In April of this year I learned about Sky Awareness Week. I was looking up an occasion to write about for a poetry prompt, so I went to the National Days site and found I was in the midst of Sky Awareness Week and after laughing, a lot, imagining people that needed to be made aware of the sky, I learned that one important activity of Sky Awareness Week is taking a blanket or mat into the yard, lying on one’s back and practicing Nephelococcygia: the act of seeking and finding shapes in clouds. And listen to the word: it’s music.
I bring this up because over at the dVerse Poets Pub, Merril presented a line from a great poem called “Clouds” by Constance Urdang as the line to be included in a short bit of prose. I’ve never participated in Prosery before, but I loved the prompt, so I’ll give it a try.
“But these clouds are clearly foreign, such an exotic clutter
Against the blue cloth of the sky”
Constance Urdang
A gentle breeze comes, and the gray that has been smoke for days, breaks to blue rivulets between fluffy clouds. And I break for some needed nephelococcygia. But these clouds are clearly foreign, such an exotic clutter against the blue cloth of the sky. All I see are faces: an alien with huge eyes and a bulbous head, bubbling off the horizon, observing the firs and the lake; a cartoon professor with crazy eyebrows, nose pointing to my right over his wide lips, stretches to the alien’s right; overhead, an angry smiley face and a detailed sneak with a foamy, twisty beard. All these strange faces, remind me of the weeks after Katrina, after relocating, when I kept seeing friends’ faces on strangers. Wanting, needing the familiar so badly. And like those strangers, who only resembled friends from a distance, the cloud faces change.
Experience Writing 
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Lovely, Maria ❤
-David
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Thank you.
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I like the way you see the parallel of finding friends among strangers and finding shapes in clouds
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Thank you.
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While I was unaware of Nephelococcygia (until reading your informative post), I have always been mesmerized by cloud formations…and Nature in general of course. 🙂 Warm wishes to you — take more time to enjoy your Nephelococcygia as it appears to be quite relaxing!
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More than any other shape, I tend to see faces in clouds. I now have a name for it! Thank you. 🙂
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Oh, I love this! And you might suspect that I can relate to seeing these things in the clouds, too. I’m so pleased you like the prompt and decided to participate.
AND–thank you for the great word! 😀
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So glad you enjoyed it.
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I did!
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This is lovely, and so poignant. And what a great word!
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Thank you so much.
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I loved learning there is a name for finding shapes in clouds! 😀
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A new word for me but an old past-time of observing clouds. Enjoyed this!
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Thank you.
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I repeated the word 3 times to master if – Nephelococcygia to master it. Thanks 😍
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I recorded myself saying it a bunch of times. I think it’s going to be part of a new song.
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Great 👍
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The clouds feel like rorshach blots for the nephelococcygist in your story. Neat to learn that there is a word for it. I remember seeing a dragon once out on the water…
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