2016 Found Object Poem Project: Day 9

It’s Day 9 of our 2016 daily write-in. This year’s theme is FOUND OBJECTS. We have a new writing prompt for every day in February.For those of you who are new to my blog, please read my introductory post about the February daily write-in. You’ll find more information and all of the Week 1 FOUND OBJECTS at this post.Sometimes, in the middle of this month of daily writing, I hit the doldrums -- a stretch of days when I don't have much to say, don't feel very happy with what I've written. It's good practice for me to share these poems anyway, to put the focus on effort instead of outcome. Are you there yet?I put aside the computer earlier than usual yesterday, so I added several poems to our Day 8 collection this afternoon. I hope you'll have a chance to go back and read them all.PLEASE NOTE: This year, a few friendly bloggers have volunteered to host a day or two. Tomorrow’s post, which is DAY 10, will be at Margaret Simon's blog, Reflections on the Teche. Leave your Day 10 responses here, in the comments, as usual. I will get your writing to Margaret.FOUND: Tire Tracks in SnowMary Lee Hahn contributed today's found object. It's tempting to put this image in the Art category. The snow qualifies it as Nature, but the tire tracks are a sort of Functional Object. What do you think?Threat of snow is enough to cancel schools here in Maryland, and that's exactly what happened today. It's been snowing all day, but the ground is so warm that roads are merely wet. Still, no school. Not so where Molly Hogan lives.Winter Sorrowby  Molly HoganLooking at the treadmarkscrisscrossinga mere tracery of snowI sigh,resigned,No snow day.***Today's prompt also has Diane Mayr thinking about the weather.Winter WeatherBy Diane Mayr"...bread, milk, and eggs are popular panic-buys everywhere from Knoxville to New England." Joe Pinsker, The Atlantic, January 22, 2016Why is it commonsense rarelysurvives a forecastof winter weather?Hold onto it, andyour sense of humor.Your sense of wonder,too. The only senseworth leaving outin the cold, is yoursense of entitlement.Give that one the boot.***It was Donna Smith's comment on yesterday's post that sent me off on my poetic adventure today. Donna -- thanks for comparing the tracks to "a fresh piece of paper staring at me."TracksBy Laura ShovanThe lines on my paperhave all gone astray.They zig, then they zag.They invite me to play.The lines where I  writezip diagonallywith no pattern or form,so  my verse must be free.The lines you are readingfell loose in a wave.I prodded and poked,but they just won't behave.***Like me, Jone Rush MacCulloch used the object as a jumping off point to think about the process of writing.Wheelbarrow trackscrisscrossthe soft, garden mud.Having rainedthree nights agothe dirtis like modeling clay.Straight, simplelinesobtuse, acute, right anglesfather would beproudgeometry in the soilWheelbarrow tracksparallel linesin which I compose a ditty.By Jone Rush MacCulloch***Jessica Bigi and I had a little conversation about one of her lines. African zebras in a poem about tracks in the snow? Yes! Notice how the "zagging," "blizzards," and "zebras" sound in a row. Wonderful.Walking on the MoonBy Jessica BigiPhotographic-memoriesFocalizes-snowflakesZagging-pathwaysArtic-blizzardsAfrican zebrasSnow-white sandRover tracksMoon dustDreams ofWalking onThe MoonHistory rememberedRoger-Rogerokay for liftoff***After the stillness and waiting of our Day 8 Forest Face prompt, I'm enjoying all of the zippy vrooming movement in our poems today. Here is Linda Baie's haiku.snowy night vroomingmotorcycle scrapbook page –tracks at sunriseLinda Baie ©All Rights Reserved***Let's welcome Poetry Friday blogger Violet Nesdoly to our project. Great to see you here, Violet! This is another poem where the crossing tracks inspired some wordplay.Reading the PrintsBy Violet NesdolyThe animals that passed by herewere very focused and in geartheir noses sharp, following preyperhaps a mate, or the day’s pay.And the