Marian's Music Prompt n' Mini Photo Challenge

Marian provided a prompt on Toads ,for us to write a poem inspired by award-winning singer-songwriter Joan Armatrading.  She has a beautiful, peaceful way about her. I play the guitar, but haven't lately. I need to get new strings. Writing this poem stirred up many memories.  I so wish I could run out the door now and get them. My fingers crave tickling steel strings.  The echoes of my heart linger in the soulful embrace of my Madera. 

I remember asking him to teach me how to play. He said he couldn't; he played by ear. The next day at school, guitar lessons were offered. I was the first one to sign up. I also was the first one to learn and play a song, in  class. I also play by ear. My Dad nicknamed me Spider; he said it was because my fingers danced over the strings.




Here is my poem:

over the horizon the keys
appear in a foggy haze
bridging my fate, bridging my fate


threaded stands of copper light
brush against the spider's dance
bridging my fate, bridging my fate


 silk strands cast an enchanting trance
imprinting echoes in my heart
bridging my fate, bridging my fate


acrobatic like I climb
strumming light
bridging my fate, bridging my fate

Soul's aperture plays
a haunting tune in a hollow embrace
bridging my fate, bridging my fate





Toads also had a Mini challenge(moi). I signed up for the App, Instagram. I am so addicted~ It is  Twitter for photo lovers! Here are a few of my recent pics.   I had to improve on the Rainbow Rose. I saw it Friday, when I was picking up pizza for the "Sweet Sixteen" birthday party.  I went back today and took this photo. My first one wasn't so good. 



 I think I will write about my BEElieve it photo!  I was stunned when I went outside and saw Miss Bee dancing among the flowers, in my tree, huh?!  I just saw my first robin this morning...


 Fairy in a striped suit
dances among starburst wisdom
sweet perfume captivates
it's mood tickles one's senses
surprises sprout in a blanket
it germinates eternal hope
a magic carpet of memories
against a  sea of endless blue
where daisies bow and robins and crickets chirp
watch as the world unfolds
cascading rain spring cleans
lifting a fog of gloom and doom
 spreading a wave of reflective light
cheer's arrival is greeted by an upside down smile
are arc of good fortune glows~


Rainbow by ~Myxophobic

Comments

Excellently written Ella. Most enjoyable to read.

Yvonne.
Lynne Moncrieff said…
Monday morning and my first visit is to you Ella and you have stirred my soul with your artistic beauty in poem and photography.
Without the world of Blogs I wouldn't have access to your world, what a wonderful thing it is.
Your guitar is most definitely calling your name so I say, please have it re-strung and connect with it once again.
Ms Bee is positively adorable doing her little dance amongst the blossoms.
Wishes
Lynne
Marian said…
love it, ella. love how you show the guitar bridge. love the story of how you learned to play, i have a similar story. my favorite thing about this post is when you say this: "Writing this poem stirred up many memories. I so wish I could run out the door now and get them." i know you meant strings but i am picturing you running out to gather some memories, and then writing them down. :)
Ella said…
Marian-I thought about changing it, but I did mean both. My Dad died, when I was a teen. Our biggest connection was music. He was pleased I wanted to learn and invited me into his group to play. This was huge! So when I read it back I decided not to change it, for me it meant both! Thanks for a wonderful prompt! (((hugs)))

Lynne-Wow, Lynne you write beautifully! Thank you for stirring my soul, with your talent and kindness! I found this unique fiber yesterday, in the baking section of my favorite grocery store. I didn't buy it, but thought about what I could do with it. I'm going back to get it and I will send you some~ Thank you for being YOU! Best Wishes to you~

Yvonne-Thank you, I think when we share about our loved ones, our words become more real! :D
Kerry O'Connor said…
Two poems for the price of one! What a bargain :) And both are stunning! I love the repetition of lines in your guitar solo (and how the challenge brought back fond memories), and I love love your fairy in a striped suit! Thank you so much for stepping in at the eleventh hour with an inspirational prompt, Ella. You are a star.
Ella said…
Thank you Kerry for all you do! I enjoyed stepping in. The timing was the star :D I had just added the App to my phone! Thank you so much~
septembermom said…
Amazing talent! Love the imagery and impact of your words. The poems flow so nicely too.
Daydreamertoo said…
I love the guitar piece. It is quite like a guitar would be strummed isn't it? Repeated strokes of the strings up and down. Lovely.
I love the statue face too, the eyes do have something about them that pulls you in.
Amazing that you've seen a bee, we had a small dusting of snow last night, today we are 6+ above zero. Sun is glorious, we're not complaining.
Loved your two for one.
Anonymous said…
I loved the mention of "fairy in striped suit," what a whimsical way of relating to a bee, and yes, the image is lovely. The rose was so psychedelic I was back in the 70s!

