Sunday 30 January 2011

Post your last small stone here!


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 ; )

171 comments:

  1. 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!

    Jason
    http://jasoncrane.org

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  2. thanks Fiona and Kaspa!
    it'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

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  3. Thanks Fiona and Kaspa.
    Had a lovely time splashing around in the river with my fellow stones.
    Will be continuing playing with words and photos.
    Love and hugs

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  4. It's been a very interesting and challenging month, but fantastic to have taken part. Looking forward to submitting ten for the book.
    Thanks both for an excellent project.

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  5. Thanks again, Fiona and Kaspa!

    This 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!

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  6. A small stone:
    Flight 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

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  7. 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.

    Thanks, Fiona and Kaspa, it's been a wonderful experience.

    ReplyDelete
  8. 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.

    I 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.

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  9. Thanks Fiona & Kaspa!

    squirrel
    misplaced his
    acorn cache

    Barbara
    http://barbaraboethling.blogspot.com/

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  10. gathering
    stones
    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

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  11. Thanks again, Fiona and Kaspa!
    A 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

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  12. I have really enjoyed writing a small stone each day in January. I am going to keep going. Here's my last one -

    Last night
    as I drifted off to sleep
    window slightly open
    I could hear the rhythms of car noise
    pretended it was the sea

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  13. This has been a wonderful project - it really has helped me to 'open my eyes'(in fact all of my senses) and 'pay attention'!
    I'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

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  14. It's been a great month, lots of fun. Thanks, Fiona & Kaspa!

    small stone #31

    once the third crane is folded
    I'm no longer reaching for the instructions

    http://kirstencliffwrites.blogspot.com/

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  15. Thanks for an excellent project. I hope to keep up the momentum.

    My 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

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  16. pixels of bright new blood
    speckled 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

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  17. my 31st small stone:

    winter limbs- she learns her bones by pain


    Fiona and Kaspa, a deep bow to you~

    Dana-Maria Onica

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  18. 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:

    January 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.

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  19. Small Stone #31
    There is an art
    to true listening
    that makes me
    feel lovingly held.

    Thanks to all who read
    and any who commented.

    ReplyDelete
  20. River Stones 1/31/2011

    How 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!

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  21. My final stone:

    when 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.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Small Stone #31:

    smashing
    a jar of stars
    I dare
    to chase
    my dreams

    ReplyDelete
  23. 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:

    I tossed a handful of stones in the river and the ripples rolled out, and returned with words from around the world. Thank you.

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  24. Small Stone - the last official one for January:


    My love of words
    long dormant

    Rediscovered
    during January.

    To Fiona, Kaspar
    and their River of Stones,

    my gratitude.

    ReplyDelete
  25. My last small stone...for now.

    Her 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/

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  26. small stone 31 - by sidney

    white morning glory
    strangles the fence

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  27. THanks for the challenge FIona & Kaspar

    A 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.

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  28. After each frost the jasmine
    puts out new yellow candles of flower.

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  29. Forty or more (I started in December)
    dilutions 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.

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  30. I have your heart, hand, blood, breath, words, sweat, and time. As you groan, I reach out, all of them in my eyes.

    ReplyDelete
  31. Thanks for the great idea. I will quietly chip away at writing. Here's my last effort for January 2011.
    http://cbslogoblogo.blogspot.com/2011/01/daily-small-stone-31111.html

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  32. 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:


    I 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.

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  33. a slither of
    the waning moon
    appears
    on the horizon,
    not much, yet
    enough to hear
    my sighs

    ReplyDelete
  34. 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.


    Thanks for a great month. It's been a challenge but fun.

    Pete

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  35. It's been a great way to brighten up January. Thanks so much. Annie x

    the tide unravels lace ribbons
    sifts through rivers of stones

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  36. Tea

    Soak 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

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  37. Thank you for the inspiration!

    The lost glove waves sadly on the damp street corner, like an unrequited lover longing to be noticed.

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  38. Gathered some thoughts today
    Memories 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

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  39. 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!

    Here 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

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  40. My small stones have tended to be pockets full each
    day...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

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  41. It's been fun! You always learn something about writing and noticing - and yourself - when you have a "fixed goal".

    This 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

    ReplyDelete
  42. Have loved reading these so far, and hearing that some of you are hoping to carry on - excellent news.

    Here'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!

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  43. (and thank you for your gratitude. gratefully received)

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  44. To see my man
    Soothe my girl
    Is to see giants
    Kiss

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  45. 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.

    Thank you. This has been a joy to do.

    ReplyDelete
  46. beautiful weather - makes me want to clean and tidy up - to busy for small stones


    PS: 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!

    ReplyDelete
  47. Last small stone for January 2011

    After 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.

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  48. 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!!

