This month it was my turn to set the Inklings challenge. I suggested that we “write a love note to something or someone or some place.” I shared José A. Alcántara’s Love Note to Silence as a possible mentor, or alternatively, I suggested riffing off of one of Georgia Heard’s June Small Letters calendar prompts.
I recently encountered Alcántara’s poem in an on-line class. The first two stanzas establish the relationship between the poet and silence. Here are the last two stanzas:
But listening to you is like the shore listening to the ocean.
I’m swept clean of my detritus, my rotting organic matter,
everything tossed there by the rude and the ugly.
Here, let me grab my pen and notebook, my binoculars. Let me slip
on my coat and shoes. The sandhill cranes are passing overhead.
Let’s go to the fields at the edge of town and make some noise.
You can read the whole poem ( here).*
Inspired by Alcántara, I considered writing love notes to all sorts of things: paper, grief (really!), the great blue heron, the marsh, hummingbirds, the clock, etc. But I kept coming back to… of all things…chipmunks! They just make me happy. So I went with that.
Love note to a chipmunk
Oh, chipmunk, you harbinger of spring!
You’re the racing car of rodents,
sleek and striped,
you scamper and scurry
all rush and hurry as you zip
and zoom across and through
the tangled garden green
or dash into cracks and crevices
or scurry up a tree.
You pop up here and
there
and then appear
in yet another spot.
Always go, go, going!
Until you’re not.
Then you sit in one space
with your nuts or fruit or seeds
and your clever hands proceed
to stuff your face bit by bit by bit
until your cheeks are full–
stretched beyond belief.
You adorable greedy rascal!
You’re my dependable comic relief!
How can I not love you?
Your acrobatic antics never cease
to amuse.
Such sassy spunk and acts
of derring-do.
Ah, chipmunk,
you have a gift for lightness
amidst your serious pursuits.
An intrepid explorer,
you’re bold and brave,
finding sustenance and sweetness
in every day.
Now that summer’s fading fast away,
you’ll soon depart
to hibernate beneath the snow,
all snug in some cozy cave or den,
idling your engine
until you can brave
the first chilly days of spring.
Then once again, you’ll fling yourself
into life with impressive gusto.
Oh, sweet chipmunk,
I’ll be waiting for you.
©Molly Hogan, draft
And now here’s a little cuteness overload for you from around my home:
As a bonus, I have to include a couple of photos from David Bird, an amazing photographer who has photographed wildlife, including chipmunks, with his own created “Becorns”.
If you’re interested in seeing what the other Inklings did with this prompt, please check on the links below:
Linda @A Word Edgewise
Catherine @Reading to the Core
Molly @Nix the Comfort Zone
Margaret @Reflections on the Teche
Heidi @my juicy little universe
Mary Lee is busy gallivanting around the globe this week.
This week’s Poetry Friday Roundup is hosted by Margaret Simon at her blog, Reflections on the Teche, where she shares her own love note.
*Please note that there’s a typo in that on line version, but I can’t find it anywhere else. It should read “sandhill cranes” in the fourth stanza, NOT “handheld cranes”!
Nix the comfort zone 
Molly, this is fabulous…and even more so with your photos. How…HOW…did you get a photo of a chipmunk looking into an open acorn? That’s an amazing shot.
There are so many lines of this poem that make me giggle…the racecar analogy works so well! I love “idling engine,” ha! I’ll be the chipmunks in your area love you too!
LikeLike
Thanks, Linda. I really adore the chipmunks! Also, the photo of the chipmunk with the acorns is David Bird’s–his “Becorn” photos are absolutely delightful!
LikeLike
Those tiny paws! Extremely lovable. I can see why you couldn’t get away from writing about them. “The racing car of rodents” ♥️ Your photos are fantastic! And I love those stanzas you shared. Being swept clean of detritus is such a powerful image.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That was the image that popped out to me, too!
LikeLike
Ah, an ode to chipmunks reminiscent of my own “In Praise of Squirrels” from PUMPKIN BUTTERFLY! “The racing car of rodents” <3<3<3 and every other energetic turn of phrase! And I love those becorns, yes I do.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Aren’t those becorns the best!?
LikeLike
Your poem reminds me of a trip to Colorado when my oldest was 3 and Katherine was only 3 months. We lay her on a blanket and for the first time in her little life, she giggled out loud at the chipmunks. We don’t have them here. So I loved your ode to these adorable creatures. The photos are wonderful, too. Thanks for a dose of delight!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I love that image of Katherine giggling at the chipmunks! Too cute!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Love your poem, love chipmunks! So many good lines : racing car of rodents, Such sassy spunk and actsof derring-do. Yes! They’re such fun to watch and your happy images (and obvious affection) really shine through. Adorable photos too!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, Jama. Watching chipmunks is an unfailing delight, guaranteed to bring a laugh or at least a big smile.
LikeLiked by 1 person
The hurry-scurry pace and rhythm of your poem is perfect for these delightful creatures!
LikeLiked by 1 person
They are such scamps! We had one that used to sit outside the glass doors and eat seeds, torturing the cats who sat inside.
LikeLike
Gorgeous poem, Molly! I love watching the chipmunk that scampers across my yard. The photos and poem made me smile. Thank you for sharing them. : )
LikeLike
“The racing car of rodents” is exactly right! I’m always amazed at how easily the chipmunks in our yard slip in and out of our stone wall. Well done, Molly!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks! They’ve got the perfect stripes for racing around, too!
LikeLike
Molly, your poem is delightful. I’ve only seen chipmunks bopping around in Pennsylvania. I can feel their racing steps in your poem. There is amazing movement and a beautiful flow. This poem is a wonderful mentor text for students.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, Carol! I don’t think that there’s much that chipmunks can’t do in terms of bopping, scampering, racing, etc. They’ve got all the verbs covered!
LikeLike
I gotta say you are in love! The little guys and girls have an ally. Chipmunks seem quicker than their cousins, the squirrels, and as such fewer find their way to the Roadkill Cafe. There actually was a Roadkill Cafe here at York Beach. Funny, it didn’t make it! Who could have predicted that!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Dining at a Roadkill Cafe has never been on my bucket list!
LikeLike
Chipmunks! I love “racing car of rodents” and “sassy spunk and acts/of derring-do.”
And David Birds becorns!
This all makes me so happy this morning. ❤️❤️
LikeLiked by 1 person
I can totally get sucked into David Bird’s site! Those becorn photos are such a delight!
LikeLike