Welcome to Poetry Friday! This week we are hosted by Cathy at her blog: Merely Day by Day HERE. Stop by and find out what she has for us this week.Thank you, Cathy, for hosting!
I went for a browse at a local bookstore, thinking about picture books that would make good Christmas gifts. As I love non-fiction and nature, this caught my eye. I had heard the author speak recently about how long it took for him to find a publisher for this. It puzzles me, as it seems a fascinating topic.
I AM SMOKE, written by Henry Herz and illustrated by Mercè López, is engaging and beautiful. Smoke is, of course, an integral part of recycling in nature, but smoke also is was used throughout history in religious rituals, in such things as the preparation of food the calming of bees and more.
I like the poetic language and scientific fact combined:
I am smoke. I twirl in dark dance from every campfire. Flickering flames work their mysterious magic on burning branches. I am born a whirling, roiling mist of carbon dioxide, water vapor, and ash.
“I am smoke” is a striking beginning, personifying smoke, making it a character.
Fire and smoke is of course dangerous, too, but this book helps us get to see the other side, how it has served human beings as well. Below, we see smoke as a means of communication. Notice the colors in the art. I found the pictures haunting.
For centuries, I helped Chinese, Native Americans of the Plains and Southwest, and others signal one another over long distances.
You will have to see the rest for yourself, of course, but I hope I have peaked your curiosity.
Today I will share a poem about the Christmas weather outside my window. As I wrote it it began to remind me of THE PASTURE one of my favorite poems by Robert Frost.
DECEMBER DAY (Inspired by The Pasture, by Robert Frost.) Whistling wind. Dusky sky. Grass crunches under feet. Snow flurries needle noses, It's not a bad day, you say, for a walk, You come too. © Janice Scully 2021
Have a great weekend. My husband and I have been invited to spend Christmas away with a large number of family of all ages. Not sure what to do this year. I’m vaccinated and boostered. I wonder if others are unsure as I am.
Thank you, Cathy, for hosting!