Winged Words - Results of Prompt 1: The Curlew, Harbinger of Nature
"If it would have me" by Rose Lennard
Artwork by Bronwen R. Evans
If it would have me,
I’d give my atoms to the sky,
unbraid my tangled hair, snare
minnows in the curlew’s silvery cry;
I’d root deep into moor-grass mire,
let minerals bloom like lilies in my blood.
Out here I’m hillside, cloud-scud,
tang of iron-dark water’s seep.
My edges blur into the breeze,
I’m unmade, redrawn in fray
of smoke, in ochre smears of clay.
the world awaits me, baited
like a line pulled behind a boat—
how I reach out;
how I long for it to take me.About Rose Lennard: Rose reckons few things feel as good as writing poetry. She writes with a sense of curiosity, seeking that place where the enchantment of words meets the grit of experience. Her poems have been published widely in Rattle, Magma, Mslexia, Stand, Prole, Atrium, Ink Sweat & Tears, and others.
Thank you so much to everyone who submitted responses to the first prompt. I truly mean it when I say that it was really tough choosing just one poem from so many fantastic ones. In response to the prompt there were themes of natural immersion, bird mythology, symbolism of creatures and the landscape, and affirmations of life and grief - the touches and signals of nature weaving their way into thought patterns. All were received with great care, thank you so much for sharing them for me.
It was really lovely to see how different writers, nature lovers, and birders interpreted the prompt, and to learn about how nature and habitat are differently experienced. I’m really glad that you all enjoyed this exercise, and most importantly, that we have this opportunity to explore and develop our natural inspirations together. Look out for the next bird prompt soon,
I hope you feel inspired to submit again!
The chosen poem is ‘If it would have me’, written by Rose Lennard. What I absolutely love about this piece, is the immediacy with which it transports the reader with its love of the outdoors, connecting our life journeys into natural cycles while building the imagery of such alive landscapes. It’s inspired me this week as much as the returning Spring weather. Thank you, Rose.
-Bronwen R. Evans
A wee reminder that submissions over at The Wee Sparrow Haiku Nook are open until the 15th of March. Send Marc three of your very best haiku inspired by this month in your part of the world.
We have made donations to The Starlight Trust and Keep Wales Tidy with the royalties from sales of our most recent anthology Lines of Communication. Each organisation has received 320 British pounds from The Wee Sparrow Poetry Press. Thank you so much to everyone who bought copies of this collection. Your support is greatly appreciated.
We have also made an emergency donation of 40 euros to La Verde, an organic fruit and vegetable cooperative here in the province of Cádiz where I live. Due to the devastating storms which battered the south of Spain during the month of January, this local producer has lost everything and will now need to start from scratch to build up their small business again.
Stay safe and stay creative, you lovely lot. Don´t let the bastards grind you down!
Chirp Chirp!
beautiful