BERJAYA

Poetry Friday–Endangered Species, Mary Oliver, & How’s Your Air?

Posted on July 16, 2026 by Michelle Kogan Art, Illustration, & Writing

*Dunes Restoration with Piping Plover,* endangered species, © 2013, watercolor and watercolor pencil.

Happy Poetry Friday!

The last week has felt like a couple of weeks smashed into one here in Chicago… We’ve had very high temps and now extremely unhealthy air quality-due to wildfires in Canada. I can’t help but think that the climate crisis we are in has triggered or at least is playing a major part in these conditions. A week before this all unfolded, I was flustered by the severe cuts to our Endangered Species Act, ESA. My poem, a golden shovel, is in response to the changes to the ESA. The print above is from a painting I did a while back featuring an endangered piping plover from my neighborhood beach. The print, Dunes Restoration with Piping Plover, is available in my Etsy Shop.

ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT (ESA) OF 1973

Caring for our environment requires
We step outside of ourselves and care/speak for the
vulnerable species ensuring their designation
is listed, protected, and that they’re of
the utmost importance, allowing for their critical
situations to improve, including their habitats.
The continuance and protection of ESA is vital,
because loss of one species spirals into losing others, and for
the protection of all species including humans and their/
our offspring, and all the world’s future recovery.

Striking line from the ESA, requires the designation of critical habitats vital for their recovery.

Visit the Endangered Species Coalition Website and learn about things you can do to help restore/protect the ESA.

Mary Oliver, public domain image from the Library of Congress.

On a lighter note, I went to our wonderful Gene Siskel Film Center and saw Mary Oliver: Saved by the Beauty of the World, directed by Sasha Waters. It’s a really rich and full film on Oliver’s life, poetry, and people that she interacted with. I highly recommend it, if it comes your way. And, it may come your way, here’s a link to a trailer and to a source to look up and see if it will come your way.

Mosey on over to talented poet, journaler, and artist Jill Dailey’s blog, Jilly Bean Studio, where she is hosting this week’s Poetry Friday Roundup, thanks Jill.

Posted in Home, Nature, Painting, Poem, poetry, Trips | Tagged #ArtistPoet, #EndangeredSpeciesAct, #MaryOliver, #MichelleKogan, #PoetryFriday | 8 Comments

Poetry Friday–Garden Ekphrastic Poems

Posted on July 9, 2026 by Michelle Kogan Art, Illustration, & Writing

*Backyard Compass Plant,* © 2026 Michelle Kogan

Happy Poetry Friday!

I have a garden medley of poems. My garden’s presently so full of busy bees one must take care in their habitat. They will slow down after the milkweed flowers are spent, there’ll still be flowers to pollinate but not as tasty as the milkweed.

My first poem, a tanka, uses my current OLW, pause, and a previous one also, compass.

PATIENCE PERHAPS REWARDS…

Pause for compass plant,
it’s long tropical leaves
reach skyward, demand
autonomy of place
before flowers appear…

Bees…

how many will buzz
on milkweed’s full blooms filling
nectar-full-bellies…

Epilogue…

can you find the bees
amongst the fragrant milkweed
two, three, four, or five…

EVENING PRIMROSE

dusk settles day
sunshine greets evening on
pinwheeled yellow poms.

Another visitor to my garden this week:

*Monarch on False Sunflower,* © 2026 Michelle Kogan

stay active, engaged
and if day’s din brings you down
take a nature stroll…

Now, mosey on over to talented poet and writer Jan’s blog Bookseedstudio where she is hosting this week’s Poetry Friday Roundup, thanks Jan! Can’t wait to discovery the wonders she’s sharing this week…

Posted in Children's Illustration & Writing, Haiku, Home, Nature, Nature photos, Poem, poetry, Writing | Tagged #ArtistPoet, #GardenEkphrasticPoems, #MichelleKogan, #PoetryFriday, #PollinatingBees | 8 Comments

Poetry Friday—Roundup–4th of July Justice

Posted on July 2, 2026 by Michelle Kogan Art, Illustration, & Writing

*People’s Freedom Tree,* and haiku, © 2026 Michelle Kogan, pencil drawing digitally colored.

people’s freedom tree
resprouts united and
won’t be divided

Happy Poetry Friday!

