Any Excuse for Nephelococcygia

Posted bymarialbergPosted inWritingTags:, , ,

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.

Published by marialberg

I am a fiction writer, poet and lyricist inspired by a life of leaping without hesitation. I was quoted and pictured in Ernie K-Doe: The R & B Emperor of New Orleans by Ben Sandmel. My short stories have been published in Five on the Fifth, Waking Writer, and Fictional Pairings. I am the author and photo-illustrator of Gator McBumpypants picturebooks. I enjoy clothing, costume and puzzle design.

19 thoughts on “Any Excuse for Nephelococcygia”

  1. Pingback: Nemesia: looks like a baby snapdragon to me | Experience Writing

  4. 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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  6. 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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