    WEATHER 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.

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  49. A nervous blanket smothers the day
    Expectant 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...

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  50. A truly amazing, creative experience. Thank you Fiona & Kaspa!

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  51. I'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.

    For 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/

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  52. Crow on the wire
    flips his coat tails
    inclines his head
    and looks in on me


    Many thanks to everyone - a great experience!

    ReplyDelete
  53. I lost momentum because of personal circumstances.
    here 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)

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  54. 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:

    DELICATE WISP CASTS
    ITS SHADOW AS SHARPLY AS
    THE TOWERING OAK

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  55. Thanks Fiona and Kaspa!

    It 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!

    ReplyDelete
  56. A246
    bambi asleep
    in the gutter

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  57. This River in its long deliberate current, carries our days, light and earth now into a wider sea.
    All the small stones, turning, turning…

    ReplyDelete
  58. wild plum trees tower over
    the spacious hibernacle
    where a june beetle sleeps

    __
    This has been an enjoyable challenge!

    For more writing visit blush of dawn :)

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  59. 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:
    http://escapefromfear.blogspot.com/search/label/A%20river%20of%20stones

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  60. heavy dawn skies

    press down

    thirsty desert stretches

    spindly dry branches

    up

    http://desertsongstudio.typepad.com/desert_stones/
    www.desertsongstudio.com

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  61. 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...

    On 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

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  62. A ruby in the sky shatters crystal.


    *Thank you so much for helping me notice the small things in life (which are really huge).

    ~laurie

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  63. And if you’re really lucky, a flower

    Plant 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.

    ReplyDelete
  64. - sitting in this doorway, framed and warming till the sun pulls away -

    Looking forward to seeing lots of stones gathered in one place, both virtual and paper. Thanks for the impetus and encouragement.

    ReplyDelete
  65. Here is my final small stone. Thank you for this wonderful, insight-prompting project. Mindfulness be blessed!

    We
    Each
    Create
    Our own reality
    ~
    Conjure up
    Possibility

    http://www.kimnelsonwrites.com/2011/01/31/small-stone-31-whos-responsible/

    ReplyDelete
  66. Walking along the river banks
    picking 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.

    ReplyDelete
  67. Dip your hand in the water ~ pull out your golden moment

    Very enlightening process, which I've enjoyed immensely. Thanks to Fiona & Kaspa for making the journey possible.

    ReplyDelete
  68. 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...

    All 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.

    ReplyDelete
  69. I have loved this project and the pay-off, for me, of being more aware has been moments like this:

    I 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

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  70. I've posted my blog on the AROS site but here is another post which expresses my feelings about the project.

    Dynamic 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.

    ReplyDelete
  71. Thanks, Fiona and Kaspa. This has been fun and enlightening.

    My 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.

    ReplyDelete
  72. Sorry I've been so inconsistent this past while, but I did want to contribute to the final day. Thank you Fiona and Kaspalita.


    Trash-truck's steel, stick-insect arms hike bins overhead, dumping punctured, overstuffed bags of refuse into the metal omnivore's yawning maw.

    Kat Mortensen

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  73. small stone #31

    i 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 ♥

    ReplyDelete
  74. unexpected warmth
    the darting shadows of birds
    over the new grass

    Thanks so much for the project, Fiona and Kaspa.

    ReplyDelete
  75. I've really enjoyed taking part in this project, it's got me writing again! Many thanks...
    ~
    frozen canal
    the squall of rooks in the trees
    dark cathedrals of noise

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  76. Time flows by
    washing words downstream
    all that remains
    are small stones.

    Thanks for the challenge this month

    ReplyDelete
  77. The tyre swing hangs, empty and still, in a hollow O shape.
    The 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

    ReplyDelete
  78. 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.

    My last stone of the month (from a walk with my son this afternoon)~

    our shadows from the sunset
    lead the way home

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  79. 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!

    Here's my last little stone..

    The woods echo with a woodpecker’s rapid-fire.

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  80. The Watcher and A Small Stone

    ARoS 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.

    ReplyDelete
  81. My final stone...though I think I'll keep posting them! It's more of a small poem.

    "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."

    ReplyDelete
  82. I have enjoyed this project, even though I don't feel that I am very good at it.

    Here 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!

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  83. Tangled up in defiance
    a river of small stones
    closes the day

    Thank you Fiona & Kaspa
    Julie

    ReplyDelete
  84. Thanks to my fellow small stoners.
    Hope you have had as much fun as me splashing about in the river.
    Love and hugs.

    Fiona and Kaspa we love you

    ReplyDelete
  85. 1.31.11

    Insect 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!

    ReplyDelete
  86. I posted a photo for my last post. Here is my second to last "small stone"
    A snail has left
    his running stitch of silver thread
    in long looping trails
    on my path.