Your first poem about the guitar, with its repeated refrain, was eloquent. Get thee to the guitar shoppe posthaste! Amy
http://sharplittlepencil.com/2012/03/09/prove-it-trifecta-and-rush/
Sorry, I meant to sign in this way. Amy
I didn't know you played the guitar as well! Wow, we could so jam together. I'm guessing you're probably better...
Kay L. Davies said…
You are full of surprises, Ella. Wonderful surprises: Wonderful guitar poem, and I love the bee poem, too. "Fairy in a striped suit..." is such a perfect description.
Of course I'm madly jealous because you have blossoms and bees already, but I'll get over it. LOL
K
Sherry Blue Sky said…
Every time I visit your blog, I am so uplifted by its ever-changing beauty. The pansies are just wonderful. I cant believe you have seen a bee already - it SNOWED here last night. It melted on impact, but still. I LOVE the guitar poem, and the repetition of the lines bridging my fate..........very effective. Love your memories and explanations too..........sigh. What a lovely visit I have had here this morning. Thank you.
LTM said…
Beautiful, beautiful stuff. I especially liked, "silk strands cast an enchanting trance imprinting echoes in my heart" and "a magic carpet of memories." Gorgeous~ :o) <3
Mary said…
I love your guitar poem and the repetition of the last lines. My sister plays by ear too. What a multi-talented person you are. I enjoy that i-Phone application. So much fun to take photos and then change it around. Your bee photo is fantastic.
Amanda Trought said…
Hey Ella, hope you are well, would love to hear you play the guitar! I Love your poetry and photographs I must check out instagram! How did the party go? we must catch up Amandax
Thanks for visiting my blog and the lovely comment.
My youngest son invited me over to his home for Mother's day, we celelebrate it in March in the UK.
My birthday is in May when you celebrate Mother's Day.
Yvonne.
Scarlet said…
I specially like the repetitive words of bridging my fate. I envy you if you play the guitar ~

For the Sunday's prompt, I chose a picture from one of your links...cool blog ~

Thanks for sharing your pictures and words of spring ~
Unknown said…
Now, Ella, you've got to put that piece to music! Lovely.
And I, like you, am enamored of bees. I photographed a number of them last spring and summer. Great fun! Here is a link to a couple of those photos on my Tumblr site:
http://www.tumblr.com/blog/kimnelson/20
hedgewitch said…
Loved your pansy header--they are just coming into their own about now here--and your first poem was songlike--the second, the image of the bee, dancing through the buds,was so evocative of spring--none here yet--they suffered horribly in our heat and drought last year. Thanks for sharing and for hosting the mini challenge.
Kristin said…
Oh! You are SO talented - on so many levels!! I LOVE how you incorporated your childhood nickname into your new poem - and your sweet fairy story is just beautiful! xoox
DEZMOND said…
love the pansies in you banner :) they always bring a breath of spring :) My tulips and other bulbous flowers have popped out of the ground already, even though we had half meter of snow less than a month ago :)
Ella said…
Hi Dezzy-I always think of spring as a time of false starts and April fools. April fool is usually the weather, lol It snowed a few years ago on April Fool, the day before had been warm. Yes, those bulbs love to surprise us and burst through! I do love spring, but not the bad storms~ What is your favorite flower?

Kristen-You are so kind!Thank you~ I can look back and see it differently now. My Dad wanted me to have the passion and find a way. He also didn't have a lot of free time to teach me. If we are curious enough we will investigate our time! I'm still thinking of your gorgeous, cheery art! So speaks spring! xo


Hedgewitch-Where I am from, pansies do well in the summer and fall. Here it is in the winter and spring. I do love their frilly faces! I do so hope you will see the striped fairies, soon~

Kim-Thank you, I might give it a try! ;D I do love see them dance among the gardenias, best. They seem to cherish them most. I do love the symphony of humming, when the cherry blossoms bloom~ I will be by to look at your pics :D
Ella said…
Kim-I can't access your site. I am not a member. I will join!

