Poetry Partners #76
‘Sylphs of the Air’, a poem by MistyBlue of ‘wsarwmzansipens’
Beyond words, the ephemeral beauty
of willows a picture paints.
Adorning lakes and rivers, golden energy
stream through strings of leaves.
Sylphs of the Air sing in-between
Love’s enfolding heart-centred harmony.
- MistyBlue: https://wsarwmzansipens.wordpress.com/
An ekphrastic poem by ben Alexander of ‘The Skeptic’s Kaddish’
In the stillness between yellow willows,
where more perceptive observers than I
make out sylphs humming
my lexicon sinks
into a cold, wet mental slough, as though
lacking even the strength enough to thrash
for life.
Lethargically, my feet drag
me over to an old, wooden park bench,
where my heart is goldened by warm tinges
of amber
upon pale periwinkle.
Gradually my wonderment settles;
my faculties ratherishly regained,
I stumble back to the soft, beckoning
shade beneath gently swaying flaxen leaves
to listen again.
Sammi Cox’s Weekend Writing Prompt #255

Shay’s Word Garden Word List #19
Poets were prompted to use at least 3 of the following 20 words provided in an original poem:
altered, breakfast, church, dreary, fetch, garland, grave, harness, humming, laurel, May, moonlight, rainy, sheep, shiver, sloe, slough, stem, vacant, willows
Let’s write poetry together!

When it comes to partnership, some humans can make their lives alone – it’s possible. But creatively, it’s more like painting: you can’t just use the same colours in every painting. It’s just not an option. You can’t take the same photograph every time and live with art forms with no differences.
–Ben Harper (b. 1969)
Would you like to create poetry with me and have a completed poem of yours featured here at the Skeptic’s Kaddish? I am very excited to have launched the ‘Poetry Partners’ initiative and am looking forward to meeting and creating with you… Check it out!
List of Poetry Partners
- Murisopsis
- Judy Dykstra-Brown
- Jennifer Patino
- Mike L. Utley
- Barbara Schaefer
- Ron Rowland
- Cheyenne MacMasters
- Rae Cod
- Eric Erb
- Chris Reilley
- Jim-
- Selma Martin
- Vidah (Chavi)
- varityteller
- Veera
- Kunjal Gupta
- Coco
- Lov Verma
- bodypositivefemme
- Steven S. Wallace
- Shay Simmons
- Constance Bourg
- C. L. Barton
- Madamchryzl
- Sangeetha
- Jo
- Audrey Duff
- Gillena Cox
- Yasmin
- Martha Anewa
- Malalai Khan
- Adam Taylor
- trE
- Cindy Georgakas
- Punam
- davidatqcm
- Orion Foote
- Susi Bocks
- Mister Bump UK
- Kate Blake
- Freddie Omm
- kittysverses
- enchantedwords
- Saint Gaona
- Alan Steinle
- Karina Lutz
- Sarah David
- Beka Tucker
- Maria L. Berg
- Colleen M. Chesebro
- Jane Aguiar
- Jan Beekman
- royalpalmtree
- Marian
- M Jay Dixit
- Ken Hume
- Naa Lamiorkor Boye
- Reena Saxena
- Bridget
- Ash Evan Lippert
- Freya Pickard
- Harshi
- LaMon Brown
- Nomad
- Vedran Markovic
- The.Richard.Braxton
- Kim Whysall-Hammond
- Jeff Flesch
- hutschi
- Ami Offenbacher-Ferris
- Anca
- douryeh
- enchantedwords
- Kerfe
- Puvanesvari Rajan
- MistyBlue
- Henry Mworia
- Anna Smit
- Larry Trasciatti
- Sarah Cope
- Filipa Moreira da Cruz
- Robert J. Jr.
- Rosemary McMahan
- Iswar Kar
- Mapule Somo
- Anne Morrigan
- George Ellington
- J. P.
- Christine Bialczak
- Shalini Kathuria Narang
- LaToya Williams
- Maitreyee Telang
- Amelia Michelle Nicol
- A. J. Wilson
- Nick Pipitone
- Myrna Migala
- Kathy Labrum McVittie
- Dawn Pisturino
- Eugenia
- Tea Solon
- Marion Horton
- Hassan Safdar
- Grace Y. Estevez – Reddy
- Eileen Backman
- Suzette Benjamin
- Candace
- Tarlie Francis
- Aishwarya Kannan
- Michaël
- Mary Anne Abdo
- Benjamin Nambu
- Scotti Woolery-Price
- Ara
- Sean Matthews
- Joy A. Burki-Watson
- Mike L. Utley
- Hadizat Motherconfessor
- Murisopsis
- Cindy Georgakas
- Swathi Rao
- Filipa Moreira da Cruz
- Di
- Ami Offenbacher-Ferris
- Christine Bialczak
- Rob Kistner
- Michaël
- Sarah Cope
- Stephanie Malley
- musingsbymac
- Verne Ivars Krastins
- Brandon Ellrich
- Tallisman
- kalabalu
- Kunjal Gupta
- Malalai Khan
- Mary Anne Abdo
- M. Snyder
- Sherry Lens
- Barbara Dean Aliaga
- Devine Success
- Veera
- Maria Pavlova
- Kevin L. Perrin
- Alex Budris
- Wm. “Mark” Parry
- Rayla
- Rayla
- Artem Miachin
- Jeff Lee
- Artem Miachin
- Tanmay Philip
- Dee
- Tricia Sankey
- Cassa Bassa
- 3L
- Charles
- WickedLizzie
- L. M. Montes
- Marsha Ingrao
- WickedLizzie
- Jan Beekman
- Neha Singh
- Kaci Rigney
- Kaci Rigney
- Irobiko Chimezie Kingsley
I adore both poems! Thank you! 🤍💛
🧡💛 Filipa 🧡💛
Some gorgeous lines in this David! I so enjoyed reading it!
💛 Carrie 💛
Wonderful use of the words David! A great flow smoothly done!
Hank
❤ thanks, Hank ❤
Ah, weeping willows, the favorite tree of my childhood! We loved to start new trees by pushing branches into the moist earth beside our ditch.
I enjoyed Mystic Blue’s poem for the lovely and imaginative description of the willow tree. David, I found in yours a distracted person who, after relaxing for a while on the park bench, was able to appreciate the beauty of the willow tree. We need to take time to enjoy nature. I love both poems!
🤍 Cheryl 🤍 ~ thanks so much
“my lexicon sinks / into a cold, wet mental slough” – Excellent. Mine too!
😀 yours seems fine to me, qbit!
❤
David
Some of your phrases here are just exquisite, “..my lexicon sinks..” and “..my heart is goldened..” Just beautiful, and your poem both reflects and plays well off the first, as well as the image, and also makes a beautiful statement of its own.
💕 thanks, Joy 💕