The Roundup is here, and more. Please leave your links with Mister Linky below.

This is a charged weekend for some of us in the USA. With the 250th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, our Semiquincentennial, many are ambivalent about celebrating. My feelings are mixed too, hence I wrote about these mixed feelings in my poem, and with the songs I’m sharing. I want to remember where we started, how far we have come, and how we can continue to hold and move forward with these truths that are “self-evident that all people are are created equal. That they are endowed […] with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.–“

HEY AMERICA

USA,
I hear you’re
250 years old,
and supposed to be
celebrating with
grand pageantry your
Semiquincentennial.

However,
present actions
seem ajar,
our history as
a country is
far from spotless,
with many injustices
shoved into closets, waiting
to be reexamined.

Why not begin by
remembering freedom
in the auspices of Liberty.
How can we even move
toward Happiness
without Freedom.

Didn’t our Declaration
decry that destructive ends
of government ought be
altered or abolished
by The People and
“new government
installed.”
Didn’t we separate from
a tyrannical King
some 250 years ago
need we do this
again—

The road ahead
though thorny, rocky
and precipitous
needs readjustment—
Bickering among the states
though high, need not be
higher than The People’s
desire for Truth &
Transparency—
Set aside patriotic
color variations,
rally your family, friends,
neighbors and even
naysayers, join together
and put your words
into ACTION

Even though we are called
the United States–
and may not
all be United,
The People,
desire to reclaim their
“Unalienable Rights,
that among these are
Life, Liberty, and
the Pursuit of
Happiness.–”

Let’s raise Liberty
up high and reclaim
Our Freedom
Our Justice
Our Rights
for all The People!

Jessie Welles sings a few songs about 14 minutes into this interview.

A walk through part of the 2026 Annual Touhy Beach Mural Project, in the Rogers Park Neighborhood of Chicago.

Wishing you a safe and happy 4th however you spend/share it!

I’ll be sharing mine with family, and will continue visiting posts through the weekend.

Please leave your links here:

Posted in Haiku, Holidays, Home, Nature, Painting, Pencil Drawing, Poem, poetry, Writing | Tagged #ArtistPoet, #FreedomTree, #Justice, #MichelleKogan, #PoetryFridayRoundup | 37 Comments

Poetry Friday– Triptych Prompt

Posted on June 25, 2026 by Michelle Kogan Art, Illustration, & Writing

Happy Poetry Friday & Happy Summer!

Ah the Triptych… A poetry form or writing that contains three parts, and invites exploration. Thanks for this prompt Poetry Sisters, I enjoyed the venture here! Be sure to visit all the Poetry Sisters and more for their Triptych adventure this month: Tanita, Laura, Mary Lee, Liz, Sara, Tricia, and Kelly. Find more poems from this prompt tagged with #PoetryPals.

Thoughts on the World and Beyond…

What if
we all wished
for a world without wars
and what if
the wish began on
our summer equinox
and what if
the wish where
so big, from
so many people
that change
ignites.

II.

What if
moon speaks
with sister stars
and together they send
rays and moonbeams
generating positive
influence across the universe
and an effect like the Atlantis
spreads from shore to shore
across continents
across the
world.

III.

And what if
the energy on earth
becomes so great
it echoes kinetic energy
like an aurora borealis,
and an aura fills the
periphery of Earth and
creates altering behaviors,
changes in humans and
animals, ridding individual
species of animosity and
instilling seas of
compassion with
desires to work
towards the
betterment
of the
Universe,
what
if…

© 2026 Michelle Kogan, draft

Talented poet and writer Tricia Stohr-Hunt at her blog The Miss Rumphius Effect is hosting this week’s Poetry Friday Roundup, thanks Tricia, be sure to stop by!

