Poetry Friday

An ekphrastic golden hinge poem inspired by a photo at the Library of Congress

Hello Friends,

June’s Inkling challenge is from Mary Lee, who brings delight and fresh play to all of us with this prompt: Use a recent comment on one of your posts as a line in a poem.

This line comes from Molly, who commented on a golden shovel I wrote several months ago…What a beautiful line to lift and riff off of.

I’ve been holding on to this photo of a child from the Library of Congress. The caption reads: Lola Smith Walking with her Dog on the Smith Family Farm, 1941. It’s perfect for an ekphrastic golden hinge in my year of writing to my OLW, child.

Lola and her Dog Walk the Smith Family Farm the Summer before Pearl Harbor  

What a beautiful line to lift and riff off of--
A girl with her dog, strolling a track in a country not yet at war--
Beautiful! No blood will fall on these fields, but there’s a direct
line to clenched jaws and blue stars shining from windows, 
to not enough money -- especially for dance shoes. She feels a
lift of breeze whisper at her neck — Fairy Godmother? Prince
and me—we’re here. Ahead, the windbreak ripples in a
riff of enchanted forest. The friends set
off to search for charms cloaked by the trees or any bits
of magic that might fit into the pockets of a feed sack dress. 


Linda Mitchell 6/5/26

Thank you, Mona Voelkel, for hosting this week’s poetry round-up!

I’m hosting next week! I like to post early on Thursday evening…watch this space :)
In the meantime, visit Inklings for a peek at their poems inspired by a comment.
Mary Lee Hahn @ A(nother) Year of Reading
Catherine Flynn @ Reading to the Core
Molly Hogan @ Nix the Comfort Zone
Margaret Simon @ Reflections on the Teche
Heidi Mordhorst @ my juicy little universe