Skinnys during "Stay At Home" orders

Spending so much time in my upper room, staring out the window musing over what work can be done from a distance, I have noticed a pair of crows hanging out in my weeping cherry tree. They are large, black birds, anyway, and I looked up all the different types of large black birds to try to distinguish between them. Pretty sure these are American Crows.

My Poetry Sisters and I are tackling Skinny Poems once again this month, since we enjoyed it so much last year. Skinny form was created by Truth Thomas in the Tony Medina Poetry Workshop at Howard University. The Skinny Blog explains the form this way:

"A Skinny is a short poem form that consists of eleven lines. The first and eleventh lines can be any length (although shorter lines are favored). The eleventh and last line must be repeated using the same words from the first and opening line (however, they can be rearranged). The second, sixth, and tenth lines must be identical. All the lines in this form, except for the first and last lines, must be comprised of ONLY one word. The point of the Skinny, or Skinnys, is to convey a vivid image with as few words as possible. Skinny poems can be about any subject, although the form generally reflects more serious concerns facing humankind. Also, Skinnys can be linked, much like Haiku, Senryu or Tanka. (Note: As a matter of aesthetics, the plural form of the Skinny should be “Skinnys.”)"

 I really like short poems, so I had fun with this one. I just happened to look out the window last week when the crescent moon was high in a brilliant blue sky and the crows were busy. In these days of social distancing, work from home, and "Stay At Home" orders, inside and outside contrasts are sharp. A poem came from that.

Quarantine Rooms

Inside, the room is dark.
Outside,
moon
sails
blue.
Outside,
crow
claims
territory.
Outside
a dark room.
 
   -Andromeda Jazmon
                   @2020



Please also enjoy the Skinnys at my Poetry Sisters' blogs:

Trisha
Tanita
Sara
Liz
Laura
Kelly
Rebecca

And then make sure you visit the Friday Poetry Roundup at Wondering & Wandering. Happy Friday!

January Haiku

I've been writing monthly poetry with my Poetry Sisters for over ten years now. Missed quite a few monthly posts, it's true, but I'm not giving up yet. Every year we look ahead to make plans for the year, and this year we have all agreed to take some time to look back and revise some of those older poems that still could use some work. I'm glad of that because I have to admit I have often scribbled something off in a rush and never looked back. They could all be a bit better, in fact!

We are going to balance that by writing a few other short poems, often haiku, in a balance of foresight and hindsight. Sounds about right for the cusp of the decade. We are ending this month with a haiku on a theme of the new year of foresight.

I know from Chinese cooking that pears are therapeutic. Poached pears in a honey sauce are so soothing and comforting. Just what we need on a dreary day at the end of January. Another thing about pears; they ripen slowly and get sweeter with a few scars. My kind of fruit.

 

Start of the week;

green pear on the windowsill,

sweet by Friday.

-Andromeda Jazmon

Check out the wonderful haiku by my Poetry Sisters here:

Laura Purdie Salas

Liz Garton Scanlon

Trisha Stohr-Hunt

Tanita S. Davis

Sara Lewis Holmes

Kelly Ramsdell

Rebecca Holmes

And don't forget to visit the Friday Poetry Roundup at Deowriter. Enjoy!