Hiding Frog

Little green frog hides in the moss
behind a rock,
hopes no one sees
him hiding there.

He doesn't move, perhaps he thinks
you won't see him
if he doesn't
blink an eye lid.

But you do see him sitting there
and you both stare
before he croaks
and hops away.

  This is a minute poem.  It has 60 syllables, divided between three stanzas.  The first line has 8 syllables, and the next three lines each have 4 syllables.  Would you like to try writing your own minute poem today?  I can guarantee it will take more than a minute to write it.  Have fun shaping your lines.

And here is a quote from a book mark my friend Tabatha Yeatts sent to me:
You are the sky.  Everything else is just weather. Pema Chodron 

LIBRARY MINUTE

Late at night in the library
no one's  here but
the cat Dewey
who keeps the watch.

The books are shelved, the lights are dim
empty book carts, 
there's only him
walking the stacks.

Hold shelf packed with reserved books,
computers off,
every where looks
set for morning.


     Thanks to all my librarian friends for the inspiration for this minute poem. I recently read the non-fiction book DEWEY, about Dewey Readmore Books, the library cat from Spencer, Iowa.  What are you currently reading?  What are your favorite books?  Can you write a poem today about a book?  Try a minute.

Moon Minute

     I enjoy writing minute poems.  This form has 60 syllables broken into 3 stanzas.  Each stanza has 8 syllables in the first line, then 4 syllables in each of the next 3 lines.  This works out to 20 syllables in each of the three stanzas, or a total of 60 syllables in the whole poem, hence the name of a "minute" poem. 

The sun sinks to bring on the night

big moon shines bright

from a low height--

an awesome sight.

Such beauty is, without a doubt

something to shout

about –Moon's out

glowing light spout.

Now it is the end of the day,

I'm on my way,

coyotes bray,

Good Night, hooray.

      Can you try writing your own minute poem?  Have fun.

Daffodil

Hear the golden daffodil.
Yellow horn with little frill,
Trilling, trilling,
Heralding spring.


   I went searching for a pretty picture I have of blooming daffodils, but I couldn't find it.  RATS!!!  But look what I did find, a minute poem.  I wrote a whole series of minute poems once about things in my garden, I couldn't find a publisher for it at that time.  A minute poem is a fun form since it has only 60 syllables.  Three stanzas, 8 syllables in the first line and 4 in each of the next three lines.

DANCING DAFFODILS

Yellow jonquils bend in the wind

bowing their heads

flower trumpets

heralding spring.

King Alfred daffodils swaying

lift their bright cups

to the sunshine,

a song playing.

Yellow and green, orange and white,

smell the fragrance.

Winter is gone

springtime delight.

So you guessed it, your challenge today is to try writing your own minute poem.  Do have fun with this one while I try finding that picture, I know I have it somewhere.  Time to get organized.

CREEK WALK

CREEK WALK

Take a walk along the cool creek,

hear the water

race over rocks

rushing, burbling.

See boulders smoothed by the ages,

ripples in the

flowing water,

eroding stones.

Dead trees fallen spanning the creek

so we may walk

over water

across the banks.

This form poem is called a minute poem.  Do you see how it has 60 syllables?  There are 20 syllables in each stanza.  One line has 8 syllables, followed by three lines with 4 syllables.

Can you try writing your own minute poem?