We're nearly there!
Tomorrow's small stone, on Monday the 31st of January, will be the last of the challenge.
Share it with us by posting it as a comment on this blog. Let's see how many we can gather.
I do hope some of you might carry on past the end of January. We're working on a new page to gather all your small stones together - you'll need to post your small stones to a separate blog (or have a separate RSS feed) to be eligible.
We'll let you know how to submit your favourite ten small stones for possible inclusion in the forthcoming 'river of stones' soon.
Many small-stoners are gathered at our new Writing Our Way Home community forum - do pop along and say hello.
Over to you. Thank you so much for your company during January. Me and Kaspa have had a truly WONDERFUL time reading all the stones and hearing about your experiences. Roll on July ; )
I've decided to make this my daily awareness practice, so my goal is to write a stone a day in 2011. Wish me luck!
ReplyDeleteJason
http://jasoncrane.org
thanks Fiona and Kaspa!
ReplyDeleteit's been a good project. though i haven't written a stone every single day, i'm pleased with some of what i've produced - and have had comments from passers-by :)
(my only problem is that this page takes ages to download on my computer)
Nora Nadjarian, Cyprus
Thanks Fiona and Kaspa.
ReplyDeleteHad a lovely time splashing around in the river with my fellow stones.
Will be continuing playing with words and photos.
Love and hugs
It's been a very interesting and challenging month, but fantastic to have taken part. Looking forward to submitting ten for the book.
ReplyDeleteThanks both for an excellent project.
Thanks again, Fiona and Kaspa!
ReplyDeleteThis project has really jump started my Haiku awareness. I am planning to continue on a more or less daily basis for the forseeable future.
I will be happy to post my last for january here tomorrow!
A small stone:
ReplyDeleteFlight of lapwings, up-lit by the rising sun, startling bright flashes against the blackened west with every beat of their wings. Spring cannot be far away.
Best wishes
Lorna
Black cricket under flat tongued leaves on river stones, size of my thimb; world's smallest violin, going with the flow, running away. Your tomorrow is my today.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Fiona and Kaspa, it's been a wonderful experience.
I've loved doing this. It was disappointing to be offline due to modem troubles for most of January, but I kept on writing, and posting when I could. I'm so glad my problem was resolved before the end of the month.
ReplyDeleteI titled my small stones so as to have something to put in the subject line of the blog, but they don't really need titles, and those that went on twitter didn't get them there.
I don't think I'll continue daily, as I'll be doing daily haiku in February, but I couldn't bear to stop altogether, so will continue weekly at least ... and maybe more often.
And here is my last for January:
Between one day and the next
the bush in my driveway
bursts into flower,
clusters of tiny white trumpets.
Thanks Fiona & Kaspa!
ReplyDeletesquirrel
misplaced his
acorn cache
Barbara
http://barbaraboethling.blogspot.com/
gathering
ReplyDeletestones
What writest thou?
view the poem stone and all the others collected together here:
http://theoddinkwell.com/2011/01/31/poem-stones-day-31-and-poem-stones-gathered/?preview=true&preview_id=2832&preview_nonce=9939c78d00
Thanks again, Fiona and Kaspa!
ReplyDeleteA River of Stones has been just want I needed to get through the heavy, dull month of January. This month, my senses have been open and curious. I will continue with the stones with a more strict 5-7-5 haiku practice for February as I hook up with my haiku group on Facebook.
This was the kick start I needed.
Best
Sheree
I have really enjoyed writing a small stone each day in January. I am going to keep going. Here's my last one -
ReplyDeleteLast night
as I drifted off to sleep
window slightly open
I could hear the rhythms of car noise
pretended it was the sea
This has been a wonderful project - it really has helped me to 'open my eyes'(in fact all of my senses) and 'pay attention'!
ReplyDeleteI'm going to try and continue for the rest of the year and beyond!~
This is my last stone for January:
I tick a few nagging tasks off my to do list
I feel lighter
freer
energised
ready for February
It's been a great month, lots of fun. Thanks, Fiona & Kaspa!
ReplyDeletesmall stone #31
once the third crane is folded
I'm no longer reaching for the instructions
http://kirstencliffwrites.blogspot.com/
Thanks for an excellent project. I hope to keep up the momentum.
ReplyDeleteMy final stone aros 31
In Aotearoa
I'm first to see the dawn
on the final day of
a river of stones
my fledgling stone has grown
and now set free
will find its way to fly each day
and if it doesn't reach the stars
well
the moon is no mean feat
pixels of bright new blood
ReplyDeletespeckled the ice that I brushed off the boys face
sledging came to an abrupt, cold end
his pain quickly forgotten with a cocoa by the hearth
but the sickness in my stomach stays
my 31st small stone:
ReplyDeletewinter limbs- she learns her bones by pain
Fiona and Kaspa, a deep bow to you~
Dana-Maria Onica
Thank you for begining this and gently leading me to improved sight. I shall continue to write smalll stones and post them randomly on my blog. This is my last stone for January:
ReplyDeleteJanuary began with the devastating death of my ancient Werecat and ends with rejuvenating publisher interest in my Butterfly Baby book which contains birth stories. An remarkable sandwich of a month filled with oddly lit mornings and early evenings.
Small Stone #31
ReplyDeleteThere is an art
to true listening
that makes me
feel lovingly held.
Thanks to all who read
and any who commented.
River Stones 1/31/2011
ReplyDeleteHow sad to reach the end of a project that has helped me be more aware of what I write and do some needed introspection.
Kay
I've really enjoyed this immensely. Thank you!
My final stone:
ReplyDeletewhen i am present,
i hear the silence
of the humm of the dryer,
the laughter of children,
the snoring of the cat.
all the small,
silent sounds of life.
when i am present.