    ReplyDelete
  87. My last stone for our little journey-

    http://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.

    ReplyDelete
  88. The doctor peers suspiciously at my arm. Pokes it.

    '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.

    ReplyDelete
  89. Small Stone, 31st January 2011

    The palm trees look so odd in the middle of winter.

    Nora Nadjarian, Cyprus

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  90. Using what

    we know

    to make sense

    of the confusion


    www.douglasrobertson.co.uk/wordpress

    ReplyDelete
  91. 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.

    ReplyDelete
  92. I 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.

    After midnight,
    Quiet after the
    Busy-ness of day
    Except the howling of
    One train, and
    One dog.

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  93. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  94. coiled under the bed
    a new animal,
    furred grey
    ropes of dust

    ReplyDelete
  95. 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.

    Good 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.

    ReplyDelete
  96. Your eyes constantly smear
    the 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

    ReplyDelete
  97. My last small stone for the January challenge. As mentioned above, I plan to continue, at a less rigorous pace, perhaps... Thanks again!


    sweeping

    the sun bright floor

    dust

    illuminated


    - R. Cody -

    ReplyDelete
  98. My final aros for January. It's been fun.

    Tiny black specks against a pale sky; I spat each one out. I am no longer your host.

    Andy

    ReplyDelete
  99. Dear Fiona & Kaspa,
    It 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

    ReplyDelete
  100. On a dual carriage way
    between the busy lanes,
    a huddled mound of
    blackened cloth?

    Thank you both for the inspiration!=)

    Kristina

    ReplyDelete
  101. Sheets flicked back quickly across the bed
    fluorescent light casting a yelowy glow
    just sat down

    Speak soon

    A
    xx

    ReplyDelete
  102. lying in bed
    listening to a stream
    of diverted traffic

    ReplyDelete
  103. for days
    we stared where
    side-glances fell
    saw
    what was there


    Many thanks Fiona & Kaspa. Will the aros hastag live on?!

    Ged - dodgybard

    ReplyDelete
  104. Thank you all, amazing. I'm a little overwhelmed.

    Here 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

    ReplyDelete
  105. fish bones litter
    the 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.

    ReplyDelete
  106. 21st Stone The shape of things

    I've been noticing shadows
    how they help you see the form
    rather than get lost in the detail

    Kate

    ReplyDelete
  107. Here's the link to my last small stone and some thoughts on that!

    http://www.suburbanyogini.com/2011/01/31/my-last-aros-how-that-feels/

    Thank you so much F + K xx

    ReplyDelete
  108. thanks for this inspiration
    I 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

    ReplyDelete
  109. My last small stone for January, although I'm going to try to write one each day in 2011.

    http://jasoncrane.org/2011/01/31/stone-31/

    Thanks for making this happen.

    All the best,

    Jason

    ReplyDelete
  110. 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.


    Thank 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

    ReplyDelete
  111. I have enjoyed this participating in this.
    My 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

    ReplyDelete
  112. My last stone:

    January 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.

    ReplyDelete
  113. 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.

    Day 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.

    ReplyDelete
  114. Thank you Fiona.
    I'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

    ReplyDelete
  115. Sea glass

    Life has a way of polishing off your rough edges; like glass tumbled by the sea.

    Thanks Fiona and Kaspa

    ReplyDelete
  116. 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.

    I look forward to collecting other stones.

    Some days words were slow.
    Sometimes coming not at all.
    Those that came soothed me.

    ReplyDelete
  117. the weight over
    a community meeting
    the old woman's grudge

    And thanks Fiona and Kaspa for your curation of AROS

    Matt

    ReplyDelete
  118. Your tiny body, my friend, a flower:
    I am your stem, you - my petal.

    know that when you fall, you wanted to.

    ReplyDelete
  119. Thank You for organising this.
    Here 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.

    ReplyDelete
  120. 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.

    new shoots--
    between me and tulips
    these deer

    ReplyDelete
  121. 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.
    Thanks for the inspiration.
    Todays stone is:

    Pink bands of clouds
    covers the sky
    as a flock
    of swallows
    race by.

    ReplyDelete
  122. Thanks for a great project. I've enjoyed every minute of reading and writing it.
    Here'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.

    ReplyDelete
  123. I'm at a loss
    I 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

    ReplyDelete
  124. quiet stream

    old stones
    wearing down
    too slow

    to ever see

    ReplyDelete
  125. 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!!]

    All 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

    ReplyDelete
  126. Thanks for a creative January

    TO 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.

    ReplyDelete
  127. 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

    ReplyDelete
  128. thank you, Fiona and Kaspa! What an aamazing thing this river has become.

