
Green
Dressed in chlorophyll
perfect frame, green stacked on green
precursor to brown
®Douillard
I spent a beautiful spring morning walking a low-tide beach…the perfect way to celebrate Earth Day. I watched pelicans swoop and soar, children squeal and run, surfers wait and balance, the waves ebb and flow. The salty air and sun on my shoulders are the perfect antidote for those worries that creep in and invade the mind as work piles up and time feels short.
Thinking about poetry this afternoon I found myself reflecting on Earth Day and the importance of taking care of this wondrous planet where we live. I remembered my wonder during spring break as I experienced the greens of Oregon; greens that are not my everyday experience here in San Diego. I had spent a day listing all the green words I could come up with as we traveled from the coast of Oregon to the mountains. Although I’m not sure this is an actual poem, I took time today to figure out a way to categorized those greens…and there are a lot of them! It certainly is not an exhaustive list…I’m interested to know what green words you, kind reader, might add to my list, as well as what categories I have not yet considered. So here it is…a list poem of sorts.
Categories of Green
Tree Green
Fir
Ash
Oak
Birch
Maple
Pine
Animal Green
Frog
Cricket
Alligator
Grasshopper
Turtle
Snake
Praying Mantis
Forest Green
Tree
Bud
Fern
Bud
Ivy
Vine
Lichen
Moss
Fruit and Vegetable Green
Broccoli
Bean
Granny Smith
Lettuce
Avocado
Lime
Olive
Mint
Pea
Ocean Green
Sea foam
Turquoise
Algae
Teal
Seaweed
Farm Green
Crop
Alfalfa
Meadow
Clover
Field
Grass
Gem Green
Emerald
Citron
Jade
Turquoise
Peridot
Malachite
Color Green
Chartreuse
Kelly
Loden
Sage
Kelly
Harlequin
Irish Green
Ireland
Kelly
Shamrock
Leprechaun
Symbol Green
Traffic Light
Recycling
Money
Jealousy
Greed
Douillard 2018
And an Earth Day themed student poem:
Things to do if You Are a Leaf
Photosynthesize,
lay back, relax,
feel the rays of light feed veins
when you fall, twirl like a ballerina
as light as a feather
when you turn brown and curl up
then crunch, you’re pieces.
Kalani
I’m looking forward to learning more greens and green categories…feel free to leave your ideas in the comments! Happy Earth Day!
As we enter March, thoughts of spring fill our minds along with images of all things green. And even though I live in southern California, a place that winter skipped entirely this year, spring invites lighter and brighter colors, the suggestion of new life, and a sense of renewal. And then there is that all-things-green March holiday, St. Patrick’s Day, a day where everyone is a little bit Irish and a whole lot of green.
And besides color, green is a word with many different meanings and connotations. It conveys environmentalism and jealousy, youthful inexperience and prosperity. So for our March #sdawpphotovoices Photo-a-Day Challenge, let’s explore all of the possibilities of green. The photos do not have to feature the color green, although some might, but instead the goal is to capture the multiplicity of meanings that green might convey. Here’s some ideas to play around with…and each section ends with an invitation to explore and include something not specifically named.
Week 1: Nature, Vivacity and Life
1 conservation
2 environment
3 living
4 nature
5 vivacity
6 preserve
7 what else?
Week 2: Springtime, Freshness, and Hope
8 fresh
9 spring
10 emerging
11 blooming
12 hope
13 wonder
14 what else?
Week 3: Fairies, Dragons, and Monsters
(This picture has me thinking of mermaids!)
15 fairies
16 dragons
17 Leprechauns
18 monsters
19 imagination
20 creatures
21 what else?
Week 4: Jealousy and Envy
22 jealousy
23 envy
24 greed
25 permission
26 safety
27 covet
28 what else?
Bonus Days: Youth and Inexperience
29 youth
30 inexperience
31 what else?
After you shoot, post a photo each day with the hashtag #sdawpphotovoices to Twitter, Instagram, Flicker, Google+ and/or Facebook (the more the better!), so that we can all enjoy the posts. If you are game for some more playfulness, compose a blog post about a photo, a week’s worth of photos, write a photo essay, make a video or slideshow or try a learning walk! (More about learning walks here and here) You are invited to create a pingback by linking to this url or post your blog address in the comment section. It’s fun for me to see what others are doing with the same prompts I am using!
Our goal is to play, share with each other, and learn from each other as we shoot our own photos and study the photos others shoot. Each week includes six suggestions to explore…and one free choice. You are welcome to follow them in order, mix them up, or exchange them for something that emerges for you as you explore green this month. You can post every day, once a week, or even sporadically throughout the month…whatever works in your life. Be sure to share and tag your photos with #sdawpphotovoices so we can find them!
This week’s photo-a-day theme was green. Finding green was easy…plants and trees are everywhere! The challenge for me was to find interesting photographic subjects beyond the beautiful plants, leaves, stems, and buds that caught my eye.
And I took some beautiful pictures this week. (Check out yesterday’s post for some examples) And I also took a number of photos this week that I like and didn’t post. I have a great one of green tomatoes that I’ve been tempted to use.
So I’m going to highlight my most puzzling photo for the week. I took this photo of a ragged basketball hoop with a green backboard at a local elementary school where I attended a workshop this week. The school is older, but well kept. There are interesting art installations on the grounds and a super cute garden. The only thing that seemed out of place was this particular basketball hoop with the green backboard.
There were other basketball hoops nearby–all white, and with intact nets. So why is this one green? And why has the torn net not been replaced? I think there is a story here…or at least one developing in my mind. What story does this image suggest to you?
And then…this is the perfect picture as green ends and we move to blue…