Today, I’m hosting a Quarille Prompt at dVerse. The form requires you to write a poem of exactly 44 words, no more, no less and to use a specific word. Today’s word is SHIMMER. Please join us–it’s a lot of fun. The doors open at 3:00 PM EDT.
Photo: Victoria Slotto
the light of early morning
curls forth,
shimmers on the pond
stirred restlessly by breeze.
egret waits for stillness
at water’s edge.
mama duck leads her brood
back into hiding
beneath a dense hedge
of bougainvilla.
this morning, one less duckling.
hawk perches
on a low lying branch,
well-sated.
I culled the title and first line of this poem from Mary Oliver’s poem
“Four Sonnets,” from her collection “Felicity”
I’d also like to let you know that I’ve started a new blog with my husband: The Photography of David and Victoria Slotto. We are currently taking part in a challenge hosted by Jennifer Nichole Wells based on the 120 colors in a box of Crayolas–lots of fun.
A delicate image as the light “curls forth”…very pretty.
Happy for the quadrille week! 🙂
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This was very like her work in a way but retaining your own pov and voice. As usual there is always a lyric in your work. Very beautiful, Victoria.
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like a photo
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“fun”
Eaten and be eaten is beautiful when nature is not us!
nicely penned
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Poor duckling. You painted well a picture and story in 44 words. 🙂
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I adore “curls” as a verb. Or noun. You just can’t go wrong with curls. 😉
This is my favorite section:
“mama duck leads her brood
back into hiding
beneath a dense hedge
of bougainvilla.”
… before that big, bad (fantastic) ending came to eat her baby. 😦
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Love the idea of the light curling forth, shimmering on the pond. I’ve always loved that shimmer…that glitter….those flicking light spectacles on the water in the path of the sun. Beautifully stated….so gentle…..even the hawk’s belly full at the end is somehow gentle and mother duck waddles on.
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Wonderful slice of real life. I am at once saddened for the duck family, and happy for the hawk.
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Nature is lovely, but hard. One critter’s tragedy is another’s salvation. On another note, I got Mary Oliver’s book (which I love) recently. I have to look up that poem now.
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Her poems are my go-to so often when I”m stuck. I take a line for a title and it almost writes itself from there.
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Such a serene image, Victoria. I love water – lakes, rivers, the sea – birds. I like the hint of nature’s darkness in the final lines.
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I like water too, although this particular little lake loves to claim my golf balls! Ha!
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So tranquil, the shimmering pond, the ducklings, then oh no! We live right by a playa lake, where we do see the cranes, hawks, ducks, geese, and turtles every day. So funny, last night the lake was shimmering from some light, and that was the word I used. Then, today, it is the prompt! 🙂 …I’ve been enjoying your posts for the Color Your World challenge! Beautiful photos!
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I felt like I was sitting with you, watching
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Nature shimmers in your lovely quadrille…silently and restlessly.
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Wow, that last line is chilling.
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The ducks make it playful. I read about bougainvillea in poetry often…I’ll have to look that up so I can picture it ^_^
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At first I felt soothed by your words–and then yikes! Great poem.
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Vivid imagery captured here, Victoria. Beautiful verse.
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[…] Victoria has set the Quadrille prompt for today. Dverse Poets Pub. […]
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What beautiful, tiny vignettes of nature that illustrate so much, Victoria. A lot is going on around that pond in the morning.
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You’ve summed up nature in 44 words. I feel sorry for the mother duck, and yet glad for the hawk to not go hungry. Beautiful quadrille.
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How beautiful, Victoria – poem and photo. Congrats on the new endeavor and blog. This falls together so beautiful, as if you’ve extended a Japanese form. Exquisite in its beauty.
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This reads like one continuous haiku – all the images packed with feeling – and there’s sadness. One less ducking…but the hawk needs to feed her family or itself. Such is life…living, dying, shimmering…silence. So much in these 44 words – such a shimmering poem!
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The prompt made me think or morning as well.
This reads beautifully and I love the imagery of the restless pond. With all the rain here recently there’s water everywhere and when the wind picks up it’s quite amazing watching the tiny waves roll across these temporary lakes.
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I love how you used Mary’s lines to birth your own Victoria ~ Specially admire:
egret waits for stillness
at water’s edge.
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Nature is filled with suck scenery… such little stories of sadness, yet the hawk’s a mother too…
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Lovely poem and image, Victoria. 🙂
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[…] Slotto is tending bar at dVerse, and asks us for a 44 word poem using the word “shimmer”. Never one to waste a god prompt, […]
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beautiful poem
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