Monday, April 4, 2011

Magpie Tales #60 "Liquid Sunshine", 188-190/365

Photo courtesy of Tess Kincaid of Willow Manor
The above photo prompt is for "Magpie Tales" 60.  I also combined this with my own challenge of using Kells daily poetry prompts for the month of April.  Todays challenge:  Make a list of seven words that have the same vowel sounds and use them in a repetitive way throughout a poem.   My seven are (slowly, window, toe, hoping, overflow, Gogh's, flowing, + golden + woeful).  I am also participating in NaPoWriMo2011 - (National Poetry Writing Month).  The challenge is to write a poem a day in April.  So far over 500 people have entered - hop over and take a look at the participants!

Liquid Sunshine

Drops of liquid sunshine slowly
dance upon my window pane,
tapping a woeful good morning
as I gently stretch from head to toe
hoping my garden will overflow
with vibrant color and intensity;
worthy of Vincent Van Gogh's
turbulent, flowing strokes
of prussian blue and golden yellow.

by Margaret Bednar, Art Happens, 4-4-11


& for One Stop Poetry's "One Stop Poetry Form":  Hosted by Gay Cannon this week of a wonderful poetry blog herself...click HERE.   Due to time limitations, I reworked the above poem into a prosody - more specifically, a iambic tetrameter... I think that's it.  I like the 1st version better, but it is always good to try these as they do have a sing-songy feeling to them (and they make me think harder..) And now as I'm looking this over, I'm thinking I'm supposed to have 4 or 8 lines.... hmm.  (Gay Cannon - will be here to help, I'm sure!  :)

Liquid Sunshine - Version II

Upon my window pane it splashed;
a liquid sunshine slowly danced
a woeful morning song "tap tap".
I gently stretched from head to toe
and hoped my garden would become
a vibrant painting like Van Gogh's
with restless blues and flowing golds.



Virginia Bluebells I spied at the Bog Garden.  They have pink buds which are not really noticeable in this photo.  This is for "Macro Monday".   The photo has quite a bit of noise and I am surprised as I used my tripod and my 2 second timer.  Maybe there just wasn't enough light - or maybe I need a new Canon or Nikon camera :)


A beautiful carpet of yellow greeted us as we entered the Bog Garden.  This used to be a swampy dump and look what beauty can now be enjoyed by everyone.


The above photo reminds me of a Japanese painting.


I waited and waited to get a perfect shot in this setting.   I love the above idea, but I am going back to get a better photographic shot of this golden setting.  The above is my choice for "The Creative Exchange", which isn't about the perfect shot, but more about the moment.


This is the newest edition to the Bog Garden.  My daughter calls the above bridge the "Cinderella Bridge".  Do you notice her regal wave?

40 comments:

minor said...

Hi! I joined the creative exchange by Lia today.
Your blog has beautiful photos and good poem. Very fantastic!

Fireblossom said...

Your pictures are extremely nicely done and beautiful! Good luck with your gardening. :-)

Anonymous said...

Beautiful images and written hopes of a bountiful spring!

TexWisGirl said...

gorgeous! that first image reminded me of a strawberry. :)

love the princess wave!

jocodeane said...

What a wonderful Spring assortment.
And the red tree would steal anyone's heart.
Vincent wouldn't know you were talking to him if you made 'van Gogh' rhyme with flow or toe :-)

Lisa Gordon said...

Really Margaret, I am so in awe of your work with words. Don't know how you do it, but it is truly genius!!

Thank you so much for sharing this today at The Creative Exchange. The photograph you are sharing is really special this week. We have been waiting almost 3 years for some ducks to consider our new pond as a home. As of last night, it looks like we may have a pair!! So excited :-)

Have a wonderful day, and thank you once again.

lisa.

Evelyn S. said...

You amaze me with your ability to put a photo into words.... I imagine you seeing something and speaking poetry! ;-) Beautiful images...all of them.

(Is the Bog Garden a public or private place? It looks wonderful.)

Laura said...

magnificent Margaret...your poetry and each and every photo of the loveliness of nature!

Dutchbaby said...

Hey Margaret,
Imagine, I "found" you via Macro Monday :-)

I love every bit of this rich post. (Though I do feel like a real slacker reading about you participating in all these challenges.)

Love your long-voweled "Liquid Sunshine" with the Van Gogh sunflower - wow, what a shot! Keep taking shots like that, you'll never be able to justify a new Canon or Nikon.