exhaust-filled, oily scentsuggests excessive speed their bent.The younger of this species, thoughlie lazy angels in the snowtheir tracks characterized by curveof laughing play and show-off verve.Violet Nesdoly***Carol Varsalona is cross-posting here and at Two Writing Teachers’ Slice of Life, "as part of a series of thoughts on moving into new directions." Check out Carol's full post here: http://beyondliteracylink.blogspot.com/2016/02/moving-out-from-maze.html. For me, this poem ties together yesterday's sculpture in the woods and today's snow tracks.A webbed maze of stripesflash before me,boldly jutting into infinite space.Laser-like rays shoot forthin powerful strokeslike high-rise steelreaching unknown heights.They catch the sparklesglistening in the sunwith a hint of iridescent fabricshining light upon the path.And as if a force is guiding me,I move out from the mazewith a tribe of dreamersready to face another dayof clearing old, worn pathsto make way for the new.With vigor and verve,I move into the light.©Carol Varsalona, 2016***What a wonderful portrait poem Mary Lee Hahn created from today's found object?TracksUnder each of hisuncut fingernails is ahalf-moon of black.No fewer than twelvejangling keychainshang from his backpack.He returns from the libraryjoy on his facehugging his new stack.After twenty-two weekshis brave facadeis cracked.Hugs:unsolicitedpayback.©Mary Lee Hahn, 2015Mary Lee is blogging alongside our projet.  You can read her full post here: http://www.maryleehahn.com/2016/02/found-object-poem-project-tracks.html***Here's a note from Donna Smith, who blogs at Mainely Write: "This just reminded me of Maine in winter…parking lots are often littered with cars because no one can see the lines. It isn’t that they can’t figure out where or how to park – it’s more like 'Yea, I can park wherever I want to!'” More fun wordplay here!What Lines?Tire track,Don’t look back,Keep the forward roll!East or west,There’s no best;Parking takes its toll.Northward track,Southern tack,Snow rules are so droll.Covered line?That’s just fine;Drive where’er you will!Winter foolsDiscard rules;Driving takes no skill.©2016, Donna JT Smith, all rights reserved***Do you know about zentangles? They appear in Margaret Simon's poem today.Inside My SketchbookBy Margaret Simonlinessquigglescurly-queszentanglewooshessplots and dotsintersections of highwaysmicroscopic leavesthe tiniest speckmy tears***Late arrivals:Catherine Flynn tried something new today:"These criss-crossing tire tracks reminded me of a hashtag, so I wrote my poem as a tweet:"#Snowpocalypse A blizzard is coming! We might get three feet! Buy gallons of milk! Stock up on bread! Final accumulation? A measly two flakes.By Catherine Flynn***The repetition in Kay's poem reflects the pattern of the tracks.INDECISIONBy Kay McGriffSwoosh, swooshCars crawldown the snowy streetleaving tracks that marktheir indecision.Swoosh, swoosh.Pull in, back out,turn around.Do I stay? Do I go?Swoosh, swoosh.***What an unexpected image Charles Waters found in the tire tracks!THE WALKCrunching my bootsthrough another snowstorm,each footprint a temporary tattooagainst the frosted prairie.(c) Charles Waters 2016See you at Margaret’s blog tomorrow for Day 10.Reminder: Leave your Day 10 responses in the comments of this post for Margaret Simon, who is hosting tomorrow’s FOUND OBJECT poems. Her blog is Reflections on the Teche.If you’d like to read what we’ve written so far, here are links to this week’s poems:Sunday, February 7FOUND OBJECT: Blood Letting KnifePoems by: Diane Mayr, Jessica Bigi, Laura Shovan, Catherine Flynn, Linda Baie, Molly Hogan, Carol Varsalona, Mary Lee Hahn, Matt Forrest Esenwine.Note: You will find links to all of  the Week 1 poems at this post.Monday, February 8FOUND OBJECT: SCULPTURE IN THE WOODSPoems by: Laura Shovan, Jessica Bigi, Heidi Mordhorst, Carols Varsalona, Linda Baie, Margaret Simon, Donna Smith, Diane Mayr, Joanne R. Polner, Kay McGriff, Molly Hogan, Mary Lee Hahn, Catherine Flynn, Jone Rush MacCulloch.