Joining the Dots

Like a child
with an activity book,
I     join     up     the     dots,
spy with my little eye
pictures in earth and sky,
from horizon     to     horizon:
the shapes of flocks of birds,
clouds and the occasional rainbow –
which must be coloured in.

We are joined
by     bone     and     blood,
emerged from mud
and ending as dust
in     the     expanse     of     space:
ephemeral flutters
of stray feathers
or wisps of hair
on a breeze.

Kim M. Russell, 19th January 2021

Birds And Dots In Sky High-Res Stock Photo - Getty Images

My response to dVerse Poets Pub Poetics: Connections, also linked to earthweal open link weekend #54

I identify with the Gene Roddenberry quotation that Merril has shared in her prompt for this Tuesday’s Poetics, which is about connecting and connections. She writes about the effects of the pandemic and the ways we connect with each other and with nature.

She also gives us an example of connections in the Mary Oliver poem ‘Breakage’, which begins the poem with ‘I’ and then moves to ‘you’, connecting the readers of the poem (and the writer). Merril points out that the is precisely structured, using punctuation and enjambment, with a space before the final line to connect the whole poem.

Merril would like us to think about connecting or connections in any sense. It could be connecting ideas, historical moments, or our own connections with people, places, nature, or art. We should also think about how we connect words, phrases, lines, and ideas in the poems we write for this prompt. 

44 thoughts on “Joining the Dots”

  1. This drew a deep sigh from me, Kim! Such a gorgeous, gorgeous closing to this poem. Yes, we are “joined by bone and blood, emerged from mud, and ending as dust in the expanse of space.”💝💝

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  2. I like the way you’ve spaced the words for emphasis, creating a kind of poetic staccato. The following lines:
    ‘We are joined
    by bone and blood,
    emerged from mud
    and ending as dust
    in the expanse of space’
    I find rather comforting as they both minimize our earthly cares and remind us that we are never really alone.

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  3. I really like this poem, Kim. It seems a bit different for you. I like how the child-like wonder of the first part, with the spaces, almost like a game, turns to the expanse of space. A lovely poem. Thank you!

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  9. Like a Lego-poem, every corner is connected. It is rife with light, with hope. Fellowship and brotherhood reigns, as we look into the sky searching for answers we are not privy to; loved it.

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