Thursday, June 27, 2019

Poetry Friday: Summer Poetry Swap, #1

I decided to participate in two Summer Poetry Swaps this year, out of the five that Tabatha organized. When you sign up, Tabatha sends you the address of someone else who has signed up, and your only job is to send that person a poem.

For the first Poetry Swap, I received a poem from Jone Rush MacCulloch, who blogs at Deo Writer. Her creation was a combination of two of her passions: photography and words. She took a photo and put it on a wooden plaque (the packaging inside the Priority Mail envelope had a Walgreen Photo logo, so I figured out that's where Jone took her photo to make this, and nobody's paying me to advertise them, but wow, this is a very very cool product and I will be trying it myself).

Here's Jone's poem:




The words say:

ancient walls
carved by sand, wind, rain
river sky
above me
connects two worlds with stories
of the past

- jone rush macculloch

I love the words, and I love the colors, and I love the walls and the sky. Jone's note said that this photo comes from her trip to Secret Canyon, also known as Slot Canyon, in Page, Arizona. (Here's a post from a travel blog with some description and more photos.) My daughter is in the process of moving out west to the desert, and I don't think Jone knew that, but her beautiful photo helps me imagine a place I've never been. Soon I'll be connecting my daughter's new world with mine as we share our stories in our written and spoken conversations. They'll be stories of the past, but also the present. When I go home, Jone's poem will take pride of place on the bookcase in my room, along with photos of my children.

Thank you, Jone! And thank you, Tabatha! I love Poetry Swaps!

Buffy has today's roundup.

14 comments:

Cheriee Weichel said...

Your post has inspired me. Next year I will join up with poetry swap. It sounded overwhelming, but maybe I can do one poem.
I grew up in semi desert country. It's the landscape of my heart, but many people have a hard time with the emptiness of it.

Buffy Silverman said...

What a gorgeous photo and poem! River sky is the perfect description. (But dang....somehow I missed the sign-up for the poetry swap this year. :( There's always next year...)

Linda Mitchell said...

Oh, how wonderful! The photo is really beautiful and her words make it even more so. What a fortunate exchange.

KatApel - katswhiskers.wordpress.com said...

That image is so surreal - and the words match it perfectly. How clever Jone is!

Tabatha said...

Beautiful! Both the sentiment and the presentation. Well done, Jone.

Irene Latham said...

Jone really captures it, doesn't she? And good luck to your daughter in the desert... I am drawn to deserts. Especially in winter. Or at night. xo

Kay said...

Wow! that photo and poem combination is beautiful! My brother lives in Phoenix, and I love the landscape. It is so different from what I experience every day.

Michelle Kogan said...

What a gorgeous poetry gift, I love her closing lines echoing to the past. And the colors and movement in the image work so well with the poem, Enjoy!

Ramona said...

"connects two worlds with stories . . . "
Love these words form Jone's poem and the photo is simply stunning!
How fun to have the connection of your daughter's move to the desert and this poem from Jone!

Carol Varsalona said...

Ruth, poetry exchanges are such wonderful gifts that connect people far away. Jone's swap to you is stunning and such a clever way to showcase her passions. I can see why you are interested in having the swap front and center. The photo has such movement and her words enhance the artwork.

Mary Lee said...

I love all the textures, shapes, and colors in the photo, and the connection between earth and sky in her poem. WOW! Way cool.

Kimberly Hutmacher said...

What a lovely pairing of photo and poem. Such a wonderful treat to receive in the mail. Thank you for sharing it with us- along with that great Walgreens tip :)

Heidi Mordhorst said...

Serendipitous connections! Everything about this is gorgeous, almost otherwordly. Enjoy it all summer and beyond, Ruth.

Michelle Heidenrich Barnes said...

There's something so mystical, magical, and spiritual about the southwestern landscape. I loved it when we lived in NM for a few years. I know you're going to miss your daughter, but it's cool that she'll be opening up a portal to this new time and place in your lives, and kismet that Jone captured that moment of anticipation for you!