Small Stone #31:
ReplyDeletesmashing
a jar of stars
I dare
to chase
my dreams
Thanks, Fiona and Kaspa, for a wonderful project and to everyone for the lovely comments. I shall certainly continue and have enjoyed the experience. Here's my last stone for January:
ReplyDeleteI tossed a handful of stones in the river and the ripples rolled out, and returned with words from around the world. Thank you.
Small Stone - the last official one for January:
ReplyDeleteMy love of words
long dormant
Rediscovered
during January.
To Fiona, Kaspar
and their River of Stones,
my gratitude.
My last small stone...for now.
ReplyDeleteHer teeth are straight white picket fences.
When she smiles, they crack like ice.
Thanks for this Fiona and Kaspar, I have been really inspired and will continue to post stones and poems on my blog
http://angelbeneathblackwater.blogspot.com/
small stone 31 - by sidney
ReplyDeletewhite morning glory
strangles the fence
THanks for the challenge FIona & Kaspar
ReplyDeleteA river of small stones,
the flocking crowd of thought,
pebble-dashes the shoreline.
The imagination estuary,
a playground without boundary,
varnished by the caress
of tidal dreams.
After each frost the jasmine
ReplyDeleteputs out new yellow candles of flower.
Forty or more (I started in December)
ReplyDeletedilutions of daily observations,
of attempted tight writ lines.
A modicum of success expressed
in an invitation from the Poetry Circle,
and a re-tuning of self.
Thank you for the opportunity.
I have your heart, hand, blood, breath, words, sweat, and time. As you groan, I reach out, all of them in my eyes.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the great idea. I will quietly chip away at writing. Here's my last effort for January 2011.
ReplyDeletehttp://cbslogoblogo.blogspot.com/2011/01/daily-small-stone-31111.html
Thank you for doing this project. I posted my stones on my blog with aros as a tag, but not sure if they were ever collected. Here's the last stone for January, with tongue in cheek:
ReplyDeleteI returned my pet rocks to the wild. Now they hide in my garden or wait quietly at my door for me to notice them once again.
a slither of
ReplyDeletethe waning moon
appears
on the horizon,
not much, yet
enough to hear
my sighs
There are so many stones in the river. I cannot, nor want to, keep them all. Some stones are too large to lift out whilst others are mis-shapen and ugly. A few stand out like marbles, polished and shiny. I dry them carefully, put them into my bag and head for home.
ReplyDeleteThanks for a great month. It's been a challenge but fun.
Pete
It's been a great way to brighten up January. Thanks so much. Annie x
ReplyDeletethe tide unravels lace ribbons
sifts through rivers of stones
Tea
ReplyDeleteSoak up the smell,
imbibe the hot juice
skimming the throat.
Hesitate for a while
love to the small stone community, & thanks to Fiona and Kaspa
Annxxx
Thank you for the inspiration!
ReplyDeleteThe lost glove waves sadly on the damp street corner, like an unrequited lover longing to be noticed.
Gathered some thoughts today
ReplyDeleteMemories of good things
some not so much
Cupped my hands to hold them
some sieved between my fingers
Captured some from falling through
They felt warm in my palms
and when I raised my hands
to see what I had captured
I opened them carefully and
like fireflies, glowing and fading
the faces, the places, glowing and fading.
They began flying about so
gently I clenched my palms once again
so as not to let anymore fly away
Alas, I open the clutch of my hands
release them into freedom
giving me mine
Fly away for I shall gather you
once again another day
This has been a wonderful experience throughout January! I have maintained a stone a day on my blog + more on Twitter! Thank you for the wonderful ride!
ReplyDeleteHere is my last stone posted on my blog!
A gogyokha called "Just Be".
Growing
Slipping and sliding and
Catapulting into
The spirit of your
Special moment
My small stones have tended to be pockets full each
ReplyDeleteday...here is one stone from my 31st day:
"I sit and watch them melt, tear by tear, listening for the faint sound of each drop as it descends and finally becomes one with the snow below my window"
feel free to drop by to see the photos and companion stones that accompany the pebble above.
Thank you so much Fiona and Kaspa for this wonderful gift this month. I will continue to practice daily, it is wonderfully healing:)
gentle steps,
Laura
It's been fun! You always learn something about writing and noticing - and yourself - when you have a "fixed goal".
ReplyDeleteThis last January isn't really a stone, but, eh ...
----
sleepless
I struggle to imagine
what the bird looks like
that makes these
awkward screams
---
See you on the other side of January.
I'll continue posting at http://january-stones.blogspot.com
Have loved reading these so far, and hearing that some of you are hoping to carry on - excellent news.
ReplyDeleteHere's mine for today:
never noticed before - that arch of garden gate, sage green, scrolled metal, leading to who knows where...
Much like our river. Who knows where it will go next.
Keep those small stones coming!
(and thank you for your gratitude. gratefully received)
ReplyDeleteTo see my man
ReplyDeleteSoothe my girl
Is to see giants
Kiss
Sprouting bulbs in a pot: ruddy and greenish and smelling of earth and growth, and a label that entices with the promise of Delft Blue, evokes the headier smell of hyacinths in bloom.
ReplyDeleteThank you. This has been a joy to do.
beautiful weather - makes me want to clean and tidy up - to busy for small stones
ReplyDeletePS: It has been a good experience to post a small stone every day. I will continue observing and writing small stones - as I have always done.
Thanks for the fun!
Last small stone for January 2011
ReplyDeleteAfter storm
the last breath
of the turning tide
leaves
scraps of fractured fronds
along the sand
Mavis – http://cabinontheshore.blogspot.com
Thank you so much for setting up this project.
It made me start a blog (still very amateurish but with the incentive to improve it); it made me write every day. Some of the small stones have the potential for developing into poems, and along the way I’ve met some like-minded people.
