Poetry Friday Sunshine

           
           Groundhog Day (Will Punxsutawney Phil see his shadow?, Welcome February, the month that seems like the beginning path to spring and the month of hearts and rhymes, another kind of poetry month. Donna Smith from Mainely Write hosts today! 

             WAY BACK in January, I was reminded of the song by John Denver, Sunshine On My Shoulders. You can see him singing it here. Why? Because I participated in the postcard swap organized by Jone MacCulloch. Instead of the usual junk mail that lands in the recycle bin, several times a month brought sunshine from a swapper in the guise of a postcard with a beautiful picture and poem.

              I'm happy to share all that shine with you today, and thank each one for sending me some, too.

               Jone sent a part of her ocean.

first morning

grains of sand holding

our stories

~jone rush macculloch

Sally sent a pen and a wish.

A new year
Is an unopened gift
A Letter in the mail
A crisp new notebook
A story yet to be written.
                  - Sally Murphy -

Christie painted and poemed.

Matsu leaves of green

        longevity, virtue, youth

             blessing your new year

             Christie Wyman

Michelle sent hope for the new year.

Soar far and high

with open heart

and ready hands

Michelle Kogan

Take the world as it is!—with its smiles and its sorrow,
Its love and its friendship,—its falsehood and truth,
Its schemes that depend on the breath of to-morrow,
Its hopes which pass by like the dreams of our youth:	20
Yet, oh! whilst the light of affection may shine,
The heart in itself hath a fountain of bliss;
In the worst there ’s some spark of a nature divine,
And the wisest and best take the world as it is.

                                    Tabatha Yeatts shared part of a poem by Charles Swain. "Take The World As It Is". The poem in entirety can be found here. And the front has words by Henry James: "The right time is any time that one is still as lucky as to have. . . an arrow leads to the other side!

    

 Mary Lee sent a wonderful kind of sun:

sunflower
face turned toward the east
hopeful

first walk. . .

following the dog into

the new year 

Diane Mayr

Diane sent me off into the new year!

           Linda Mitchell sent two cards with different views of maps written into the poems.

A Map According to Wikipedia

A map is a symbolic depiction

emphasizing relationships

between elements of some space,

such as objects, regions, or themes.

Many maps are static,

fixed to paper or

some other durable medium,

while others are dynamic or interactive.

-       Wikipedia

A Map According to A Poet

A map is a handheld journey--

beatific links between

star points of some galaxy

of thought, word or action.

Many poems are printed on

paper, or tapped

across screens

while others are heart held

by kiss, glance or

carrier pigeon,

the shortest distance

between hearts.

         

    January was a sun-filled celebration. Here's a sunny bouquet to begin our February!