Credit: Kathy Klein
we tear off
banana leaf from the tree
it is a giant umbrella
plane
ship
stripping strand
by strand, we form a soft ball
ring
watch
flower
anything we fancy-
the tropical sun colors
our skin to healthy tan
as we run around the park
smelling of guava and
sugar-fried sweet potatoes
time flits
slow as afternoon river
bellyful as ripe papaya
on field of summer red daisies
Posted for D'verse Poets Pub - Hosted by Bjorn Rudberg on our last prompt for 2015 ~ I recall my carefree growing up years in my native land, Philippines ~
Happy Holidays ~ Thanks for the visit ~
A great moment to recall by the sounds of it indeed. Some big leaves they must have been
ReplyDeleteAh. this is just great Grace... I can feel the smell of Guava and how the sun burns my skin.. nothing's better than the carefree days of childhood... (though I do remember the chill of winter days).
ReplyDeleteExcellent stream & recall, so very vivid, wonderful sense of place; & as a flow of consciousness, it comes out very personal, authentic, you.
ReplyDeleteI like this, the memories, the heat, the unrestrained childhood fun - slow as afternoon river - I like that line muchly - and the Southerner in me loves the thoughts of those sugar fried sweet potatoes. A nice warm poem on this cold rainy day.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely breathtaking...!! So beautifully done :D
ReplyDeleteHow beautiful and delicious.
ReplyDeleteWe did that with banana leaves when I was growing up too. They're so big, your imagination can go wild. I enjoyed this sense-filled tale of a time growing up in the Philippines, Grace.
ReplyDeleteyour thoughts are so vivid I feel I can touch, taste, smell what you did.
ReplyDeleteIt's kind of cool the way YOU take these prompts in absolutely your own direction Grace. Always something between realism and surreal. Always worth the read.
ReplyDeleteYou took me on a vacation to somewhere I have never been. So exotic.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like a very wonderful time, Grace! Enjoyed your nostalgic write. Merry Christmas to you...and hope you have a good new year too.
ReplyDeleteWe're in the middle of summer here so it was very easy to slip into the atmosphere of your poem. I'm going for a walk to pick avocado pears straight after this.
ReplyDeleteThis is a yummy poem. Reminded me of using a banana leaf as sunshade then umbrella - very effective as both.
ReplyDeleteYou created such a good sense of place in this, Grace. Reminded me of a vacation in Hawaii when I was a teen...when it was still pristine and un-touristy. And also, how when we were young we "created" our own toys from whatever was around...and I have the scars to prove it!
ReplyDeleteGrace sounds beautiful dear!!
ReplyDelete"watch / flower / anything we fancy"...this is a fairy tale moment of a distant time and land...so beautifully sketched Grace...Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year :)
ReplyDeleteA wonderful flow and magic about this poem. Love it.
ReplyDeleteWhat i Love about NatUre
ReplyDeleteunadulteRaTinG
by human
hands iS
iT is trUly
free verse
@heARt
and so
iS God..
only humans
make life anything
else than free verse
with science
minds.. as
sure i livedevil
that human
evilive trap
before..
sMiLes.. wInks..
and yes.. i see now
thAT free verse heRe
of NaTure iN yoUr
eYes.. hear..:)
I remember my childhood. :)
ReplyDeleteWhat a gorgeous piece. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteGreetings from London.
You've transported me to another time and place in this one; such vivid and tangible images of that sunny tropic, and the free form of the piece only bolsters that! great write
ReplyDeleteI love this! Just like Ostensible Truth says - you instantly took me to another place, out of the grey and cold we have in Germany today, into the sun and carefree being of a child. It's like a short vacation from everything, a meditation to refill the tanks. I'm in awe of your talent!
ReplyDeleteHave a wonderful week, Grace.
Lots of big hugs to you,
Beate
Sounds like a wonderful place. Sometimes I think I wouldn't mind eternal summer! Happy 2016 to you, Grace!
ReplyDeleteLove it. (Sweet potatoes too.)
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year :))
HAPPY NEW YEAR, GRACE!
ReplyDeleteBlue
Wonderful....felt like I watched you running around the park
ReplyDeletesmelling of guava and
sugar-fried sweet potatoes...... :-)
Wonderful!! The fragrance of guava and
ReplyDeletesugar-fried sweet potatoes were here.... :-)
Such bright colors and rich words on a cold and dreary day. Thanks for sharing. Happy New Year!
ReplyDeleteA wonderful capture of movement and senses. A treat to read!
ReplyDeleteyou've carved deep here. I'm glad to see you visit your bedrock ~
ReplyDelete