my roof
is a tangle
of assorted verdure,
twisting branches woven, forming
an arch,
like the nave of a cathedral.
bright leaves and Spanish moss
gracefully sway
above.
© Susan Joy Clark 2021
This was written for Colleen Chesebro’s Tanka Tuesday challenge. She asked us to write a syllabic poem with synonyms for “green” and “morass.” I chose to write a butterfly cinquain. The Poets Collective defines a butterfly cinquain this way: “An unrhymed 9 line poem. syllabic, 2-4-6-8-2-8-6-4-2 syllables per line.”
I’m feeling super lousy today after my second Covid shot. I’m glad my migraine brain could still come up with poetry, though I decided I didn’t want to bother with rhyme today. 😛 Thinking about the chosen words and synonyms, I thought about Spanish moss and remembered hiking under trees like this while visiting Virginia. Unfortunately, my poor dad was a feast for chiggers that day, but the trees were beautiful.