I will keep on blogging, keep on writing and look forward to joining you all again in July.
Here is my January 31 stone and know I will be continuing my Small Stone du Jour blog for all of 2011 at http://small-stone-du-jour.blogspot.com/. Thank you for birthing this wonderful idea!!
ReplyDeleteWEATHER REPORT
Birds interrupt plans to write,
invite me into their energy,
smile welcome and thanks
for black sunflower seeds
and tiny morsels buried
deep in the snow,
the snow that wasn't there
yesterday either outside
or in my hair.
A nervous blanket smothers the day
ReplyDeleteExpectant skies, anxious airs
Snow storm just over the horizon
--
We've got a doozy of a storm on the docket for the next couple of days. What a way to end the month. Whilst I have been very irregular with posting, writing these has sharpened my vision and helped in other areas of life. Thanks, Fiona...
A truly amazing, creative experience. Thank you Fiona & Kaspa!
ReplyDeleteI've adored this project and will keep it going on my own blog regardless because the growth is amazing. It challenges one to SEE each day rather than simply look. I like that immensely.
ReplyDeleteFor my last entry of the month of January, I offer the following:
Cowering in a neat row against the fence
Covered by blankets
The tomatoes hid from
Sun, heat and birds that circled
Jane
http://pepspill.wordpress.com/
Crow on the wire
ReplyDeleteflips his coat tails
inclines his head
and looks in on me
Many thanks to everyone - a great experience!
I lost momentum because of personal circumstances.
ReplyDeletehere is my final (rather rough) small stone:
Maths is not my strong point (Final #smallstone)
Wrestling with figures knocks points off my IQ and makes me feel intensely blonde without ever going near a hairdresser or bottle of bleach. I stare manically at my expenses form and tell myself I can do it. My calculator has vanished somewhere under my desk and I panic and do the numbers on a post-it note and find myself ten Euros short. Panic. How can I have lost ten Euros? Same way I lost my glasses going up the Eiffel tower ~ sheer inattention and stress. Try again, using the calculator on the computer and magically the missing money reappears. I breath again, and count the remaining cash. It matches.
There are guardian angels that watch over people like me. I even got my glasses back, unharmed. We can't be good at everything and maths is never going to be one of my strengths. (ps. I am a natural blonde)
i began a new blog called ONE-A-DAY (like a vitamin), and intend to add a photo and small stone for at least a year...it's at http://ngagliano.blogspot.com/ and today's reads:
ReplyDeleteDELICATE WISP CASTS
ITS SHADOW AS SHARPLY AS
THE TOWERING OAK
Thanks Fiona and Kaspa!
ReplyDeleteIt has been a fun month writing these small stones. I missed out on a few days due to work commitments, but overall, i try to write one a day. :)
My final stone :
------------------
after an hour
or so
there are still
no words
on the paper
except
an oily thumb print
a couple of creases
and some agitated doodles
of stick people.
---------------------
more of my stones at http://dsnake6.blogspot.com/
Thanks again!
A246
ReplyDeletebambi asleep
in the gutter
This River in its long deliberate current, carries our days, light and earth now into a wider sea.
ReplyDeleteAll the small stones, turning, turning…
wild plum trees tower over
ReplyDeletethe spacious hibernacle
where a june beetle sleeps
__
This has been an enjoyable challenge!
For more writing visit blush of dawn :)
Thank you very much, this river has been an inspiration to me, a brilliant idea. Most of my stones are written as gogyohka or as haiku and are here:
ReplyDeletehttp://escapefromfear.blogspot.com/search/label/A%20river%20of%20stones
heavy dawn skies
ReplyDeletepress down
thirsty desert stretches
spindly dry branches
up
http://desertsongstudio.typepad.com/desert_stones/
www.desertsongstudio.com
Thanks so much for aros Fiona. it has really made me think about how much padding I usually include in my writing and inspired me to a couple of nuggets I am quite pleased with. As we have celebrated my husband's 50th birthday over the weekend my last stone is dedicated to him, long suffering, practical non-poet that he is...
ReplyDeleteOn Friday he was fifty/My heart has been with him/for nearly half my life and still/beats on as we slip into middle age/and watch the leaves fall softly, slowly/drifting into autumn in our midst
A ruby in the sky shatters crystal.
ReplyDelete*Thank you so much for helping me notice the small things in life (which are really huge).
~laurie
And if you’re really lucky, a flower
ReplyDeletePlant all your fragments in the side garden.
Most of them will come to nothing,
but one or two may sprout something green
and if you’re really lucky, a flower.
///
thanks for launching this big idea for small stones. i will definitely be writing more of them now than ever before even though the month is over.
- sitting in this doorway, framed and warming till the sun pulls away -
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to seeing lots of stones gathered in one place, both virtual and paper. Thanks for the impetus and encouragement.
Here is my final small stone. Thank you for this wonderful, insight-prompting project. Mindfulness be blessed!
ReplyDeleteWe
Each
Create
Our own reality
~
Conjure up
Possibility
http://www.kimnelsonwrites.com/2011/01/31/small-stone-31-whos-responsible/
Walking along the river banks
ReplyDeletepicking up small stones, I
drop some back with a clatter,
others, I skip over the water,
but some, I dip into the water
and watch their true colours emerge.
Those I place in my pocket.
I come across other stone pickers
and we share the stones
we have found and we find
friendships--swimming
the river together.
Last stone...I'll be over at Writing Our Way Home. If you haven't joined Fiona's and Kaspa's latest venture, come look. It's quite something.
Home: http://writingourwayhome.ning.com/
My page: http://writingourwayhome.ning.com/profile/MargoRoby
I'm also to be found at: http://margoroby@wordpress.cpm
Fiona and Kaspa: Thank you.
