2-4-6-8! Nature We Appreciate!

This is the Open Write, a place for educators to nurture their writing lives and to advocate for writing poetry in community. We gather every month. This August, three of the contributors to an anthology for students, Picture Perfect Poetry, have shared prompts related to one of their poems in the anthology. Denise Krebs, Joanne Emery, and Patricia Franz are here to poem together with you in August. Next month the Open Write will be September 19-21. 

Our Host

Denise Krebs lives in the Mojave Desert, home to ancient rust-tinged granite boulders, both fire-ravaged and rejuvenating Joshua trees, and lots of cactuses, like the beavertail and strawberry hedgehog to name just two. After a career of teaching, Denise is busy these days hiking and biking in the desert, working hard to elect a new representative who will really represent us in Congress, organizing inventory in a stellar local Friends of the Library bookshop, and spending time adoring her grandchildren. She blogs regularly at Dare to Care, is the co-author of The Genius Hour Guidebook, and has some poems published in anthologies, including today’s prompt inspiration Picture Perfect Poetry.

Inspiration 

An ekphrastic poem is one inspired by a piece of art or a photograph. Picture Perfect Poetry: An Anthology of Ekphrastic Nature Poetry for Students, edited by Carol Labuzzetta, is filled with poems and photographs by two dozen poets. 

Art, photography, experiences, nature – anything can inspire you to write ekphrastic poems. Today, you might consider writing about something in nature. Last December, Gayle Sands shared some great information about ekphrastic poetry, so you can check out her post for more information.

Process

Here are some ideas for your ekphrastic poem today:

1. Try an ekphrastic nature poem of your own today. Do you have a nature photo on your camera roll that needs to be captured afresh with words? Do you want to sit outside or look out a window and see something in nature to inspire you? Make it a free verse poem or any format you like.
2. If you don’t have a photo on your camera roll, you can find inspiring royalty-free nature photos here – Pixabay or Pexels. 
3. Post the photo with your poem, or not. It will be great either way–we can enjoy your poem with or without seeing what inspired you. (If you do post a photo, though, it is probably best to post a trimmed screenshot, since the comments won’t accept a high-resolution download.)
4. I wrote my poem in a form I call a 2-4-6-8 poem. It may be a syllable-counting form I made up. Each line increases by two syllables. Write as many stanzas as needed. Your choice of rhyme scheme is optional. 

Denise’s Poem

Warning by Denise Krebs

Dying
After the fire
Nature called 911
Decades later repair’s begun

Now fire
Becomes more dire
Climate change warns today
Will Joshua Trees go away? 

Your Turn

Now, scroll to the comment section below to write your own poem. (This is a public space, so you may choose to use only your first name or initials depending on your privacy preferences.) Not ready? That’s okay. Read the poems already posted for more inspiration. Ponder your own throughout the day. Return later. And, if the prompt does not work for you, that is fine. All writing is welcome. Just write something. Oh, and a note about drafting: Since we are writing in short bursts, we all understand (and even welcome) the typos and partial poems that remind us we are human and that writing is always becoming. If you’d like to invite other teachers to write with us, tell them to subscribe. Also, please be sure to respond to at least three writers.