Attempts at specular poems, and yes, I probably need to leave the sparrows alone. They appear too often in my poetry; however, I do love sparrows since they STAY ALL WINTER and provide some color, sound, movement even during the dull dreariness of November, December, January, and February.
Specular poems are a form where halfway through the lines repeat themselves in a mirrored order.
Image of the American Tree Sparrow from the Creative Commons.
Thanks for reading!
Found from an old site, part of a 30 poems in 30 days challenge. This is from ten years ago.
Just a few snippets from that time ten years ago, since I am submitting a revised/ edited full version for publication and don’t want to have this considered published.
i did not rush, hot, now.
i forgot how.
i forgot poetry would end
coffee at midnight, phone calls
in the middle of the night
would all end
i did not rush, hot, now.
i forgot how.
A unique ecosystem, a gem. Fen-only plants and flowers along with what’s found in Illinois elsewhere. I don’t know the name of these plants and flowers, but I do know:
The colors have changed since we last visited. More reds, blues, purples.
We need rain. Toads looked too dry and searching for water.
All around us we heard skittering animals. Didn’t see them. Just heard hints of animal life.
The red winged blackbirds are no longer dive bombing from behind as we walked. Their wee birds must have flown the nests.
Next visit: early autumn.
Thanks for reading. 
Wishing all educators returning to school this week all the best! 👍🍀❤️.
For those not returning? 👍🍀❤️.
For adjuncts not knowing if we will have a paycheck or not but still need to prep? 😱
🙂
I love y’all !
A big thanks to Thoughtco.com for this humorous yet helpful article about some of the ways spelling in English can be tough.
Speaking of the word TOUGH– notice different pronunciations for the “OUGH” pattern:
Tough
Cough
Dough
Thought
And more.
Enjoy our interesting language!
The article may be found here: 
https://www.thoughtco.com/spelling-problems-in-english-1212366
Ok folks. Your writer here is 9000 feet up. Took an amazing aerial tram up 2000 feet. I did it. Me. Phobic of most things me. Who knew ? Maybe the less stress of teaching part time is helping! Rocky Mountain high for sure!
What a vast country we have. Different terrains.
My first mountain hike. I am slow, but I did it.
Some pictures from the Bear Lake area in the Rocky Mountain National Park.
We must preserve these jewels of natural beauty!
iii
Many thanks to the great site Thoughtco.com for this interesting article.
As to this photo? Just one I took when in Chicago’s Loop– this is the famous THE BEAN sculpture. Just for fun!
Thanks for reading.
https://www.thoughtco.com/hypercorrection-grammar-and-pronunciation-1690937
I’ll sure share with my students. Thanks again, Thoughtco.com!
Laura Lee 