Dip your hand in the water ~ pull out your golden moment
ReplyDeleteVery enlightening process, which I've enjoyed immensely. Thanks to Fiona & Kaspa for making the journey possible.
I don't consider myself a writer and I've never written a blog but I've really enjoyed this project. I'm definitely going to carry on writing in some form and keep my blog going http://apondfulofripples.blogspot.com - I even have followers which is amazing and lovely!! Thank you to Fiona and Kaspa and to everyonewho has taken the time to read and comment on my little offerings. Here's my last small stone for January...
ReplyDeleteAll change
Fresh bed linen, cool on my skin after a hot bath, somehow makes the bed more comfortable. I curl up, with my book and the fragrance of summer days.
I have loved this project and the pay-off, for me, of being more aware has been moments like this:
ReplyDeleteI catch a negative thought as it drifts into my consciousness. A questioning of my ability to succeed. I hold it, examine it carefully and find it lacking in substance. I consign it to history and turn again in the direction of my dreams.
Thank you both
Claire
I've posted my blog on the AROS site but here is another post which expresses my feelings about the project.
ReplyDeleteDynamic creative tension
Each day of January
Looking for small stones;
As well as joy also for what
Has been found through it.
Thank you Fiona
You've helped me change
My perspective this month.
Thanks, Fiona and Kaspa. This has been fun and enlightening.
ReplyDeleteMy last small stone for now:
January 31
Wind skirls up the balcony.
Snow already sticking
to the streets, whitening
the hard ground, covering
the small stones.
Sorry I've been so inconsistent this past while, but I did want to contribute to the final day. Thank you Fiona and Kaspalita.
ReplyDeleteTrash-truck's steel, stick-insect arms hike bins overhead, dumping punctured, overstuffed bags of refuse into the metal omnivore's yawning maw.
Kat Mortensen
small stone #31
ReplyDeletei scoop up all 31 stones (including
this one), spread them out in
the sun awhile, then drop them
one by one into a gleaming glass jar—
i like the way it feels in my hands
::
Yay, all of us! Thank you Fiona & Kaspa ♥
unexpected warmth
ReplyDeletethe darting shadows of birds
over the new grass
Thanks so much for the project, Fiona and Kaspa.
I've really enjoyed taking part in this project, it's got me writing again! Many thanks...
ReplyDelete~
frozen canal
the squall of rooks in the trees
dark cathedrals of noise
Time flows by
ReplyDeletewashing words downstream
all that remains
are small stones.
Thanks for the challenge this month
The tyre swing hangs, empty and still, in a hollow O shape.
ReplyDeleteThe space hopper lies helplessly on its side, looking south with big staring eyes.
The deserted bicycle is turned away in sulky neglect.
Discarded before the frost, they wait for the little girl who comes back a year older after each passing January.
Thank you Fiona and Kaspa! x
Writing stones has shifted my focus, opened my eyes, made me go deeper in the moments of the every day. For this I am very grateful. I will be continuing with this, though perhaps not every day, but thank you and see you on the course in March.
ReplyDeleteMy last stone of the month (from a walk with my son this afternoon)~
our shadows from the sunset
lead the way home
It's been brilliant fun being a part of this project, and I've loved being connected to so many creative and inspiring people. Thank you to Fiona and Kaspa for setting the whole thing up, the logistics alone must be enormous!
ReplyDeleteHere's my last little stone..
The woods echo with a woodpecker’s rapid-fire.
The Watcher and A Small Stone
ReplyDeleteARoS day 31
And a final small stone
for this month…
Small stone
Illuminated
Illuminating
Showing
The way forward
#aros #Gogyohka
Sadly the images do not appear here - please to to my page to see them properly...
http://dolphinainsley.wordpress.com/2011/01/31/the-watcher/
Thank you Fiona for giving me this opportunity to display my offerings.
♥
My final stone...though I think I'll keep posting them! It's more of a small poem.
ReplyDelete"I didn't walk in the ceremony.
Instead, I bought a smoky quartz
ring to wear on my pointer finger.
A little egg surrounded by pave
diamonds. Though I couldn't have children,
this little dark egg is a symbol
for the things I could do for myself:
graduate & move on."
I have enjoyed this project, even though I don't feel that I am very good at it.
ReplyDeleteHere is my stone for January 31:
Thirty-one times: brevity. It's done.
I also have a favorite.
Sunshine on the back
of snowbanks
melting
puddles into the street
splash!
Tangled up in defiance
ReplyDeletea river of small stones
closes the day
Thank you Fiona & Kaspa
Julie
Thanks to my fellow small stoners.
ReplyDeleteHope you have had as much fun as me splashing about in the river.
Love and hugs.
Fiona and Kaspa we love you
1.31.11
ReplyDeleteInsect in amber
Stone preserves species
As words are written...
Saved and savored.
JulesPaige, Pennslyvania, USA
All of my 'Stone' Stones can be found at:
http://julespaige.livejournal.com
Maybe one day I'll figure out how to connect 'Blogs' - I didn't this time. But I enjoyed the experience and plan to start a new page in February about, what else; Hearts!
I posted a photo for my last post. Here is my second to last "small stone"
ReplyDeleteA snail has left
his running stitch of silver thread
in long looping trails
on my path.
My last stone for our little journey-
ReplyDeletehttp://terihoover-crystal-iris-images.blogspot.com/2011/01/better-untranslated.html
Better Left Untranslated
Vente a l'emporter
Take away food?
Remaining myself
while being carried
in an unknown stream
Thanks Fiona and Kaspa!
A River of Stones- a 31 day challenge in observation
What did I take away from being carried away?
That I can find bliss even in the coldest of times.
