A Playful Cascade

Congratulations. We’re halfway. A gentle note for today based on some feedback: remember that we’re in this for the long haul, and there are a range of ways to show up. Some of us write every day, some once a week, some only on Tuesdays—whatever rhythm is sustainable and joyful for you is enough. We’re so glad you’re writing when you can, and offering a few responses (aiming for three) is a beautiful way to witness one another’s lives and meet new people. That act of responding is its own kind of meaning-making—it’s how we internalize each other’s language, how we’re changed as readers, how our own poetry quietly grows. As we share, let’s stay mindful of one another—making space, listening closely, and helping this remain a welcoming place where all voices can be heard. We’re doing something really special here—being present to each other, holding space, noticing in ways that feel good.

Our Host

Erica Johnson’s 14 years of working with students and a lifetime of writing have shaped her into the passionate writing teacher of 2026.  Her poems were recently published in the Chaos Section Poetry Project’s collection What We Hold On To: Poems of Coping, Connection, and Carrying On. When she isn’t gathering words like they were a rock collection, Erica can be found engaging in D&D campaigns and planning the next exciting adventure into the unknown!

Inspiration

Looking to write more poetry through challenges, I recently stumbled upon the website Deadlines for Writers that hosts a monthly challenge for both short story and poetry writing.  This past month presented the challenge of waterfall/cascade and I found myself stumbling upon a new form of poetry called a cascade.

It’s a form created by Udit Bhatia and asks that the poet take each line from the first stanza of a poem and makes each one the final line in the stanzas that follow. This results in the poem resembling a tumbling waterfall, which was when I knew I needed to go look through my photos of waterfalls for inspiration!

Process

• Read over the cascade form and write out the pattern you wish to follow: tercet or quatrain.  I found that having the structure written as a reminder helped guide my writing.
• If you need a topic, try pulling up some of your favorite photos for inspiration.  Since the poem is named for its waterfall effect, I encourage nature photos, but it could be any picture that you are inspired by to write. I used one of my favorites from a local waterfall, but any image can help!

Erica’s Poem

Visiting a Waterfall in Spring

Folded in by the verdant foliage and ferns
fresh water flickering across the stair-stepped stones
– the elements engaged in perpetual play.

Every blade of grass seems intent on a delicious dip
though hesitant tips touch or tease the surface in hiding
folded in by the verdant foliage and ferns.

It’s slippery on the slime coated cove, but
we dart after the water bugs and tadpoles anyway
fresh water flickering across the stair-stepped stones.

With pants rolled up and feet pale from months embraced by socks,
we find our way from the shaded shore to silvered sunshine shallows
– the elements engaged in perpetual play!

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.