Stamps From The Alpine Meadows

Paper Poetry Prompt#2

Poem 1: Patience

In the fall awaits naked lady teaching patience in lavender after disappointment in spring.

Inspired by the autumn crocus also known as naked lady or meadow saffron. I read that in the spring the foliage is plenty without blossoms. This disappointment is rectified in the fall through winter with a floral show.

Poem 2: Violet Promise

I saw you in the mountains holding a promise in violet of life in summer meadows.

Inspired by the mountain cornflower also known as bachelor’s button, montane knapweed or mountain blue, the perennial cornflower, or Centaurea montana. The word bachelor prompted a vision of a person offering a promise of a life together with someone else. The initial draft title was ‘Purple’.

Poem 3: Melting

My world is melting held in yellow cup of your presence.

Inspired by buttercup flowers also known as ranunculus. The yellow and the name of these flowering plants prompted the poem wording. The initial scribbling was: My world is yellow / melting like butter / in your cup.

Poem 4: Ode to Cyclamen

As winter draws her leaves, violet sits on upswept throne, and I bow to her magnificence.

Inspired by the mountain violets (for German speakers Alpenveilchen and for my fellow Tanzanians these are similar to the Usambara violets). Cyclamen is a genus name and there is a variety of these species. I think what I saw here in Austria is Cyclamen persicum. What triggered this poem after reading about these little beauties was that they have upswept petals. Another interesting fact is that the leaves have a Christmas tree pattern. And the final information is that the word ‘bow’ in the poem suggests where to find them, usually in the understory of trees and shrubs and in rocky crevices.

Drawings: I am currently on holiday in Upper Austria. Consequently, my drawings are limited to what I found in the holiday home. For example, one can clearly see the pencil sketching in poem 4 because I couldn’t find an eraser. Working on this prompt has taught me a lesson to remember carrying my painting kit next time I travel. As an amateur in drawing and painting, I didn’t consider it important until now.

Prompt: The stamp (postage) prompt is from what I recalled from a museum project where poets involved contributed poetry for museum labels. I thought the same could be done on stamps. When I googled poetry stamps, I landed on the Royal Mail stamps 2020, whereby Royal Mail celebrated the renowned poet William Wordsworth’s birth and Romantic poetry with a set of ten stamps.

Thank you to Suntonu Bhadra for the fun space to contribute and giving me the honor of Previous Prompt Champion, and of selecting the ‘Stamps’ prompt .

Gloria is a prolific author of children’s stories inspired mostly by nature. She is also a multi-published poet and her poetry has appeared in various literary magazines and journals including featured four times by National/Global Poetry Writing Month (Na/GloPoWriMo). You can find her books here.