Or at least be ok with being uncomfortable.
That I can use words as well as my images on my journey.
That I must continue to be immersed in the stream... even when it is cold.
Sometimes I will need to go with the flow.
Sometimes I will need to let the water will flow over me.
The balance that I find when I invite God travel with me on my journey.
The doctor peers suspiciously at my arm. Pokes it.
ReplyDelete'Ow!'
'You fell on it when?'
'Four weeks ago.'
'You need an x-ray, it's probably broken.'
I regard the sulky bruise that has not healed. I have not paid attention to myself.
Small Stone, 31st January 2011
ReplyDeleteThe palm trees look so odd in the middle of winter.
Nora Nadjarian, Cyprus
Using what
ReplyDeletewe know
to make sense
of the confusion
www.douglasrobertson.co.uk/wordpress
My little words swirl and pile up with the others to make a cairn. Oh to live in a world where ideas are shared and savoured like precious stones.
ReplyDeleteI plan on continuing posting small stones. :) I will start a new journal just for small stones; however, here is my last stone for January 2011.
ReplyDeleteAfter midnight,
Quiet after the
Busy-ness of day
Except the howling of
One train, and
One dog.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeletecoiled under the bed
ReplyDeletea new animal,
furred grey
ropes of dust
I plan on continuing to post my small stones, as I only started in the middle of the month, and quite possibly will continue longer, every once-and-a-while.
ReplyDeleteGood Morning
January 31, 2011 — mlissabeth
I looked out the window this morning
to see the sun rise through the trees.
In my blurry vision without my glasses
it reminded me of a broken egg in a frying pan
sprinkled with slivers of bacon and
dots of pepper.
Time for breakfast.
Your eyes constantly smear
ReplyDeletethe edges of my heart.
It's hard to peer over snowy
rooftops to look at the stars
when all my eyes look for is
you.
---
I also wrote a final word about writing small stones. You can check it out at the blog. Thank you for this experience!
http://christinarodriguez.webs.com/apps/blog/show/5992185-devotion-1-31-11-aros-31-and-a-final-word
My last small stone for the January challenge. As mentioned above, I plan to continue, at a less rigorous pace, perhaps... Thanks again!
ReplyDeletesweeping
the sun bright floor
dust
illuminated
- R. Cody -
My final aros for January. It's been fun.
ReplyDeleteTiny black specks against a pale sky; I spat each one out. I am no longer your host.
Andy
Dear Fiona & Kaspa,
ReplyDeleteIt began as a challenge but very swiftly became a joy and one of the best New Year resolutions I have ever had!
Many thanks for your creativity and input.
Love Hussam xx
"floating"
small, empty
vodka bottle
scarlet label up,
floating
silently
among the duckweed
On a dual carriage way
ReplyDeletebetween the busy lanes,
a huddled mound of
blackened cloth?
Thank you both for the inspiration!=)
Kristina
Sheets flicked back quickly across the bed
ReplyDeletefluorescent light casting a yelowy glow
just sat down
Speak soon
A
xx
lying in bed
ReplyDeletelistening to a stream
of diverted traffic
for days
ReplyDeletewe stared where
side-glances fell
saw
what was there
Many thanks Fiona & Kaspa. Will the aros hastag live on?!
Ged - dodgybard
Thank you all, amazing. I'm a little overwhelmed.
ReplyDeleteHere is my last offering, for January:
Cliffs and crags and striking peaks. Dark valleys. One stone, and another and another.
This could be equally about the garden wall I noticed, as about your words
fish bones litter
ReplyDeletethe sky’s dirty plate
***
frost-crunch autumn leaves
winter trees stretch out
towards the sun
***
Thanks Fiona and Kaspa, a fantastic project and I'm hoping to keep up the moments of close attention, if not the daily poetic snippets.
21st Stone The shape of things
ReplyDeleteI've been noticing shadows
how they help you see the form
rather than get lost in the detail
Kate
Here's the link to my last small stone and some thoughts on that!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.suburbanyogini.com/2011/01/31/my-last-aros-how-that-feels/
Thank you so much F + K xx
thanks for this inspiration
ReplyDeleteI missed a few but am pleased that I did it 21 times!
I will continue in some form
good luck to everyone and thank you for being part of all this
Kate x
My last small stone for January, although I'm going to try to write one each day in 2011.
ReplyDeletehttp://jasoncrane.org/2011/01/31/stone-31/
Thanks for making this happen.
All the best,
Jason
I stand, toes and heels together. I breathe in, and raise my arms above my head. My fingers touch. I am reflected in the window, I am projected onto the daybreaking garden. A new day is beginning. I let my breath go. I bend forward. My hands connect with the ground.
ReplyDeleteThank you. It has been wonderful to be part of this community for 31 days, and I look forward to more. I intend to continue looking, and writing, and writing about looking.Some of my reflections here: http://sprinkel.posterous.com/seeing-31-january
I have enjoyed this participating in this.
ReplyDeleteMy last stone is as follows:
the stalactite icicles lengthen and thicken,
and one always manages to drip on my head
the rest of my stones can be found on Red Room (the writers' site)under nancy brady smith
My last stone:
ReplyDeleteJanuary comes to a close with frost-covered fields and gardens. Bleached skies and clouded breath suggest winter is here to stay, but growing on a bush like a faint whisper of hope the woolly pussywillows tell me spring is on the way.
Linda Hofke
Thanks for organizing this, Fiona. I had a great time being part of the river.
I've enjoyed this challenge so much I plan to continue writing small stones daily, and posting them on my blog, Prose Posies. Thank you Fiona and Kaspa, for setting the ball in motion.
ReplyDeleteDay 31:
as i walk the track, i resist the impulse
to count laps. for the next hour at least,
i will not be bound by expectations.
