March 2025 SOLC–Day 27
A huge thank you to Two Writing Teachers for all that they do to create an amazing community of writers and a safe, welcoming space to write, learn, share and grow.
http://www.twowritingteachers.org

This post also serves as a Poetry Friday piece today. If you’re interested in checking out what’s on offer poetically, Marcie Flinchum Atkins is hosting the Roundup at her blog.

I’m a big fan of words and I’m especially delighted by collective nouns. Collective nouns for birds always tickle my fancy. I know that there’s a parliament of owls, a charm of goldfinches and a murder of crows. Then I discovered this winter that a group of titmice is called a banditry. How cool is that?

Just now I googled a group of butterflies. It can be called a swarm, or ….are you ready? …a kaleidoscope! Ah-mazing! I love that so much!

It’s 100% fun to make up your own collective nouns though, and I highly recommend it. I will warn you though–it’s addictive! How about a gift of bluebirds? A cacophany of students? Or a plague of houseguests? Oh! Maybe a hemorrhoid of houseguests? lol See what I mean!? Collective nouns can also express some deep and darker emotions. How about these: a complicity of judges? a cesspool of Senators? a hypocrisy of evangelists? an abdication of Republicans?

As I’ve been jotting down ideas, I thought it might be fun to write some small poems with created collective nouns. I have inadvertently gone with a flower theme. Maybe it’s my yearning for the arrival of spring? Anyway, they might not all work, but it’s been fun playing!

from drab winter debris
a chorus of crocuses
rises and sings

©Molly Hogan

a dizziness of daisies
spins across the field
the day tilts to joy

©Molly Hogan

a pride of dandelions
runs rampant across the lawn
seeding future wishes

©Molly Hogan

Can you add a favorite collective noun to the mix? A known one, or one that you’ve created? I’d love to see it in the comments!