Yesterday’s Poetics prompt at dVerse Poets Pub was to use the concept of leaping in a poem. I’ve been exploring collective motion and behaviors in my photography this last week, so this prompt made me think of lemmings. I started searching for photographs of lemmings leaping over a cliff and found this Disney documentary from 1958:
Inspired by this video, I cut silhouettes of leaping (falling) lemmings for my filter and took it into my mirrorworld.
A Split-Second Swerve into Frenzied Leaping
In a frenzied second
of frozen observation
I kneel helplessly
and feel more than see
the lamp leap from the shelf
the mug leap out of the way
causing its coffee to leap
like lemmings over a cliff
into the ocean of carpet
This Rube Goldberg
finally completed
I am released
and leap into action
grabbing towels
to sop up, gathering
soaked papers and slippers
to throw them in the sink
stripping off my shirt
to join them
wetting a washcloth
and adding soap
in an attempt to arrest the stain
now leaping into view
Then I leap to
the online meeting
I had had plenty of time
to get to before all this leaping
I feel like I’m covered in coffee
and sweat leaps from my pores
What energy you have. So much leaping here!
Maria, fascinating about the lemmings! My existing knowledge only took it as far as the leap. You’ve given me a context, both for the lemmings and your leaping about ;) Fun write, cool image, and a takeaway to look at things in context.
Spilling coffee… oh yes I have done that both in office and at home (is there a differnce these days?) and had to rush to clean it up….