Writing a poem is another way to become more aware of nature. choose a favorite place to sit for a few minutes watching and enjoying. Notice how each sound, movement, texture and colour is different. Feel the special quality that each thing expresses. if you see a darting swift-moving flock of birds feel in your heart the joy of their flight. if you see a tree swaying in a light breeze, feel it’s strength and gracefulness. Try one of the following forms of poetry, or any other style you like
Verticle Poem
Choose a word that captures the feeling of the place you’ve chosen. Then use each letter of the word to begin a line of your poem. While walking on Mount Subasio near Assisi, Italy, I wrote a poem to the word ‘Spring’ the flower covered hillsides expressed a feeling of excitement as the shadows of the clouds raced over them.
S un-made cloud shadows
P laced on the earth
R unning across its surface
I n and out of the sun i sit
N ot long does the cloud’s twin stay
G oing, going on its way.
Haiku
Japanese Haiku is a form of poetry with only three lines. The first line contains five syllables the second has seven and the third has five again. Look for the syllables in the Haiku poem below.
In the sudden burst
Of summer rain… wind-blown birds
Clutching at grasses
Also, in Haiku poetry, the first two lines describe the scene and the third line expresses surprise or discovery. The two poems below are by Basho, A famous master of Haiku.
An old silent pond
Into the pond a frog jumps,
Splash! silence again.
Basho
My eyes following
Until a bird was lost at sea,
Found a small island.
Basho
Check out one of my favorite modern poets John Cooper Clarke and have fun writing poetry. feel free to share some you have created!