When The Ocean Blooms

....it looks something like this:

via NPR.org.
Just in case you ever doubted National Public Radio.

I found this gem in an article by Robert Krulwich for NPR called "Suddenly There's A Meadow In The Ocean With 'Flowers' Everywhere". Which is the name of a poem if I have ever heard one. Curious about how the ocean blooms? Here's the explanation:

They aren't flowers, of course. They are more like ice sculptures that grow on the border between the sea and air. On Sept. 2, 2009, the day Jeff's colleague Matthias Wietz took these pictures, the air was extremely cold and extremely dry, colder than the ocean surface. When the air gets that different from the sea, the dryness pulls moisture off little bumps in the ice, bits of ice vaporize, the air gets humid — but only for a while. The cold makes water vapor heavy. The air wants to release that excess weight, so crystal by crystal, air turns back into ice, creating delicate, feathery tendrils that reach sometimes two, three inches high, like giant snowflakes. The sea, literally, blossoms.

Folks, this is poetry if I've ever seen it. It's one of those instances where the world is writing the poem for you, whether or not you want to stop and write it down. Too many of those poems go unheard and unwritten---don't let this ocean meadow in full bloom be one of them.

via NPR.org.

There's so much magic in this world that's easy to forget about. Whenever you think the world has given up its last beautiful moment, remember that there's an ocean full of frost flowers blooming in corners of the world you've never seen.

And then go write a poem about it.

The Prompt

I pondered many a moment about what prompt to attach to this spectacular inspiration. Finally, I decided on a word list for you to free write on:

1. Full

2. Blossom(s)

3. Frost

4. Tendril(s) 

5. Thin

6. Intricate

7. Woven

8. Air

So, if you don't know the drill: free write your heart out and play around with this word list. Then, write a poem using 6 of the 8 words. Go back later, if you wish, and edit out all the ones that don't work well, but for starters really challenge yourself to work those 6 words into your poem. 

As always, if you dig it, we can dig it! So send your poetry our way if you're feeling spunky this morning. We'd love to give it a read.