Status Updates From I Am the Seed That Grew the...

July 4th:

Sea Cliff

Wave in wave
and green on rock
and white between
the splash and black
the crash and hiss
of the feathery fall,
the snap and shock
of the water wall
and the wall of rock:
after —
after the ebb-flow,
wet rock,
high —
high over the slapping green,
water sliding away
and the rock abiding,
new rock riding
out of spray.

A.J.M. Smith

June 28th:

Insect

Inspect
an insect
and you'll see
how perfect
it can be.

Listen,
and hear
the tiny song
it sings,

and bits of rainbow
glisten
on its wings.

- Tony Mitton

June 26th:

Leaf Boats

Rain
down
the
drain
is a waterfall.

A leaf sails along
A twig starts to float.

I watch
as they bob
and they bounce
down
the
drain.

I see
the rain
drowning
each tiny, wet boat.

- Myra Cohn Livingston

June 12th:

The Snail

At sunset, when the night-dews fall,
Out of the ivy on the wall
With horns outstretched and pointed tail
Comes the grey and noiseless snail.
On ivy stems she clambers down,
Carrying her house of brown.
Safe in the dark, no greedy eye
Can her tender body spy,
While she herself, a hungry thief,
Searches out the freshest leaf.
She travels on as best she can
Like a toppling caravan.

- James Reeves

May 27th:

Whispering Leaves

I am wondering
what it is
the leaves are whispering to me.
Which language they speak.
It doesn’t seem funny
but it might be.
It takes years
getting leaf ears
only there aren’t
many quiet days
to sit out and learn
leaf talk.
Leaves, I’m listening.

- Julie O'Callaghan

May 13th:

The Yellow Tulip

For weeks
it struggled
through the hard crust
of the spring earth
and a foot
of air

Just to be
scorched
by the sun
jolted
by raindrops
blasted
by the wind

But on this gentle
May morning
as it opens
yellow petals
to the sky

Nothing else matters

- George Swede

May 3rd:

New Day

The day is so new
you can hear it yawning,
listen:

The new day
is yawning
and stretching

and waiting to start.

In the clear blue sky
I hear the new day's heart

- Ian McMillan

April 24th:

Counting-out Rhyme

Silver bark of beech, and sallow
Bark of yellow birch and yellow
Twig of willow.

Stripe of green in moosewood maple,
Colour seen in leaf of apple,
Bark of popple.

Wood of popple pale as moonbeam,
Wood of oak for yoke and barn-beam,
Wood of hornbeam.

Silver bark of beech, and hollow
Stem of elder, tall and yellow
Twig of willow.

- Edna St. Vincent Millay

April 10th:

Riddle

Runs all day and never walks
Often murmurs, never talks.
It has a bed, but never sleeps;
It has a mouth but never eats.

- Anonymous

March 29:

Froggie,
Froggie

Froggie, froggie.
Hoppity-hop!
When you get to the sea
You do not stop.
Plop!

- Anonymous

March 13th (birthday poem):

Between the moon coming out
And the sun going in —
The red dragon-flies.

- Nikyu, translated by R.H. Blyth

March 8th: (Happy international women's day!)

Spring is coming, spring is coming,
Birdies, build your nest;
Weave together straw and feather,
Doing each your best!

Spring is coming, spring is coming,
Flowers are coming too;
Pansies, lilies, daffodillies
Now are coming through.

Spring is coming, spring is coming,
All around is fair;
Shimmer and quiver on the river,
Joy is everywhere.

- William Blake

March 6th:

A Spike of Green

When I went out
The sun was hot,
It shone upon
My flower pot.

And there I saw
A spike of green
That no one else
Had ever seen!

On other days
The things I see
Are mostly old
Except for me.

But this green spike
So new and small
Had never yet
Been seen at all!

- Barbara Baker

February 26th:

Whether the weather be cold,
Or whether the weather be hot;
Whether the weather be fine,
Or whether the weather be not;
Whatever the weather
We'll weather the weather,
Whether we like it or not!

- Anonymous

February 9th

Icy Morning Haiku:

On a frozen pond
a small dog is nervously
attempting to skate

Way up in the tree
a black cat grins with delight
watching and waiting

Beneath the clear ice
a big fish wonders if all
dogs walk on water

- James Carter

January 22nd

She'll

The sea fills my ear
With sand and with fear.

You may wash out the sand
But never the sound
Of the ghost of the sea
That is haunting me.

- Ted Hughes

January 17th

Who Has Seen the Wind?

Who has seen the wind?
Neither I nor you:
But when the leaves hang trembling,
The wind is passing through.

Who has seen the wind?
Neither you nor I:
But when the trees bow down their heads,
The wind is passing by

- Christina Rossetti