Effect 25 Tara at Going to Walden February 1 Tabatha at The Opposite of Indifference 8 Laura at Writing the World for Kids 15 Jone at Check it Out 22 Robyn at Life on the Deckle Edge March 1 Linda at TeacherDance 8 Catherine at Reading to the Core 15 Heidi at My Juicy Little Universe 22 Rebecca at Sloth Reads 29 Carol at Carol's Corner April 5 Karen at Karen Edmisten* 12 Irene at Live Your Poem 19 Amy at The Poem Farm 26 Carol at Beyond LiteracyLink May 3 Jama at Jama's Alphabet Soup 10 Liz at Elizabeth Steinglass 17 Michelle at Michelle Kogan 24 Dani at Doing the Work That Matters 31 Mary Lee at A Year of Reading June 7 Margaret at Reflections on the Teche 14 Laura at Laura Shovan 21 Linda at A Word Edgewise 28 Buffy at Buffy's Blog |
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Photos used under Creative Commons from Kristine Paulus, Ryan Hodnett, Marie Hale, gurdonark, btrentler, Kelly Colgan Azar, jeffreyw, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service - Midwest Region