    :: ::

    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)

    ReplyDelete
  129. Thank you for leading this! Definitely helps keep me going.

    Skipping 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).

    ReplyDelete
  130. 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! :)

    I'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

    ReplyDelete
  131. Final stone (or is it?)

    I’m noticing how beginnings and ends are not actually either one but bleed into what went on before and what happens after.

    ReplyDelete
  132. 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.

    My last stone for January

    Aware, always
    with the eyes of a child,
    of the great potential
    for wonder and awe
    and curiosity.

    ReplyDelete
  133. My 30 small stones are gathered at my new blog called Gathering Small Stones here at http://gatheringsmallstones.blogspot.com
    I have enjoyed this so much and will continue writing the small stones.

    ReplyDelete
  134. 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.

    Touch 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

    ReplyDelete
  135. I dislodge the last small stone
    and 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.

    ReplyDelete
  136. 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.

    ReplyDelete
  137. I'm not sure my small stone posted...
    My 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

    ReplyDelete
  138. 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.



    With 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.

    ReplyDelete
  139. Hot Pink Sunset

    Today 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

    ReplyDelete
  140. 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:

    Baptized in the River of Stones
    I arise anew
    I am the world
    And the world is me.

    ReplyDelete
  141. I am sure the hole
    in this sewing needle
    is shrinking

    ReplyDelete
  142. Actually, I had several for today. I suppose it was for those days I missed writing a small stone:


    Above 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.

    ReplyDelete
  143. Vacant home
    needs few repairs,
    available for immediate occupancy

    (to see the picture you can go to my blog) :)

    ReplyDelete
  144. 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.

    one observation
    often leads to another

    ReplyDelete
  145. Thank you all for observing, composing,
    revising, posting,
    sharing, visiting and commenting.


    Monthlong writing fling
    ends like a dim memory
    of Molloy crawling.

    ReplyDelete
  146. Anne-Marie Flynn1 February 2011 at 03:42

    On the last, cold day in January
    Under 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.

    ReplyDelete
  147. Thank you Fiona and Kaspa for this wonderful experience.

    Wild 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

    ReplyDelete
  148. Dead of night and the wind chime begins its faint, trickling call.

    ReplyDelete
  149. http://offthepagepoetry.com/2011/01/31/dixon-ticonderoga/

    Dixon 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?

    ReplyDelete
  150. This has been an absolutely lovely experience!

    My stone for the day:

    Drops of ice blanket the sidewalks and trees while traffic creeps down the streets.
    The grocery stores are bare.

    ReplyDelete
  151. I started my blog in October 2010 with visions of posting daily.

    It 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?

    ReplyDelete
  152. dusk
    in mauve velour
    each finger
    touching the smooth paper
    of the tanka journal

    [Thank you, Fiona and Kaspa!]

    ReplyDelete
  153. January is full of surprises:
    clouds 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.

    ReplyDelete
  154. Monday, 1-31 - Farewell to January

    Nighttime 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.)

    ReplyDelete
  155. River of Stones Day 31

    In 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

    ReplyDelete
  156. 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!):

    LEMON
    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.

    ReplyDelete
  157. i came into this project late,
    i 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..

    ReplyDelete
  158. Some flights are boring.
    Others 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.

    ReplyDelete
  159. 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.

    Soft 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.

    ReplyDelete
  160. Frost veiled leaves
    Arch 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

    ReplyDelete
  161. I've ended today as I started a day late.
    This 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.

    ReplyDelete
  162. Finally caught up (started late). Thoroughly enjoyed it, and met some wonderful people too.

    a 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

    ReplyDelete
  163. Ach! Late! But here's my last one, posted with a small painting:

    Three small stones observed,

    made of paper, pigment, love --

    January's gifts.

    ReplyDelete
  164. :) Thanks for the 'late' offerings everyone. Lovely.

    ReplyDelete
  165. I'm 2 days late as I started 2 days late. Thanks for the project!
    Here'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.

    ReplyDelete
  166. Thanks for this great project. I met lots of new people and enjoyed the reactions to my blogged stones. My last post here.

    Outside 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.

    ReplyDelete
  167. The sun sets over a silent sea
    promising 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.

    ReplyDelete
  168. AROS (last post)
    Streckenbericht

    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

    ReplyDelete
  169. i sat wide eyed in the dark
    dreaming myself light

    ReplyDelete
  170. Fragility Of Humor- Feb 7th

    Grains of irritation
    Grating the mind
    Patience wearing thin
    Edges getting frayed
    leaving the visage threadbare

    (http://www.ardramaamsandhyakal.blogspot.com/)

    ReplyDelete
  171. I seem to have been dropped from the e.mail distribution list, so here is my late comment/poem:

    Numb 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.

    ReplyDelete