Poetry Friday the 13th: The Roundup

Welcome to Poetry Friday! I feel lucky to host the roundup, which you'll find below. Please join us and submit a link. (If you're having difficulty, send an email to    c_spaghettiATyahoo.com    Replace the AT with a you-know-what.)

I'll start off with my poem "Vintage," inspired by a photograph by Trina K. Bartel which I first saw on Margaret Simon's blog, Reflections on the Teche. (Thank you to Margaret and to the photographer, who granted me permission to use her work.)

Vintage

The Craigslist ad
came out so nice
I decided to keep
Mom’s bike and
ride it myself

The flowers I put
in the basket made
all the difference
and sold me on the idea
of maintaining

—Susan Thomsen

A round of applause goes to all the poets and poem-talking participants. Drop a link here.

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Comments

[Laura Shovan]

That's a lovely poem, Susan. It tells a little story and in so few lines I feel like I get to know the speaker.

I'm sharing a special video today -- a sneak peek at some of Michael Rothenberg's original art for our upcoming poetry collection, Welcome to Monsterville. Plus a poem from the book that I've never posted before. If you're curious about the cover, Sylvia Vardell has the cover reveal for Welcome to Monsterville at Poetry for Children!

[Susan]

Thank you, Laura! I saw that video; it's terrific. I am so excited to be hosting Poetry Friday; it has been too long.

[Margaret Simon]

Thanks for hosting and for the shout out. I love your little vintage poem. I can imagine how cute you would look riding around town.

[Susan]

Margaret, the photo does make me want to get a basket for my bike. I could ride back and forth to the library with all my books in there. Well, in warmer weather I could do that...

[Tabatha]

It's true that when we are trying to sell something, we may convince ourselves! The photo reminds me of a painting by my daughter that I used as Summer Poem Swap logo. Thanks for hosting us, Susan!

[Susan]

Tabatha, you're welcome. I like those David Kirby poems! I'm not familiar with his work, so thank you for the introduction.

[Linda Baie]

Thanks for hosting, Susan. The picture with your poetic advice feels like a guide for life. I love the basket, too! Hope you'll write about your adventures riding out!

[Rose Cappelli]

Thanks for hosting, Susan! That bike is so inviting and your poem just makes it more so.

[Susan]

Linda and Rose, doesn't that photo make you want to hop on the bike and ride around? Thanks for your contributions! Poetry Friday is always a good time.

[Matt Forrest Esenwine]

I was thinking what Linda said, that your poem is almost speaking about life - and it's true, we should all put a few more flowers in our baskets. Thanks for hosting, Susan!

[Carol Varsalona]

Susan, thank you for hosting Poetry Friday. I not only enjoyed your poem but love your mother's bike with the addition of a flower basket. Do you wear a straw floral hat, also? That would look smashing. I like Matt;s interpretation of your poem.

[Kay Jernigan McGriff]

Thanks for hosting Susan. I love your poem--it has such a sweetness with memories past and those to come with those flowers in the basket.

[JoAnn Early Macken]

You've captured that moment of indecision that comes with letting go--or trying to. I'd go along with that choice! Thank you for hosting today!

[Mary Lee]

Thanks for hosting us, Susan! "Mom's bike" looks a whole lot like my childhood bike and is making me very nostalgic for its basket and its fat tires, single gear, and pedal-backwards brakes. Ah, the simple life. Your poem captured that tension between wanting to and NOT wanting to let go of STUFF. The struggle is real!

[Susan]

Matt, Carol, Kay, JoAnn, and Mary Lee, thanks for your posts! That bicycle in Trina's photograph does look like my childhood bike, too. I think that if it weren't raining today here, I'd want to hop on my own bicycle and ride around after thinking about bikes this week. I'll be sure to get the basket and straw hat by summer!

[janice scully]

Susan, thanks for hosting and thanks for sharing your poem. I love that it celebrates discovering a different perspective.

[Susan]

Thanks, Janice! I'm really enjoying hosting Poetry Friday today. When I started this post, I didn't have any poem but then remembered this one, so, yay.

[Carol Labuzzetta]

Susan, I love the look of the bike and the poem you wrote. It reminds me of a bike I saw near a flower shop in The Netherlands. Thank you for hosting!

[Susan T.]

You're so welcome! Thanks for your post.

[Laura Purdie Salas]

Thank you, Susan, for this lovely poem. It reminds me of when you get your house all ready to sell, and then you think, why am I selling? This looks great!

[Michelle Kogan]

I love your poem Susan, it's so conversational and such a feel good poem on sustaining and maintaining, and the pic is perfect! Thanks for hosting!

[Susan]

Laura, exactly! A "love it or list it?" kind of situation!

Thanks, Michelle! Trina's photo stayed with me after I saw it at Margaret's blog. Art prompts always get me thinking, and I often run with the first thing that comes to mind.

[Molly Hogan]

Your poem is such a great response to the image, and the use of the word "sold" is perfect! Thanks so much for hosting this week.

[Susan]

My pleasure! Thanks for your post and for your kind words, Molly.

[Cathy]

This poem has me thinking about the things we change our minds about. Sometimes it is just revisioning what we see.

[PATRICIA J FRANZ]

I love where one simple word, vintage, took you, Susan; and what a delight to enjoy both a blue bicycle and yellow flowers in one view. Thank you for hosting!

[Susan]

Cathy, yes, absolutely. A reframing.

Thank you for your post, Patricia! I struggled over the title because I didn't want to give too much away, but was happy when I finally thought of "vintage." My own childhood bike looked a lot like this one in Trina's photo.

[Karen Edmisten]

I love the lines, "and sold me on the idea of maintaining." That can apply to so many things in my life. :)

I didn't get a post done this week but hope to return to PF next Friday! Thanks for hosting this week, Susan!

[Susan]

Thanks, Karen! And it's been my pleasure to host; I read so many good ideas of things to work on and forms to try.