What do you notice on a spring
afternoon
after school?
Of course I noticed flowering trees
in splendid pinks that if painted would be critiqued
not realistic enough
the grass is green
It’s spring
the grass is long
I need to mow

Also the clerk at Trader Joe’s said
“Awww
I’m going to miss you-
I liked talking to you”
as she loaded my last bag in my cart
handed me my receipt
and I thought that even though my teens don’t
exactly like to chat
at least someone likes talking to me

I saw people drive by in a Volkswagen convertible beetle
top down
in the front seat was an older man
holding a wooden pirate ship
almost exactly matching one
my son got at an antique store years ago
that my other son recently took a picture of
on top of an amazon box
to use as a metaphor for a school assignment
and I thought that if someone is trying to send me a sign
with pirate ships
that is kind of confusing

On my walk through the park there was a kid
maybe eight years old
scooting his scooter around the track
staring up at the blue sky
there were clouds — but the pretty kind
He exclaimed
“This
is
America!”
at least I thought he did
I was listening to my audiobook

What do you notice on a spring
afternoon
after school?

This is April and today’s poetry was inspired by Ethical ELA’s Things to do: Write a Poem

There’s so much brown mulch
Mulch stays on the ground, friends.
but there are little piles of mulch
on swings and slides
hidden in the crevices of the climbing logs
The logs are brown too
wood on wood is hard to see
but there are little piles of mulch

The gray track winds
around
crosses over the blacktop
and back down
a baby hill
Yes you can walk the track, friends.

Later we will line up to go inside,
along the black fence
For now jackets gather there
because it’s spring
Aren’t you cold, friends?
no matter the temperature they will take their coats off
when the sun is shining in April

That’s where the color starts to pop
Make sure you get your coats on the way in, friends!
purple jacket on the ground
a red sleeve
peeking out from under
a blue coat slung over the fence
a green hood
hanging on

It’s April, and I’m trying to write poetry. This is inspired by EthicalELA Color in Nature

Up ahead
I saw a tree with
blooming branches
hanging over the sidewalk
I thought
there’s a tree
a spring tree
with blooming branches
just hanging over the sidewalk
and then I searched
for more blooms
the forsythia are ending
it seems
but there are buds
on trees
to marvel at
and that
blooming tree
up ahead

It’s April! That means, Poetry!

Oh Shit.
I forgot how to write poetry.
There used to be a way I could
string
words
down
the
page
so they said
exactly what I wanted them to say

What a
time
to forget
how to write poetry —
It’s poetry
MONTH

Damn
that’s bad timing
especially because I have big things to say
writing them though?
that feels whiny
annoying
trite
stupid
because
what kind of
string
of
words
could
possibly articulate
what I
want
to
say?

I wonder if the teenage me would laugh
(or cringe, I guess)
at how often I am standing in my kitchen
making tea, pouring seltzer, doing dishes
in my pajamas
always in my pajamas
when a gaggle of teenage boys walks through
chats for just a polite minute
before going to hang out
upstairs or downstairs

A snapshot
of a happy time
I remember smiles and laughter
But this snapshot?
Oh my God
my face
why am I making that face?
my arms
why am I slouching?
I don’t remember slouching
One time I read that others
see us in movement
love us in movement
we see ourselves in still pictures
where we focus too much
on each part
where it’s easy to criticize
each part
We would love ourselves
if we saw ourselves
in movement
like the rest of the world
like we love others
So that is what I tell myself
as I close the picture
and decide to either
hide from cameras
always
or just never look at any
snapshots
of myself
ever
again

It’s April so I am writing poetry. Today’s poem is inspired by Look Closely on EthicalELA