And come on back to my blog next week when I will be hosting the Poetry Friday Roundup!

Posted in Home, Nature, Painting, Poem, poetry, Writing | Tagged #ArtistPoet, #MichelleKogan, #naturelovers, #PoetryFriday, #TriptychPoem, #WhatIf, Tricia Stohr-Hunt | 19 Comments

Poetry Friday–Nasturtiums

Posted on June 18, 2026 by Michelle Kogan Art, Illustration, & Writing

Happy Poetry Friday & Happy Almost Summer!

My nasturtiums caught my eye one morning this week and demanded I write another poem for them. On my way to teach, I took a few moments to get lost in them, so glad I did.

Natures a salve for
all the flotsam and jetsam
round our busy lives.

Stop on by talented, poet, writer and photographer Buffy Silverman’s blog, as she’s hosting this week’s Poetry Friday Roundup, thanks Buffy!

Hope you catch some wonder this week…

Posted in Cards, Haiku, Home, Nature, Painting, pen sketch | Tagged #ArtistPoet, #MagicalNasturtiums, #MichelleKogan, #naturelovers, #poem, #PoetryFriday #MichelleKogan, #Wonder, Buffy Silverman | 11 Comments

Poetry Friday-Triolet & MPLS

Posted on June 11, 2026 by Michelle Kogan Art, Illustration, & Writing

*SEPTEMBER ROOM ( ROOM WITH TWO RECLINING FIGURES AND COMPOSITION WITH LONG VERTICALS)*,
Mark Manders, 2017, The Netherlands, exhibited in the Walker Art Center’s Sculpture Garden, © 2026 Michelle Kogan

Happy Poetry Friday!

LATE BLOOMING LOVE

A kindled bond comes late in life
gasps of love unburied,
stay clear of lingering strife.

A kindled bond comes late in life
joys of sisterhood emerge beyond midlife
an embraceable path, unworried

A kindled bond comes late in life
gasps of love unburied

We made a trip to Minneapolis last week, to visit with family–my sister and her husband, and take in some art, and nature. We walked around the Minnehaha Falls.

We stayed in an Airbnb and experienced the friendly city–people are warm and inviting there. We were just a few blocks from a memorial for Alex Pretti.

*Alex Pretti Memorial,* MPLS, MN © 2026 Michelle Kogan

Spent a day at the MIA, Minneapolis Institute of Art, a must see fabulous museum! Saw their special exhibit: Modern Art and Politics in Germany 1910-1945. Later in the day had a special mini meet-up with Laura Purdie Salas in St Paul, it was warming to meet in person! then went back to the MIA for the evening.

*Modern Art and Politics in Germany 1910-1945*, at MIA, © 2026 Michelle Kogan

*Tower of Mothers,* 1937-38 Käthe Kollwitz, From *Modern Art and Politics in Germany 1910-1945*, at MIA, © 2026 Michelle Kogan

*Belle-Alliance-Platz in Berlin,* Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, 1914, From *Modern Art and Politics in Germany 1910-1945*, at MIA,
© 2026 Michelle Kogan

Squeezed in a small pen and watercolor drawing while on our way back home…

Highway Views of Wisconsin, © 2026 Michelle Kogan,
pen & watercolor.

The multi talented poet and artist Linda Mitchell is hosting this week’s Poetry Friday Roundup at her blog Another Word Edgewise, thanks Linda, be sure to stop by!

Posted in Home, Nature, Nature photos, Painting, pen sketch, Poem, poetry, Sketchbooks, Trips, Writing | Tagged #ArtistPoet, #MIA, #MichelleKogan, #Minneapolis, #PoetryFriday, #Sisters, #Triolet, #watercolorpainting | 12 Comments

Poetry Friday–Pot Luck Prompt…

Posted on May 28, 2026 by Michelle Kogan Art, Illustration, & Writing

*Backyard Garden Clematis,* © 2026 Michelle Kogan

Happy Poetry Friday!

