Monday, April 20, 2015

Tuesday Slice of Life

           Visit Two Writing Teachers every Tuesday to read everyone's posts! Thanks to Stacey, Tara, Dana, Betsy, Beth and Anna, we keep going!

          I'm continuing to write haiku and haiku-related poetry this month. See below. 
           Some of us are sharing on twitter with the hashtag #DigiPoetry, created by Margaret Simon, of Reflections on The Teche. Please join us. Find the many Poetry Month offerings rounded up by Jama Rattigan at Jama's Alphabet Soup.  




            A large part of my life is observing, children, of course, but this time I'm thinking of nature. I grew up with all grandparents teaching me about the out of doors whether it was farm things like herding sheep, gathering eggs and feeding chickens, gardening, picking potato bugs off the plants or watching birds and stars at night, noticing when ladybugs arrived in spring. I still do. This month I've written from noticings, from trying out connections that I might not have imagined before. I'm pretty good at imagining things, talking animals, etc. 



           When leaving school on Sunday afternoon after a few hours of work, I saw this hawk sitting atop one of the lampposts. There is a tree to the side of the lot, but as you can see, not as tall as the lamp post. We have some trees on our grounds, but not many. We do have a wetlands over a small berm next to the school's property, and then a large park. We are lucky to have it. That also means that we have lots of birds, my favorite red-winged blackbirds, chickadees, magpies, killdeer and hawks, more than one species. They sometimes fly around the school as if it's their personal race course. This day, a quieter day on Sunday, the hawk sat, waiting for a meal, waiting for something. He sat for at least 15 minutes. I was surprised, and grateful for the chance to sit quietly and notice.


 19)  

hawk settles
lamppost, no pines -
pavement, no mice 
 Linda Baie © All Rights Reserved

36 comments:

  1. The poem is so peaceful. I love the word "settles". I feel like it settles the reader for the experience of reading the rest of the poem. Thank you for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Michelle. Hope the week has started well!

      Delete
  2. What a moment to treasure and capture with your poem. Thank you for sharing such a peaceful scene.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Kay. It was lovely to just sit & watch (like the hawk).

      Delete
  3. My kind of photography and noticing. Poor hawk with no hope of a critter on the pavement. Isn't it amazing how long they do sit and observe!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes! I really was amazed that he sat so long. We see many flying around together, so maybe he was waiting for his buddies? Thanks, Elsie.

      Delete
  4. Noticing with imagination brings creative results. I bet that as a grandmother you pass on the nature noticing wonder, skills and habita to the next generations.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh, Terje, I hope so! Thanks for the thought.

      Delete
  5. What patience, 15 minutes... Waiting for something, or just resting. Hmm, I'm imaging that hawk's world with your words.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Julieanne, I wonder too what thinking goes on.

      Delete
  6. Sitting patiently
    Waiting for dinner to come
    Given time it will

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Love that you replied with your own haiku. Thank you for the lovely start to the day!

      Delete
  7. "Being a poet begins with watching" ~Marianne Moore

    ReplyDelete
  8. We need to settle to notice, don't we? How marvelous to come upon such a sight, Linda - that hawk looks rather regal and "in charge" doesn't he?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It is lovely to have these moments, Tara. Thanks!

      Delete
  9. I so enjoyed your slice about observing and the picture and haiku about the hawk. It brought smiles to think of you and the bird in the moment.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Crystal. The times that happen like this indeed are special to me. Thank goodness I have them.

      Delete
  10. I like how you set up the contrasts. I wonder what kind of hawk that is. It looks too dark to be a red wing hawk like we have here. My mom taught me about birds and nture, much like your grandparents, I imagine. I was surprised the other day when students were reading a Wendell Berry essay and could not visualize jonquils or pileated woodpeckers. We had quite the talk about nature. Background knowledge--knowing the world makes such a difference to readers (and writers).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I agree for some students, Lee Ann. They are often so busy with lessons and teams that there is no time to just be outside. Some parents take them on nature adventures, but that's about the limit of their experience. Glad you shared.

      Delete
  11. I love the twist to the ending of your haiku. I also like the essay part of your post, talking about the power of observation.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Deborah. It is an important part of my life.

      Delete
  12. Such a powerful reminder to take time to notice, reflect and wonder in our fast paced lives. I love the poem you created from the experiences, and I was cheering for the mice! (Apologies to the hawk!)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ha! I imagine that those mice were well hidden, at least the hawk didn't move for a long while, Melanie.

      Delete
  13. This poem is so peaceful - like your post. Stopping to notice the magic of nature is such an important part of spring....thanks for the reminder.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You're welcome, Anita. Thank you, hope you have this time this week!

      Delete
  14. Oh Hawk watching. It's so fascinating! "Settles", this captures a hawk perfectly. Thanks for sharing the joy of watching!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You're welcome, Kendra. It was a good few minutes.

      Delete
  15. This is great, Linda. It amazes me how people (like you) can capture so much with so few words. It's really awe inspiring to me!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Dana. It's something I am trying hard to do. I'm usually pretty wordy. I appreciate your compliment.

      Delete
  16. Great haiku example! You caught a moment and filled it with wonder.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you. I love the idea of 'catching' Rose.

      Delete
  17. Waiting and you waited with him as you sat quietly and noticed. This reminds me of Irene's waiting in her poems this month. Love your description of your school. I remember that my students and I looked up "berm"
    last year when you used it in a slice that I shared with them. It was not familiar to me, but now I keep encountering it.
    I like the way you keep surprising us with your haiku this month. Love the wordplay in this one.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Ramona, you have a good memory. We are going 'over the berm' today for Earth Day, to clean out trash in the wetlands & to listen to the meadowlarks & red-wings!

      Delete
  18. Your haiku perfectly captures the patience of the hawk. It's amazing what we notice when we take the time to look, isn't it?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Katherine, you're absolutely right.

      Delete

Thanks for visiting!