The moon’s puckered up
for a strange kiss;
her gut’s a quiet riot of butterflies,
full of uncertain promise.
Now the rumpus of spring is over
and blossom-pink has turned to sad-brown,
the moon and I are waiting
for an explosion of summer flowers.
Kim M. Russell, 19th May 2025
Today, at the dVerse Poets Pub, I’m hosting the Monday Quadrille, when we take any meaning of one word and transform it into 44 poetic words, and we’re finding different ways of being quiet. Yes, the prompt word is ‘quiet’.
writing in north norfolk 
This is exquisitely drawn, Kim! 😍 I too, am waiting for an “explosion of summer flowers.”🩷🩷
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Thank you, dear Sanaa. 😘
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You’re most welcome 😘
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I love the way you paint the period after those first pink bloom of spring and the explosion of summer… even the moon only has that puckered smile to offer.
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Thank you, Björn. Like autumn, spring is far too short, and summer is often a slow burner.
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🌸🌸🌸
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Nicely done, Kim. Summer flowers seem to stick around longer than spring ones!
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Thanks so much, Dwight. I have seeds to plant to late summer flowers and a wild flower meadow.
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You are welcome. I am still transplanting starts.
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have no fear, the flowers are among us! ❤
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They’re just hiding in the green!
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mmmm, “hiding in the green”– there’s a poem in that line. 😉
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I think you’d better write it, Ren!
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… i’ll tuck it in my back pocket for later.
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And here I am, hoping that Spring lasts longer so there’s less summer heat….
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We’re lucky here, where it never gets really hot, and we live in a very cool cottage.
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luv the mood of anticipation
much♡love
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Thank you, Gillena.
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Spring flowers are just starting to bloom here. The weather is forever changing warm/cold perhaps…
her gut’s a quiet riot of butterflies,
full of uncertain promise.
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We’re very lucky to have a lovely sunny spell at the moment, Truedessa, but the spring flowers have gone and we’re in limbo now.
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Interesting poem, Kim. I like it. 😊
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Thanks so much, Stew!
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I like the contrast between spring and summer by using colors. That’s pretty awesome.
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Thank you very much for reading and commenting, Aaron.
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I love all things that weave our natural environments into our experience. Lovely!
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Thank you, Susan.
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Well, my green lawn’s yellow with dandelions. Does that count?
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I love dandelions, Ron. Of course it counts!
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You open with such a wonderful, startling image, Kim! I love it. I think we’re already seeing an explosion of flowers here. 🌸
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Thank you, Merril.
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You’re welcome, Kim!
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This is delightful, Kim
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Thanks so much, Robbie.
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I am interested in the role you gave the moon, a romantic, benign presence, not haunting or mysterious in any way. I remember researching a fair amount to how how the moon is often seen in literature — often “feminine” in its romantic energy, and am accordingly most intrigued about the moon’s pesence here as central to the verse. It is sunlight that may cause the flowers to flourish, but the moon brings the romance, the need, the calm, quietness.
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Thank you for close reading, AIn.
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So pretty, Kim!
Yvette M Calleiro 🙂
http://yvettemcalleiro.blogspot.com
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Thanks Yvette!
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Those first two lines drew me into your poem, Kim. I love how you make the blossom-pink, now turned to brown, such a great transition between the seasons.
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Thank you so much, Colleen.
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Oh I love the way this comes together at the end. A beautiful comradery with the moon anticipating Spring flowers together.
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Thank you very much, Mish.
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This is so lovely, Kim! Love the image of the moon all puckered up.
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I really like this one, Kim—“a quiet riot of butterflies” keeps echoing in my mind. It captures that restless hush before something beautiful takes hold.
~David
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Thanks so much, David!
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🤗
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I love “explosion of summer flowers”.
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Thank you, Sara.
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I also loved the “quiet riot of butterflies” We can’t really hear them, but their constant motion and flitting is a perpetual visual riot. so fun, this one.
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Thank you, Lona!
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