It is summer, and I am vowing to play: play with my colored pencils and play with my words. It is easy for me to play with words and share them. I’ve been doing that since I was four-years-old. It is warm and comfortable. It is more difficulty for me to play with drawing because I’m still at the beginner stage. Being a beginner takes boldness. Being a beginner one must cast away the trepidation and dive deep into play with abandon. Like the hummingbird, it all starts with a flash of color, like the spring frogs – I’ve come out of hibernation and am ready to sing!
Hummingbird Dream
A vibrant flash darts across my window,
The hummingbird simply
Mesmerizes me with his colorful,
Iridescent fluctuating feathers.
I cannot even fathom
His true loveliness,
I cannot detect all the colors,
All the wonders in nature.
Trichromatic, people are
receptive only to spectral hues:
Blue, green, and red.
But birds are tetra-chromatic,
They witness a broader range of colors:
Ultra-violet, non-spectral hues.
Suddenly the humming bird swoops,
Taking a sweet sip of nectar.
A blur on a yellow blossom,
I can only imagine what he sees.
I can only dream.
Frog Hymn
Days of torrential rain —
River and woods become one,
The meadow becomes a pond,
The pond is now a lake,
Murky and muddy
Filled with strange voices,
A melody of squeaks and grunts.
The frogs have returned
To praise the rain in unison –
Bass and baritone,
Alto and tenor
Rise in harmony.
From deep within the reeds,
A soprano whistle trills,
The tempo builds, faster and faster,
Then rests… and builds again.
The verdant rhythm
Of spring singing.
Word Dancer: Literature, the Arts, & Education 
I love the way you played with language this week. I’ve been keeping a nature journal and am trying to play with drawing too. What you said about being a beginner was so important. That is a message I want to remember for myself and share with kids. Your drawings are beautiful and it gives me courage to keep going.
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Your poetry is soothing and I always wish there were more. Tammy is right, you do share an important message about being a beginner. I’m glad you shared your drawings. I’m glad you are playing with colored pencils and sketches. I wonder if it makes your poetry even stronger…I love the juxtaposition of your beginner drawings and your well-honed poetry.
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What wonderful play! Summer is for playing and I’m trying my best to get started. Love the way your capture nature: “The verdant rhythm/Of spring singing.” Your hummingbird poem is teaching me things I did not know about color. Keep playing and dreaming and singing!
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I love the drawings and the voice in this piece, and I truly enjoy your poetry.
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The line that really spoke to me is, “River and woods become one.” Love all the sound words, the imagery-just beautiful!
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Reading your intention about play and your lovely poetry makes me ask a question that is begging to be asked in each of us. It is play’s buried voice–“Will you let me come out of hibernation and sing?” Thanks for showing the way with a beautiful YES!
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Thank you for these gifts.
“Being a beginner takes boldness.” – I so agree. if we are not ready to take risks we never move past the beginner stage.
Frogs I have seen and heard. I wish to see a hummingbird. They do not live in Estonia.
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Muchas gracias. ?Como puedo iniciar sesion?
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