Thank you Fiona.
ReplyDeleteI've been doing mostly "small stone" haiku and other short form poetry since I started on Twitter in December 2008, and it's been great to read so many more practitioners.
Here's mine for today:
1.
Waking
from dreams of death
in my childhood home
I stood up
and saw the sun rise
2. Grass dappled with leaf-shadow, and sky dappled with clouds
Sea glass
ReplyDeleteLife has a way of polishing off your rough edges; like glass tumbled by the sea.
Thanks Fiona and Kaspa
Thank you for this gift...a new desire to write has been awakened and I find myself reaching for paper & pen at the oddest moments.
ReplyDeleteI look forward to collecting other stones.
Some days words were slow.
Sometimes coming not at all.
Those that came soothed me.
the weight over
ReplyDeletea community meeting
the old woman's grudge
And thanks Fiona and Kaspa for your curation of AROS
Matt
Your tiny body, my friend, a flower:
ReplyDeleteI am your stem, you - my petal.
know that when you fall, you wanted to.
Thank You for organising this.
ReplyDeleteHere is my last small stone.
I've had to remind my mind
to be mindful, to be mindful.
I'm not sure that amongst
the mind games and mind
numbing routine that I
have always kept this in mind.
In February my challenge
is to read and escape
from the world because
paying attention to mine
might blow my mind.
Thank you to everyone for sharing and inspiring with your small stones, and to Fiona and Kaspa for setting it all up. I'll be continuing.
ReplyDeletenew shoots--
between me and tulips
these deer
This has been wonderful fun and inspiring. I decided to include a photo with most of my stones which can be found at my blog http://createartstudio.blogspot.com/. Did not get a chance to post this past week but I plan to do a stone with photo at least once a week from now on.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the inspiration.
Todays stone is:
Pink bands of clouds
covers the sky
as a flock
of swallows
race by.
Thanks for a great project. I've enjoyed every minute of reading and writing it.
ReplyDeleteHere's my last one. And in case anyone wonders what it's about I have just quit my job and spent the day sorting out ten years worth of accumulated paperwork.
Away with this mountain of paper!
Away with the lesson plans;
Away with the materials;
Away with reports and registers.
Away with it all.
And then I can begin again
To build a new mountain.
I'm at a loss
ReplyDeleteI don't know what to say -
Something profound before I go away?
A stone to ripple far and wide and deep?
I need to sleep!
Thank you Fiona and Kaspa! A truly inspirational project! xx
quiet stream
ReplyDeleteold stones
wearing down
too slow
to ever see
Thanks Fiona and Kaspa for the opportunity to participate in what I call, the art of paying attention. I had to stop my stones at number 24, as I bumped head on into the gastro monster and ended up in hospital. I am on the mend, but it's very slow, I only just started eating yesterday. [My, this couch is uncomfortable, i miss coffee, what's on TV!!]
ReplyDeleteAll my stones are at @myarspoetica at twitter, also on my blog which I will update as I write the last 7 stones. The last stone I wrote:
A little girl believes she can change peoples hearts with her songs, singing as an angel for her mother who watches from heavens wings #aros
Thanks for a creative January
ReplyDeleteTO A GRANDDAUGHTER
With tight fists and mewing cry
You demand attention
With apricot down on cushion cheeks
And eyes like smoky Lapis Lazuli
You demand attention
With soft burps and semi permanent hiccups
And a look that seems as old as granite
You hold us as we hold you
and we’re together forever.
Fiona and Kaspa, Thank you so much for hosting and your thoughtful words of inspiration. Sort of feel like keep going, after completing the final stone.-Irene, Lost in Translation
ReplyDeletethank you, Fiona and Kaspa! What an aamazing thing this river has become.
ReplyDelete:: ::
there are no birds
waiting for this ice-storm
except one black crow
(he flies with cardboard cutout wings
across the four-lane ... as I drive)
Thank you for leading this! Definitely helps keep me going.
ReplyDeleteSkipping stones across a month: stone #31
Some race their ripples and
dance across the surface sending
patterns against far shores,
while those less artfully tossed
succumb to their own weight
(although with a satisfying plunk).
Fiona and Kaspa, thank you for hosting AROS! This was such a fabulous experiment. It was even more exciting to see fresh stones every day, especially on Twitter. I can't wait for the one in the summer! :)
ReplyDeleteI've been writing a mix of Japanese form poetry and micropoetry in my small stones throughout this month. I think I surpassed 31 stones now, but I plan on continuing collecting stones whenever I'm able to and incorporating them into my artistic endeavors. Thanks again!
The first few #aros were posted on Twitter, then I started posting them on my Livejournal blog.
Here's my last one:
nuzzling
the golden dew in the grass
and bowing in awe
in all different directions
a dozen cattle
Final stone (or is it?)
ReplyDeleteI’m noticing how beginnings and ends are not actually either one but bleed into what went on before and what happens after.
Thank you for hosting, - an interesting and challenging experience, and one I hope to continue on perhaps a less regular basis, but one that keeps me fostering awareness.
ReplyDeleteMy last stone for January
Aware, always
with the eyes of a child,
of the great potential
for wonder and awe
and curiosity.
My 30 small stones are gathered at my new blog called Gathering Small Stones here at http://gatheringsmallstones.blogspot.com
ReplyDeleteI have enjoyed this so much and will continue writing the small stones.
Thank you Fiona and Kaspa for having the vision and the courage to start up aros. This month has been a journey and small stones has helped me notice it and capture it in a way I wouldn't have otherwise.
