Delight Song of Celestial Bodies

 Creative Writing Club November 8, 2022

Two writers showed up for club on Tuesday: 8th grader William and 6th grader Hazel.

William wanted to do something collaboratively. We did some writing, and Hazel had this line about "celestial body" in hers.  I then pulled up my "Delight Song of Six Mile Cypress Slough" (see previous post) and we used that idea to do a write around. 

I.

I am a celestial body

I am a piece of floating space

I am the center of the solar system, a becoming star

I am accused of being too distant

I am alive, I am alive

I stand in good relation to the stars

I stand in good relation to the universe

I stand in good relation to all that is beautiful

You see, I am alive, I am alive

II.

I am a celestial body

I am brilliant at twilight

I am always in the dark

I am seen from other galaxies

I am a dot in a telescope

I am a shining star

I am a far away galaxy, waiting to be discovered

I am secretive and sharp and sullen

I am soft and caring and warm

I am what the future looks like

I am alive, yes, I am alive

I stand in good relation to the earth

I stand in good relation to the heavens

I am alive, I am alive.

III.

I am a celestial body twinkling with glowing stars

I am a star that died out long ago

I am sun-kissed and moon-glowed

I am a moon-given presence

I am what a child sees in her dreams but never remembers

I am a trophy with an endless ribbon

I am in good relation with God

You see, I am alive and alive I am

Delight Song of Six Mile Cypress Slough

 A return to the slough with this mentor poem in mind.  Delight Song of the Tsoai-Talee

 

I am where you enter the boardwalk to magic

I am the Pond Cypress swamp who greets you

 

 

I am the trees and sky

 

 

 

 

I am the white fungus that dots the trees like punctuation

 

I am the sunlight setting the alligator flag aglow

 

 

I am the wide and gentle lake, perfect for morning meditations

 

 

I am sunlight on the water

I am the tree that took two directions

I am the tree that couldn't hang on

I am the heart, the butterfly, the flower

 

 

I am deep blues and bright greens

 

 

I am a bit of autumn red surprise

I am sun-filtered fern, plentiful and free

I am Cypress needles hanging on, and Cypress trees standing straight and tall.

I am Grandfather Cypress who lost my crown in the hurricane.

I am stillness and reflection as far as the eye can see

I am the raccoon, the Limpkin, the Night Heron, the Pileated Woodpecker who refused to be photographed

I am November in the Slough after the mighty winds that blew

I am the Red-Shouldered Hawk calling as if reciting the poem

You see, I am alive, I am alive

I stand in good relation to the earth

I stand in good relation to the gods

I stand in good relation to all that is beautiful...

You see, I am alive, I am alive

Italicized lines from the mentor poem posted at top