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!
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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.
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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….
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