When I was growing up, summer meant weekends at my Aunt Lucy and Uncle Bill’s home in Rockford, Michigan. It meant hours in their pool, learning how to do a back dive, and it meant my cousin Tara and I had ample time to perfect our synchronized swim routines (we had a fantastic routine set to Paula Abdul’s “Opposites Attract”). Summer meant an extra hour of daylight and being able to stay out later. (Michigan is on Eastern Standard Time, unlike Chicago, which is Central Standard Time, a point my brother Geoff and I made repeatedly in the car ride as the Chicago skyline disappeared and we made our way north.)
And summers meant sparklers.
I have vivid memories of dancing with fire just before bed. We probably went through a box in five minutes, and maybe that was part of the fun. After all, a spark doesn’t last; its impression — the color, the singe, the crackle — does.
I signed my name in the air when my sparkler was lit. I did one-handed cartwheels. I ran through my aunt and uncle’s expansive backyard barefooted and laughing, little beads of orange chasing me.
Try It
For this week’s prompt, sparklers are our muse, and sensory poems are the form. I like to divide a piece of paper into fifths and label each section with one of the senses: sight, smell, touch, sound, taste. I fill up each box with words or phrases, memories, and perhaps even drawings that make me think of sparklers. Then, I pull from, curate, and add words to make a poem.
Now it’s your turn!
Featured Poem
Thanks to everyone who participated in our recent poetry prompt. Here’s a poem from Marilyn that we enjoyed.
Screeee
The rockets, climbing up up up
My boys, scurrying down the hill
and nestling into my waiting arms
Boom
The fire, blooming then wilting in a blink
My heart, popping against its bony cage,
willing this moment to stay
Sizzle shhhhh
The last sparkles, raining down
a smoky cloud
A sigh, sending bated breath up to the sky
How many more fourth of Julys?
—Marilyn
Photo by Epic Fireworks, Creative Commons, via Flickr. Post by Callie Feyen, author of The Teacher Diaries: Romeo & Juliet.
__________
“Callie is brave and honest and humble and hilarious. If you’re a teacher, she will rekindle your joy of the classroom and renew your belief in the power of story. If you’re just a reader looking for wisdom in the pages of a book, Callie will help you to trust yourself, so you can get at your own story.”
—Lisa McGovern, Amazon Reviewer
- Poetry Prompt: Name the Hard - January 23, 2023
- Poetry Prompt: Going On A Treasure Hunt – Part 2, Sledding Hill - January 16, 2023
- Poetry Prompt: We’re Going On A Poetry Hunt – Part 1 - January 9, 2023
Donna Falcone says
Callie, this is such a sensory rich and fun prompt! I can’t wait to see what folks come up with! Love your strategy tip, too. I’m going to try that. 🙂
Marilyn, I love your poem. It reminds me of younger days!
Fire blooming… heart popping. It’s an Onomatopoeia-palooza!
Callie Feyen says
Thanks, Donna! It was fun to write.
An Onomatopoeia – palooza! I love that!
Katie says
Shiny
sizzle shimmer
mini handheld fireworks
twirl in circles, swirl figure eights
fire fun.
Callie Feyen says
This poem makes me want to light a sparkler and swirl a figure eight!
Katie says
Thank you, Callie:) I never tire of playing with words!
Katie says
Kiddos sized fireworks
sizzle, crackle, sparkle, shine
fizzle out too fast
Callie Feyen says
They DO fizzle out too fast, don’t they? I love this poem because it gets at that quickness, and the words are so tasty to say, buttercream frosting on a cupcake!
Katie says
Thanks again, Callie.
Rick Maxson says
Project to Widen Fayetteville Road: Notes on the Dray Horse
Whence will kindness come,
in the scorch and stark
sparkling pickets of a city?
The aging coachman,
a poet by day,
night tours, park and crickets.
He brings fresh apples
for the tongue,
a world of words.
The field of touch is immense—
holds the symphony of trees
the common dream—
tender fescue sibilate in a breeze.