A poem by Rosalie Hendon
A poem by Rosalie Hendon
Ode to the diatom
Ode to the diatom
Every second breath you take
is thanks to a diatom
Single-celled, microscopic
Swimming in the ocean,
converting sunlight to oxygen
It’s not rainforests that are
the planet’s lungs, it’s
the oceans and these tiny swimmers
Even when they die, their bodies
fall to the depths, feed the fish,
raise the sea floor until one day
they are the sand outside the beach resort,
the desert sloughing dust into the wind
that carries it to the ocean
An endless loop, diatoms feeding diatoms
and the breathing part is incidental
but much appreciated
ASK THE POET
Rosalie, What or who inspires you?
I'm inspired by everyday moments, things other people say, science, nature,
and dreams. I admire the work of so many poets, including Sarah Kay, Joy
Harjo, Barbara Kingsolver, Mary Oliver, and Hanif Abdurraqib.
What is the best advice you ever received?
In life? You can't grow in your comfort zone. You get out what you put in.
In writing? Write, even if not inspired. As SARK says, "Many of us wait for
'the inspiration' and only then take out paper and pen, or turn on the
computer. This means that we write infrequently, following gusts of
inspiration, which arrive whimsically and less frequently than our
action-taking energy." Action comes before inspiration, as she says.
Do you write to prompts? If so, what's your favorite? If not, why not?
Yes! I love writing prompts. They are great if nothing comes to mind to
write about. I got back into regularly writing during COVID. I
started a virtual poetry group with a weekly writing prompt, and it was
amazing to read what my friends (most of whom do not identify as writers)
wrote. We had some great prompts the group generated. Here are a few of my
favorites: Loving yourself. On camera/avert your eyes. Things we don't talk
about. On waiting.
Rosalie Hendon (she/her) is an environmental project manager living in Columbus, Ohio. Her work is published in Ravens Perch, Quibble Lit, Sad Girls Diaries, Pollux, Blue Bottle, and Willawaw, among others. Rosalie is inspired by ecology, relationships, and stories passed down through generations.