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Poetry Friday, Week 1: Greeting the New Year

1/2/2026

Catherine at Reading to the Core and she has a great prompt for this month's challenge. Write a poem after Mary Lee’s “December” poem. Catherine's January poem makes me want to scurry and write one.
This has been a week of emotions. On Monday, I woke to Facebook news about a former parent and friend who passed away on vacation. Shocking!
I've had some interactions with the world that just makes me be happy to be a human and know that there are good and kind people in the world.
I finished with responding to copy edits on my book. I didn't get my OLW ready (next week).
I took a mini break in not writing a daily haiku. But here are the three I wrote.

Winter Poetry Pop-Up Salon: January 10, 2026 11AM-12 PM EST.
Come and let's write together in community on Saturday, January 10. Sign up HERE.

12 Comments

Wordless Wednesday: Week 1

12/31/2025

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Sunday Solace: Week 1

12/28/2025

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Poetry Friday, Week 52: Reflecting on 2025 OLW and Invitation

12/26/2025

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Welcome to the last Poetry Friday of 2025.
Tricia at The Miss Rumphius Effect. She's sharing a poetry sister's challenge of writing on the theme of peace, light, or hope. To read the poem inspired by thinking of her mom, head there.

In December for my Daily Haiku practice, I tried to incorporate those themes.

Dec. 3
day begins
in the bird's song-- quiet hope
all aglow
Jone Rush MacCulloch, 2025

Dec. 9
atmospheric river
rainy sheets
inside— fire, books, peace
Jone Rush MacCulloch, 2025

Dec. 14
sandy hook
never forgotten
lives cut short
light a candle
write a poem
Jone Rush MacCulloch, 2025

My 2025 OLW was DREAM. It served me well. I dreamt about possibilities and acted on them. One significant action was to abandon pursuing a Highlights Foundation Scholarship to instead, hire, Cordelia Jensen to coach and provide feedback on my almost ready to publish novel in verse. I had taken classes from her via Highlights in the past. Her feedback enabled me to get to the stage I'm at currently; working through copy edits.

Dream had me pursuing contests and submissions along with showing my photography and art in two places this year.
It's been a fabulous word. Next week, I will reveal my 2026 OLW which honestly started tagging along with DREAM about five months ago.

Winter Poetry Pop-Up Salon: January 10, 2026 11AM-12 PM EST

Come and let's write together in community on Saturday, January 10. Sign up HERE.

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Wordless Wednesday: Week 52

12/24/2025

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Sunday Solace: Week 52

12/21/2025

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Poetry Friday, Week 51: Solstice Elchen

12/18/2025

13 Comments

Michelle at MoreArt4All is hosting Poetry Friday today. She has a rich post reflecting on the Yoko Ono exhibit she recently saw. Her golden shovel based on All we are saying is give peace a chance is a hopeful and soothing balm.

Sunday is winter solstice. The photo is from December 21, 2023. Last year, I wasn't lucky to have a spectacular sunrise. I'm not sure if I will this year as we are having rain and atmospheric rivers one by one.

Today, I woke thinking about a solstice elfchen.

winter
shortest day
time for rest
until the light returns
solstice

Jone Rush MacCulloch, 2025

Sign Up to Receive a 2026 New Year Postcard
poetry postcards
brings tiny new year wishes
amid the bills

© Jone Rush MacCulloch

It's 14 days until 2026 begins! This means time to sign up for the poetry postcards.

Also, as far as I can tell, this may be the TENTH year of hosting. Woohoo!

Send five, send ten or send to all?
In Japan, it’s called Nengajo, a Japanese custom of ushering in the new year.
How It Works:

Choose to send five or ten postcards.
Create a postcard: you can buy a postcard and write a poem on the other side or you can create one postcard to send to everyone (I use Walgreens or Snapfish)
Once you get the names, send by February 17, 2026 (start of the Chinese New Years and someone's bday. wonder who?)
If you choose, you can work in the Chinese animal for 2026: The year of the Fire Horse. It is not required.

Please sign up by December 20 on HERE.

13 Comments

Wordless Wednesday: Week 51

12/17/2025

0 Comments

Sunday Solace: Week 51

12/14/2025

0 Comments

Poetry Friday, Week 50: Student Elfchens, Book News, and New Year Postcards

12/11/2025

9 Comments

Welcome to Poetry Friday! Linda at A Word Edgewise has hosting duties and is having fun her annual Christmas Mash-ups..
Last Thursday and Friday, I worked in a fourth grade room and taught the elfchen form. Using the poetry of Moe Phillips and Mary Cronin, we build a word bank.
Below are their poems. I discovered that when you talk snow and winter in December, it's hard to not bring Christmas along in the mix. They also created art with a moon, trees, snow, and shadows plus a few snowmen that are now on display with their other art.

My goal for 2026 is to send out a monthly newsletter on my Substack, Deowriter: Musings to Spark the Spirit. I plan to talk about my upcoming middle grade novel that I am planning to publish independently in the spring of 2026. So if you haven't signed up, please consider doing so.

Sign Up to Receive a 2026 New Year Postcard

poetry postcards
brings tiny new year wishes
amid the bills

© Jone Rush MacCulloch

It's 21 days until 2026 begins! This means time to sign up for the poetry postcards.

Also, as far as I can tell, this may be the TENTH year of hosting. Woohoo!

Send five, send ten or send to all?
In Japan, it’s called Nengajo, a Japanese custom of ushering in the new year.
How It Works:

Choose to send five or ten postcards.
Create a postcard: you can buy a postcard and write a poem on the other side or you can create one postcard to send to everyone (I use Walgreens or Snapfish)
Once you get the names, send by February 17, 2026 (start of the Chinese New Years and someone's bday. wonder who?)
If you choose, you can work in the Chinese animal for 2026: The year of the Fire Horse. It is not required.

Please sign up by December 20 on HERE.

9 Comments

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Poetry Friday, Week 1: Greeting the New Year

Winter Poetry Pop-Up Salon: January 10, 2026 11AM-12 PM EST.
Come and let's write together in community on Saturday, January 10. Sign up HERE.

Wordless Wednesday: Week 1

Sunday Solace: Week 1

Poetry Friday, Week 52: Reflecting on 2025 OLW and Invitation

Winter Poetry Pop-Up Salon: January 10, 2026 11AM-12 PM EST

Wordless Wednesday: Week 52

Sunday Solace: Week 52

Poetry Friday, Week 51: Solstice Elchen

Wordless Wednesday: Week 51

Sunday Solace: Week 51

Poetry Friday, Week 50: Student Elfchens, Book News, and New Year Postcards

Sign Up to Receive a 2026 New Year Postcard

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Winter Poetry Pop-Up Salon: January 10, 2026 11AM-12 PM EST. ​Come and let's write together in community on Saturday, January 10. Sign up HERE.

Winter Poetry Pop-Up Salon: January 10, 2026 11AM-12 PM EST

Sign Up to Receive a 2026 New Year Postcard

Author

Categories

Archives

Winter Poetry Pop-Up Salon: January 10, 2026 11AM-12 PM EST.
Come and let's write together in community on Saturday, January 10. Sign up HERE.