Tag Archives: Poetry

WILD AZALEAS

I found the wild azaleas growing pink
as cheeks hot-flushed in fever from a cold.
I drew the water for my mother’s drink
and placed the petals in a vase of gold.
I saw her shaking hands turn pale and dry
and move along the rim of china vase,
and then extend just as in days gone by
to mine. No one can fill my mother’s place.
Please do not bring to me your roses red
nor wipe away my tears that fall in sheets
to cover her new cemetery bed.
In Heaven she now walks on golden streets
while I go down a dark and dusty trail,
in search of pink azaleas for my pail.

© Freeda Baker Nichols

H

A NEVILLE FORM

A MOTHER’S CELEBRITY

Today, I saw a cenotaph
near where the children played
and there for hours I stayed
and thought I heard the children laugh,
for carved upon a stone
by little hands unknown,
I found a famous autograph.
© Freeda Baker Nichols
From: Tigers and Morning Glories

 

 

AND SO IT’S A QUATERN?

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The Horses Graze

The horses graze on yonder hill.
The grass is thick and green and good
on such a day when wind is still
there in the pasture by the wood.
Nearby a spring where elks have stood,
the horses graze on yonder hill.
A picture posed like Hollywood,
they munch close to the daffodil.
They chomp until their stomachs fill
with grass and hay just as they should.
The horses graze on yonder hill
in that high-country neighborhood.
They are the kings of brotherhood.
They chomp in sync with cowbird’s trill,
a peaceful sound well-understood.
The horses graze on yonder hill.

© Freeda Baker Nichols

Note: The Quatern form seemed just right to go with my photo here. The ancient French form of four stanzas in iambic tetrameter, using only two rhymes was a bit of a challenge, due to the particular rhymes I chose. Set-up as follows: Abab bAba abAb babA .   Poets, try it. It’s fun!

 

 

What’s A Lanterne?

A Lanterne is a 5-line poem originating in Japan. The poem has a syllable count of 1,2,3,4,1. The words are centered on the line to create the shape of a Japanese lantern.

The
leaves fall
with the wind
and November
rain.

© Freeda Baker Nichols

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DSC_0617

closeup photo of brown and black wooden houses digital wallpaper

Photo by Zhu Peng on Pexels.com

THE SEARCH

Cougar

The cat went searching for a mouse
to bring to house.
He climbed a gate
and stayed out late,
still looking for a mouse or rat.
Persistent cat
kept on his search
and found a perch
where birds were roosting for the night
but they took flight
before his eyes
to his surprise!

© Copyright, Freeda Baker Nichols

This is a Minute Form of Poetry