ReplyDeleteTouch the earth:
At midnight I stopped
and was still
exhaled the old day
and inhaled the new
wind stirred the branches
and I heard it
I dislodge the last small stone
ReplyDeleteand toss it into the river, knowing
as January flows into February,
so the tides of life
lap against new shores of opportunity
Thank you, Fiona, for this creative opportunity. I have enjoyed the experience, learnt much, and made good friends along the way.
Thank you for this wonderful month of practice, Fiona and Kaspa! I hope to send on 10 favorites. Day 31 turned out to be a rough one, but I did get around to writing my 31st, here, and plan to keep it going.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure my small stone posted...
ReplyDeleteMy last small stone for January...
Puddle ducks by the hundreds
web footed and in mass
sing their dawns chorus
in the freshwater shallows
of winter
Anansi took the heat and put it in a pot and hung it in the silk cotton tree. That's why we have winter storms, I am sure of it.
ReplyDeleteWith many thanks to River of Stones, and Fiona... I've enjoyed reading many daily stones, and increased my circle of poets, which is a beautiful gift in itself.
Hot Pink Sunset
ReplyDeleteToday a friend's niece is going into labor.
One of the twins, a girl, is not expected to live.
After hearing this I see a hot pink sunset.
I choose to expect a miracle.
~~~
As I was writing this, I got a call from my friend. "She was born alive and is fighting!" I *knew* it. I knew that blazing hot pink was a good omen. For those interested in the fate of this little being, I will be updating my blog as more news comes in. In the meantime, positive thoughts/prayers are most appreciated.
Thank you so much, Fiona and Kaspa, for this wonderful project, and thank you to all of my fellow writers on this journey. I wish time would have allowed me to read and comment on every single stone.
Namaste,
Kelly
This has been an awesome experience and exercise for me who has always wanted to write but never knew where to start. It has allowed me to overcome a huge hurtle in my life.This is my last stone for January:
ReplyDeleteBaptized in the River of Stones
I arise anew
I am the world
And the world is me.
I am sure the hole
ReplyDeletein this sewing needle
is shrinking
Actually, I had several for today. I suppose it was for those days I missed writing a small stone:
ReplyDeleteAbove the drone of the mad city / a distant crow caws.
City geese / walking streets / forlorn
Grey sky / trees waving /goodbye
Drifting on the wind / a fluffy seed of springtime / waiting to be born
The world in silence / wrapped in winter’s gloom / rainfall
Fragile / white snowflake / windblown
I've truly enjoyed those quiet moments when the small stones skipped through my awareness, And I've enjoyed writing them. It was great motivation to write. Sometimes, I need that.
I plan to continue doing this even though January 2011 ends...Those "now" moments hold so much beauty and so much wisdom, waiting for us to close our eyes and open our hearts to see. Thank you for inspiring us with this wonderfully fun opportunity.
Vacant home
ReplyDeleteneeds few repairs,
available for immediate occupancy
(to see the picture you can go to my blog) :)
Thank you for this wonderful experience. I certainly plan to continue to be observant every day. Here is my stone for 1/31/11. Photo at my blog site.
ReplyDeleteone observation
often leads to another
Thank you all for observing, composing,
ReplyDeleterevising, posting,
sharing, visiting and commenting.
Monthlong writing fling
ends like a dim memory
of Molloy crawling.
On the last, cold day in January
ReplyDeleteUnder a cloudless blue sky
Amidst bare branches and tight fisted buds
A lone honey bee finds its way to a lone plum tree
Bursting with blossoms, offering up sweet nectar.
Thank you Fiona and Kaspa for this wonderful experience.
ReplyDeleteWild love birds
Sing in the low limbs
Of a Palo Verde tree,
Where the sweet green ring
Of radiant laughter
Trembles among leaves
And takes flight on bright wings.
1/31/11...canyonwren
Dead of night and the wind chime begins its faint, trickling call.
ReplyDeletehttp://offthepagepoetry.com/2011/01/31/dixon-ticonderoga/
ReplyDeleteDixon Ticonderoga 1B
is my favorite pencil
I think it is new and that it is mine
but is has been around
really
Office Store, Truck, Warehouse, Conveyor belt, Woodcutter, Tree,
Miner, Gluer, Painter, Ink stamper…Box maker…
Are you in any part in my pencil?
This has been an absolutely lovely experience!
ReplyDeleteMy stone for the day:
Drops of ice blanket the sidewalks and trees while traffic creeps down the streets.
The grocery stores are bare.
I started my blog in October 2010 with visions of posting daily.
ReplyDeleteIt took A River of Stones to make that happen. This is the first time I've posted something every day for 31 days. Thanks for having a hoop which begs to be jumped through.
I've generally claimed to NOT be a poet; in fact, generally I've said I don't really even UNDERSTAND poetry. So this was quite a leap, to be writing "poetry" on a daily basis. Nobody has laughed in my face the whole month; you are all quite kind.
A lovely surprise has been the opportunity to be exposed to the works created by the rest of you. I've enjoyed seeing what you're all up to. There is such wide variety of approaches. I have exchanged "comments" with many of you and that has been a fun and meaningful experience. Funny in that one can, in fact, begin to at least develop a bit of a relationship or friendship via nothing but the Internet.
Lastly, it has been fun to see posts from literally around the world. I've enjoyed seeing life through your eyes, and seeing a part of your different, daily, far away thoughts and experiences.
Thanks to you all.
---Man Price, Portland, Oregon, USA
http://manprice.blogspot.com/
"The Toy Winds Down"
A River of Stones runs through
The Month of January.
Come February,
And the river runs dry?
We, left to tramp the dusty path
Empty handed?
dusk
ReplyDeletein mauve velour
each finger
touching the smooth paper
of the tanka journal
[Thank you, Fiona and Kaspa!]
January is full of surprises:
ReplyDeleteclouds playing king of the hill
with a tree, a sky like summer.
Flowers flirting with a scanty sun.
