It's the Tiny Things
- Cathy Stenquist
- May 15
- 2 min read
I think I can now safely say Spring is really here, and snow will remain a distant memory. I find myself enjoying being out in nature more and soaking it up with all my senses.
the smell of my lavender lilacs
the sound of baby birds in the birdhouse outside my home begging for food
the softness of dogwood petals
the baby goslings quietly paddling behind their mama
the flavor of my summer drink- lemonade infused with passion fruit tea.
Can't you just smell them?
Spring shows us it is the tiniest things around us that can bring great joy.
This week, three Crayola crayon colors named after tiny things in nature caught my eye.
Inchworm
Robin's Egg Blue
Canary
Inchworm
With this poem, I had fun with the text layout. First, I tried to have the text wrap in a single line around the image. Nope. Writing "stretch, arch, stretch" as a single line had no action, no movement, and this poem was all about the wonder a child has at this little green caterpillar's movement. Then I thought, "Why not 'animate' the action of the inchworm?" Thanks to Canva, I was able to bend and stretch the text into the inchworm shape. Then spacing the words made the worm have movement. I need to play with text options more, for sure!
Robin's Egg Blue
For this one, I thought a tricube would be good. Three stanzas, each with three syllables in each line. There is something I love about the simplicity of the form and how each word needs to count.
Canary
When I looked up inspirational images for the word 'Canary' I got 'canary in a coal mine'... Nope, didn't want to go there. Then there were plenty of pics of a canary in a cage. There was something sad about that to me. I began to wonder if the song that we assume is so happy and cheerful is really saying something different.
Lovely poet Patricia Franz is hosting this week at Reverie. You will be moved by her lovely poem and the photos of Yosemite. Yes, "Let's go be alive like that!"
Have a great weekend! See you next week :)
poet cathy, this poem's end is potent & makes me remember how our family caged a bird, a parakeet. it was so common in my child days. deep appreciations for your sensitive poem.
Cathy, your spring theme is so lovely. Color-coded poems are delightful, photos are sharp, and the designs you creative are vivid. I am sorry that I am commenting so late. I do have a question for you. Would you be interesting in sharing your hydrangea prose poem with the photo and the closing question at my Spring Seeds Grace April Padlet Gallery? It is a beautiful peace that should be showcased. If yes, here is the link: https://padlet.com/cvarsalona/spring-seeds-grace-april-iqgitngvyfqwch7b.
I love how you animated the text in your inchworm poem. The invitations of the two bird poems inspire me to look at them in a new way.
You have a knack for finding the most incredible images to go with your incredible poems! One line in particular that jumped out at me - "feathered sunshine". The movement with the text in Inchworm fits so well.
I'm so glad that your canary lifts spirits and begs for freedom. We need a supply of both these days! And, great typography on Inchworm! I Love visiting this blog weekly and getting a peek at what you've been working on.!