Each month, we slip a few poetic thank you notes to unlikely recipients: potatoes, evergreens, candles, ice. Some of those notes are simply poetic pictures. All are an invitation to take part in Tweetspeak’s way of being in the world: smart, fun, life-giving.
Looking over the past few months, here are just a few of our favorite thank you notes. Thank you for writing them! Or snapping a thankful picture.
Thank You Notes: Candles
How long must you simmer
the purple-black fruit
of the Ceylon cinnamon tree—
before it yields handheld light?
—Bethany Rohde (“Candle” poem was featured in Every Day Poems)
Thank You Notes: Ice
See Deb Crawford’s ice poem, featured in Every Day Poems. Photo by Department of Foreign Affairs, Creative Commons, Flickr.
ice cap>
ice pack>
ice field>
ice floe>
ice berg>
T
I
T
A
N
I
C
—Katie
Dear ice, I like
your inward bonds—
how they leave space,
room to breathe,
It’s your best property
as a solid: you can float
above the flow.
Thank You Notes: Evergreens
Thank You Notes: Potatoes, Parsnips & Other Root Vegetables
Baby Carrots
Quiet sweetness steamed
whirl-cut
into glossy puree
Undeniably orange yet
willing
to meld and melt
into my toddler’s
mac and cheese
You get past
his baby teeth
We Did the Mash
I saw you there in your sleek brown coat,
but it was your Irish eyes
that set me steaming.
(I’ve got an eye for an eye, you know.)
You were so fine.
I sidled up to you,
tried to butter you up,
but that lumper boyfriend of yours
saw something sprouting,
and he was boiling mad.
He grabbed the nearest knife,
thought to skin me alive
make chips out of me.
Well, I peeled out of there in an instant,
believe you me.
But then—good morning glory!
I saw your sweet cousin,
fresh scrubbed and all decked out in purple
with blossoms in her hair.
The party had just begun,
the scene was rocking
and everyone was having fun.
So we did the mash.
Mmmmm.
Quid Pro Carrot
In appreciation and exchange for your working-class lack of pretensions, your knowledge of the dark, your tiny hairs that still try to root themselves in the air, your delicate green feathertops, your versatility, your raw crunch, your roasted sweetness, your very orangeosity, I give you this: I will never again let you die a sad, lonely, lingering death entombed in the crisper.
Featured photo by Jenny Downing, Creative Commons, via Flickr.
- The Poetry Club Tea Date ✨ You Had Not Known - August 13, 2020
- New Workshop—Unleashing the Transformative Powers of Literary Citizenship - August 7, 2020
- The Poetry Club Tea Date ✨ What We Would Give Up - August 6, 2020
Bethany Rohde says
Oh my—what a fun surprise. I enjoyed opening each envelope and taking in its unique charm. Thank you for including a couple of my notes alongside such lovely offerings.
Donna says
Oh what fun! Laura Lynn Brown, I just knew that was yours by the feel of it, long before I got to your name! Wonderful!
Bethany and Sandra, so delicious.
Monica Sharman says
Ah! Thanks for including my note to ice! Love that this prompt was for photos, too.
Sandra Heska King says
What fun to see potatoes included here with these beauties. I’d forgotten all about it.
Katie says
Thank you for featuring my ice> poem!
Really enjoyed Sandra’s “We Did the Mash” – fun:)
L.L. Barkat says
You’re very welcome, Katie. 🙂