Stones
soft as pillows.
* * *
Thanks so very much for the inspiration (as well as the hard work putting this together, Fiona & Kaspa). I've managed to create 30 stones (in a self-collaboration, haha!, of words & images) & posted them daily (except the one).
Hugs & kisses to you both. And to all the participants. Wish I'd been able to get around to you all.
Monday, 1-31 - Farewell to January
ReplyDeleteNighttime at the month's end --
Snow skitters, drifts, fills
In footprints, car treads,
Heaps up high on my parked car
Farewell to you - snowy, snowy, snowy, snowy
Month of January
(And - we'll keep blogging / small-stoning.)
River of Stones Day 31
ReplyDeleteIn Memory of WJH
Stones and Water for You
Every day for a month
I have set down words for you
Taken time to think about you
Beyond my usual template for grief
And found such sweet sorrow
And welcome release
In this simple act of remembrance
Thank you Fiona and Kaspa for inspiring and organizing all of us! What a good month. Here's my contribution for today (and it won't be the last!):
ReplyDeleteLEMON
Just now I stepped outside to pick a Meyer lemon for my tea. I twisted the fruit to break its stem away from the tree, and the perfume rose up in the chilly night air. How did I get here? I'm always wondering that. It's a good way to live, that wonder.
i came into this project late,
ReplyDeletei came into it without knowing
what it meant......
what a stone meant,
but as i start to read others stones,
i then knew this is what i wana do...
walking around in the mornings, as difrent objects triggers my mind,
my emotions, hearing birds chirping, cars screeching,ppl buzzing around me.
birds flying all around me,
i came to understand, that i am only calm when i am surrounded by nature and these things my eyes see,
it takes my mind of my own worries,
and that is what small stones has meant to me,
thanks for creating this project..
hope there will be more to come..
Some flights are boring.
ReplyDeleteOthers are not.
The difference is caused by the person sitting next to me.
If only I had the confidence to take the initiative….
Thank you for this opportunity. A sudden and unexpected journey changed the tone of my small stones. Now that I'm back home, I want to write some more like my early ones.
Thank you for this opportunity. My son-in-law had both planned to write every day for 2011 and this was the impetus that helped make it more than just another good idea that sits on the shelf.
ReplyDeleteSoft music plays so quiet that I'm not certain what it is. I raise the volume and find it sounded better in the background.
The small stones likewise, a way of slowing to hear the soft tones that are so quickly blurred in the presence of too many words and thoughts.
Frost veiled leaves
ReplyDeleteArch against the cold and
Sparkle with sun kisses.
Not the only one who's late! :o)
Well done you two, it was a lovely event. xx
I've ended today as I started a day late.
ReplyDeleteThis has truly been an exciting and motivating experience. My muse is pleased! ;)
Please, may we have some more. We like direction. ;)
Always create....
xox
~Mimi
www.collagepirate.blogspot.com
***************************************
AROS Final Post
Deeply snuggled under the electric blanket, the very best kind of snuggle, butt to butt with a giant, snoring yellow dog, cat snoozing on my feet and goat sound asleep breathing perfectly.
I hate you alarm clock.
Finally caught up (started late). Thoroughly enjoyed it, and met some wonderful people too.
ReplyDeletea last stone?
one last pebble,
if I'm lucky
there will be a quartz vein
and the pool
is dark, is deep
the splash, the ripples,
wait
but it is warm
in my pocket
and there is more
to say
so the pebble
wears smooth,
slowly
on lint
Ach! Late! But here's my last one, posted with a small painting:
ReplyDeleteThree small stones observed,
made of paper, pigment, love --
January's gifts.
:) Thanks for the 'late' offerings everyone. Lovely.
ReplyDeleteI'm 2 days late as I started 2 days late. Thanks for the project!
ReplyDeleteHere's my last stone:
The subtle layers, between 'there' and 'not';
the naked lime-trees within the river-risen fog,
beyond the frail-paned window,
behind soft-pleated white curtains.
Thanks for this great project. I met lots of new people and enjoyed the reactions to my blogged stones. My last post here.
ReplyDeleteOutside the window the solar garden lights come on as the darkness falls. Despite the still short days and overcast skies they have absorbed some energy to reflect back. Tomorrow is the official beginning of spring, a stretch in the day, the sun returning. The valiant efforts of the solar lamps echo our own vestiges of hope that the winter will soon be over.
The sun sets over a silent sea
ReplyDeletepromising a peaceful night,
gently rocked into blissful sleep.
Here is my last stone of the January challenge - I was unable to post this before due to Internet problems. Thank you this wonderful project. I'm looking forward to the next one.
AROS (last post)
ReplyDeleteStreckenbericht
Spätsommerwind
den Weg zur neuen Arbeit
proberadeln
freihändig
ich breite meine Arme
weit in die Luft
im Rucksack
anstelle der Kamera
ein Skizzenblock
alte Radkarte
unverzeichnet
diese Strecke
zum Picknick
zwei Flaschen Wasser
und wilde Brombeeren
auf dem Rückweg
ein Krampf
in der mittleren Fußzehe
hingestreut
die gelben Boller ...
am Feldrand noch Mohn
i sat wide eyed in the dark
ReplyDeletedreaming myself light
Fragility Of Humor- Feb 7th
ReplyDeleteGrains of irritation
Grating the mind
Patience wearing thin
Edges getting frayed
leaving the visage threadbare
(http://www.ardramaamsandhyakal.blogspot.com/)
I seem to have been dropped from the e.mail distribution list, so here is my late comment/poem:
ReplyDeleteNumb fingers fumble
in the cold to feel the map.
Where am I going?
I would like to add that this has been a fabulous exercise for me. I am now committed to extending this exercise for a year.