Happy Poetry Friday!
Earlier this week I read i love you to the moon &, by Chen Chen, and it flew me away to another place…
i love you to the moon &
by Chen Chen
not back, let’s not come back, let’s go by the speed of
queer zest & stay up
there & get ourselves a little
moon cottage (so pretty), then start a moon garden
with lots of moon veggies (so healthy), i mean
i was already moonlighting
as an online moonologist
most weekends, so this is the immensely
Read the rest of the poem here.
Chen Chen’s poem inspired my poem…
sky brings allurement
everyday
but
some days she offers
break-away-out-of-mind
escape waiting for us
to climb in
unfold our stifled wings
and swim in her
weightless other worldly
playground of
joy and seductive unknowns.
Will you embrace
her overture
even for a moment
of your urgent
whatever—
Indulge yourself in her
body of pleasure
open and free of what-have-you
endeavor—
Become breathless for
a twinkle or two,
inspired by sky gazing
inside-out splendor…
© 2021 Michelle Kogan
Margaret Simon at her blog Reflections on the Teche is hosting this weeks Poetry Friday Roundup, thanks for hosting! Margaret is sharing two poems from two different poem challenges, and a lovely magazine collage she created, be sure to stop by!
Michelle Kogan Illustration, Painting, & Writing 
What a cool inspired poem. I like at the “er” words that I hear as I read it. I don’t usually go for love poems…but these are both beautiful.
I love getting the poem-a-day. You and Mary Lee both used a daily poem for a mentor text. Your sky poem. Love the use of enjambment in “playground of joy”. “Inside out splendor” inspired!
You sky poem reminds me to go and sit and gaze at the sky. I love the poem by Chen Chen as well.
I read that poem, too, Michelle and love your response and the painting is awesome. I am ‘in’ with “Indulge yourself in her/body of pleasure”. Serendipity! I wrote a sky poem, too!
‘breathless for a twinkle or two’ – indeed I was when I read both poems. Wonderful!
Sky gazing inspired you this week, Michelle. I love your photographs that made me escape inside them. These words resonated with me: escape waiting for us/to climb in/unfold our stifled wings/
and swim in her. The words are as magical as your illustration. You are letting me dream away tonight.
Beautiful photos and a lovely poem … I like how you used hyphens to create new “words” – the hyphens pulled me along and created momentum as I read the poem. Thanks for sharing this!
Oh, I am feeling allured by your sky.
I want to “unfold our stifled wings
and swim in her
weightless other worldly
playground of
joy and seductive unknowns.”
That is so beautiful, Michelle.
You and Linda B are on the same page with your sky gazing this week. Thanks for introducing me to Chen Chen — fine poem. And there are so many wonderful lines in yours. Esp. love:
“endeavor—
Become breathless for
a twinkle or two,
inspired by sky gazing
inside-out splendor… ”
Lovely watercolor too. Thanks for all!
Another stellar post! I guess that’s a pun given the video you shared. I loved the freedom in Chen’s work and in your poem that follows it. Wonderful.
Thank you for the inspiration! Loved “Become breathless for a twinkle or two, inspired by sky gazing
inside-out splendor…”
Like Margaret said, I’m loving the fact that we both riffed off a poem-a-day poem this week! FUN! Yours makes a lovely companion poem to i love you to the moon &. Next up, a poem about the stars!
Beautiful poem! I love how you drew inspiration and showed us that something that is both every day can also be magical. Like poetry writing.
Thanks for sharing.
I love what you’ve done with your mentor poem!
Ruth, thereisnosuchthingasagodforsakentown.blogspot.com
Doing anything for “a twinkle or two”, sounds like a good time, Michelle! Thanks for the introduction to Chen Chen’s poem. 🙂