Poetry in Motion

September 2025

During art workshops on the trail, one of the “drawing” prompts is writing a poem. This is an important prompt because I would like participants to use words to strengthen their feelings and capture what they are experiencing. One may write about the warmth of the sun on their cheek, describe a view that they don’t typically see or what it means for them to be out under pine trees with strangers that day. Their own descriptions and imagery may also inspire future creative endeavors. Hopefully, when it is read again, down the road, the words conjure the feelings they felt for a richer memory.

The three types of poems I like to write on the trails are acrostic, haiku, and concrete. These are short poems, descriptive, and one type actually takes on a shape of its own. Below are examples from my sketchbook.

On the left: This is an example of an acrostic poem. It describes what I saw while sitting just off the path under the pine trees.

On the right: This is a haiku poem which consists of three lines with the syllable sequence 5-7-5. It reads: I hear the tapping/the vibrations of two legs/hello, grasshopper

Above is an example of a concrete poem. It is about and in the shape of a gambel oak leaf. On the facing page is a loose ink sketch drawn with a stick and an actual gambel oak leaf taped onto the page with artist tape.

In a time of texting and emailing, give yourself screen-free time. Give yourself space and time to open up your creative mind. Capture meaningful moments of the things you see and feel. Express yourself through poetry or drawing, song, dance, mark-making, etc! It is healthy to make and create. It literally helps your mind, body, and spirit. Also, it quite possibly offers you a deeper understanding of your human experience.