I wish to go to Bog Garden. Did you create this yellow carpet? And the Japanese painting/photo? Fantastic!

But the very best of all, your sweet royal princess!

Friko said...

Both tasks well executed.
Lovely photos.

Marinela said...

Beautiful images and lovely write!

Short Poems

Pat said...

A wonderfully enjoyable post, Margaret. Beautiful images and words!

Louise said...

Beautiful poem and pics!

Carol Blackburn said...

It looks like a spectacular place, Margaret. Great shots! Yes, she is quite regal, your little Cinderella.

Jan n Jer said...

Gorgeous photos...what a great place to go with your camera!

Kala said...

The shot of the blossoming branches over the water does look like a painting! Happy Macro Monday too.

Susan said...

Wow! I am in awe of your photographs! The bluebell is my favorite. They are, in my experience, really hard to capture well in a photograph. Splendid job!

Margaret said...

Holy Batman! I can't believe all these wonderful comments! Thank you. Everyone MUST be craving SPRING! I will be by later to see what everyone is doing. I'm not very inspired for making dinner tonight... so just chicken salad made form the other night's chicken. Slap a tomato and lettuce on top of whole wheat bread and it is a meal... right?

phil said...


worthy of Vincent


very much so.

~p

robin. said...

great shots...the duck on the water and the ripples in the sun...lovely!!!

genie said...

This is a grand series of very stunning shots. I do love the last one, and I think you made a fine, fine capture. The color and light in it are awesome. You certainly have a great eye for that special shot.

Beachanny said...

Late to your party, it seems, but happy for the invitation. Both of your poems are lovely and capture in words the images you have posted. I have been fortunate in my life to have seen a large number of Van Gogh originals the latest ones at the Musee d'Orsay last October. Your work is as vivid as his.

I like the one you rewrote in iambic tetrameter the better because it is more vibrant and captures the movement of color, light, and music. Yet they are both quite fine.

The piece you wrote today is perfect. It might have completed your OH sounds more happily (but perhaps not as winsomely) if you put the blues first in the last line and finished with the word "golds". That, of course, is your decision. Your OH sounds organically flow through the piece and are like a river tying it together. Excellent.

forgetmenot said...

Margaret, Absolutely awesome!! Liquid Sunshine ( I & II) are lovely--couldn't possibly choose one over the other. AND those pictures----the colors "jump out" at you they are sooooo bright and vivid. I'm not sure you could get a more "perfect" shot on any of these photos--excellent work. Beautiful shot of your "regal waving" daughter--what a lovely place. Mickie :)

Reflections said...

Your entire post is fabulously executed. I really enjoyed both poetic versions. Each have their own feel.

And the pictures, well, I am a nature lover so you grabbed from the first shot. Beautiful images.

Isabel Doyle said...

lovely photos and poems

hyperCRYPTICal said...

Liquid sunshine! Love the idea of it. Beautiful pics too!

Anna :o]

Ruth said...

I really like the repeated vowel sounds in your poem. I was thinking about this technique yesterday, and here you've done it. It is so effective.

Are those yellow buttercups? I can't quite tell what they are. Just beautiful.

Yes, your daughter has the royal wave down. :-)

Kristen Haskell said...

Incredibly uplifting your words and your photos. Thank you for the time you put into to this, it really shows.

Tess Kincaid said...

Lovely photos. I like the notion of liquid sunshine.

Trellissimo said...

Woah! The flowers photos are so vibrant! Fabulous!

Christine said...

So ready for the vibrant colours of summer. I would love a forest of yellow like that!

Helen said...

Your Magpie post is exquisite!! From beginning to end.

Carrie Van Horn said...

Beautiful picture....beautiful words! :-)

Margaret said...

Such praise I have received on this post! Thank you, it really means a lot.

Jingle said...

wow...

your imagery is always outstanding.

Jim Swindle said...

I like the poems and also the photos. I agree that the first poem's better than the second, though I'm not quite sure why. I think it sounds fresher.

Maude Lynn said...

This post is just gorgeous through and through!

Lisa said...

A Bog Garden looks like a marvelous place to spend time. All your photos are great. Thanks for sharing a piece of your world. My exchange entry is at peripheral perceptions http://bit.ly/i2L5pr

The Blog of Bee said...

You deserve all the praise you have received. This is an incredible post - both the poetry and the photographs. You brought joy to my day.

Steve Isaak said...

Good, distinctive work, that first poem. (I only have time to read one poem per author right now.)