Heaven-Thank you! I am so glad you joined in! I haven't played in awhile, but plan on getting those strings. You can learn a lot online these days. Youtube has a lot of teaching videos. ;D

Yvonne-Oh, that explains it! I know in this country, it sometimes falls on OUR birthday :D I hope you have a wonderful trip, sounds so fun~

Amanda-I was thinking about you and here you are! I hope life is going well for you! The party went well, considering 6 sixteen yr old girls! A bit of drama, but over all I was pleased. Birthday girl was happy and thanked us over n' over again! I will be by to catch up~ xo

Mary-I dabble in a lot of different things. Thank you! I take a lot of photos to get a decent one! I am so glad you signed up for the App. If you notice the other site is for a Scratchcam. This too has intriguing effects! I hope you will post your photos, too. I loved your bell poem n' pic~

Leigh-Thank you! I loved your video... You are a fun MOM! I loved hearing your girls in the background. You were brave to attempt it sitting down. I would of been standing and wishing I had a helmet ;D
Ella said…
Sherry-Now I want to offer you a cup of tea, then it would feel like a real visit ;D Thank you so much~ I have an on and off love affair, with my guitar. I know it has a lot to do with my Dad. He convinced me to go to business college, instead of what I had planned. Some days I think I should thank him; other days I wonder... I didn't think he believed in me. After, he died I was planning to change my path, then my Mom's disease surfaced.
I had to be close to home and where I wanted to go, wasn't. A lot of detours in my path~

Kay-We are even ;D I'm madly jealous about this new kitchen you are getting! How exciting! I love home improvement projects, but living with is a long hurdle! I so hope it is going well. If my husband had is way we would live in a tree. lol Thank you~

Alex-Guess again ;D I would say you are better! I haven't played for awhile. My kids want to learn and lately I am itching to tickle the strings. I think it was seeing a few Youtube vids that set me off.

Amy-Thank you so much! Yes, a road trip for strings~ This could lead to a song, lol Spring does lend it's hand in whimsical. I love seeing it rain cherry blossom petals. Magical is the best way to describe it!

Daydreamertoo-Yes, repetitive is good, to get that lyrical vibe! I know the statue has such amazing detail, but it is the eyes that intrigue me the most! I am so glad you did the challenge! It made for so many unique poems~ I loved yours! Sun is glorious, that could be a song ;D

Septembermom-Thank you so much! I hope you are still taking photos~ I will drop by and see what you have been creating ;D
Carrie Van Horn said…
Ella you may not have strings on your guitar right now, but you sure have strings on the guitar of your pen and poetry....these are beautiful. :-)
Ella said…
Carrie, I will be by to see what beautiful elements of your voice I have missed! Your poems always give me insight and lift me up~ Thank you so much~ :D
Scarlett Clay said…
Those photos are soooo cool, love them all! I didn't know you played the guitar, get those strings and get to playin'! :)
Ella said…
Hi Scarlett-Thank you :D Yes, I have to plot a road trip and go get them! The music store in town has closed. It isn't far from the craft store ;D lol
Unknown said…
Beautiful pics and beautiful verse. I saw my first robin the other day. Funny, how I don't seem to notice when they leave for winter, but I sure notice them when they arrive for spring.
Ella said…
Hi Melissa-Thank you! I am right there with you~ I don't see them leave, but I sure do see their cheery arrival! I do see the hummingbirds come and go. They mark two birthdays in our family~
I know you love cardinals. Have you seen one yet?!
Anonymous said…
lots of great imagery

withered wanderer
Carrie Van Horn said…
I just popped back by to let you know I tagged you in a blogger game to get to know fellow bloggers. I will completely understand if you do not want to do it....just want you to know I picked you. :-)
Ella said…
Carrie-I loved your answers! I can play on Friday~ Great questions...need to think these over :D Thanks for picking me~

Zongrik-Thank you! I will stop by and visit you :D
Anonymous said…
thanks for your comments

is bridging my faith a pun on the bridge you use on a guitar?

senryu of constructed new-natures
Ella said…
zongrik- It is the bridge on the guitar. For me I didn't think my Dad had faith in me, but in reality he couldn't teach me to play guitar. He played by ear and couldn't read music. It is a play on words, though ;D
Anonymous said…
Apparently, the duct tape, or any other tape, suffocates the wart as it cuts off oxygen and
alloww the body's immune system to kill the wart. Touching your chin frequently will transfer these germs and dirt to the chin area which may result in acne on chin. But since something was happening I decided to keep trying for a few more nights.

My website - Skin tag Removal
Anonymous said…
He published magazine articles in his own publication titled Skin Inc.
Water, suction, laser, massage and now there is the electric muscle inspiration.
Many articles report eating healthy foods low in fat, but high in fruits, vegetables and fiber.


Here is my web blog; Cellulitis treatment
Anonymous said…
It may also be painful to have intimate relations because of it, as the vulva around the vagina is sore and
irritated. The yeast infection can also spread to
your mouth through sexual contact or through the bloodstream.
The sample can be collected either at home, at a
facility where testing is conducted or at your doctor's office.

Feel free to visit my web-site - Yeast infection treatment
Anonymous said…
The school also teaches Quran Recitation and Quran Reading with Translation.
Listed below are some useful web sites (for you to browse), if you are interested to know more about Islam and Muslims.
They do not comprehend that not a leaf cascade, except
by my will.

My web blog: 99 name of allah