KEEP YOUR EYES PEELED, & …

Another trip round the sun, I
sure wouldn’t mind
s-t-r-e-t-c-h-i-n-g these trips out, the
paceseemsuncanny— WAY
TooFAST. Time
teeters on at warp speeds…
Our world, country, and lives bounce up
and down. Year passes as
if we just blinked, as if
on auto-pilot, however it
even bothers Year, for Year hasn’t
had time to digest, reset, and you guessed
it, map our route and suggest the
world’s destination…

Golden Shovel poem, for the striking line I borrowed a few lines from Linda Pastan’s poem COUNTING BACKWARDS

*Sun Emerging,* © 2024 Michelle Kogan, watercolor

I’ve joined the Poetry Sister’s May prompt to write a Pot Luck Poem, and chose the Golden Shovel poem form. I was hunting around for a Birthdayish poem as my Birthday is 5-29, and I came across Linda Pastan’s poem COUNTING BACKWARDS which I mentioned above and linked to. As of late, and over the last year, time has been ever present on my mind, and I’m accumulating quite a few poems in this area. That aside I enjoyed Pastan’s poem and decided to grow it into a new poem.

Sending thanks to all the Poetry Sisters, be sure to visit their blogs to see what’s in their Pot of Luck-filled poems: Tanita, Laura, Mary Lee, Liz, Sara, Tricia, and Kelly. Find more poems from this prompt tagged with #PoetryPals.

FYI I’m taking a wee trip next week up to lovely MPLS and not sure if I’ll be posting, have to play it by ear…

Now mosey on over to talented writer, poet, and more Mary Lee Hahn’s blog A(nother) Year of Reading where she is hosting this week’s Poetry Friday Roundup, thanks Mary Lee! She’s offering quite a spread and focusing on Summer!

Posted in Holidays, Home, Nature, Nature photos, Painting | Tagged #ArtistPoet, #GoldenShovelPoem, #MichelleKogan, #naturelovers, #PoetryFriday, #poetrypals, Mary Lee Hahn | 17 Comments

Poetry Friday–Modal Poem

Posted on May 21, 2026 by Michelle Kogan Art, Illustration, & Writing

*Dark-eyed junco and Flowers,* WIP, © 2026 Michelle Kogan, watercolor and pens.

Happy Poetry Friday!

I decided to try on a modal poem. About two weeks back I found this delightful poem and form at Linda Mitchell’s blog post, Another Word Edgewise, and all the Inklings were writing poems to this form too. Thanks Linda, and all the Inklings for your modal poems! Briefly, the modal poem uses modal verbs: may, might, must, could, can, ought, should, would, will. It also offers/expresses possibility ability, necessity, and permission.

Here’s my venture…

BIRDS BRING POSSIBILITIES…

Dark-eyed junco might
visit you one morning,
they may scrounge round ground
and pick out plump bits of seed.

Dark-eyed junco could
capture your heart if
you’re ready and can
patiently keep your distance.

But how about you,
would you could you
pause and ponder on what
the Dark-eyed junco may be thinking …

Talented poet and artist Carol Labuzzetta at her blog, The Apples in My Orchard is hosting this week’s Poetry Friday Roundup, thanks Carol, be sure to stop by!

Posted in Children's Illustration & Writing, Home, Nature, Painting, pen sketch, Poem, poetry, Writing | Tagged #art, #ArtistPoet, #Darkeyedjunco, #MichelleKogan, #ModalPoem, #Naturelover, #Pause, #PoetryFriday, #watercolor, Carol Labuzzetta, Linda Mitchell | 10 Comments

Poetry Friday–Time…

Posted on May 14, 2026 by Michelle Kogan Art, Illustration, & Writing

*Montrose Point Bird* *Sanctuary,* © 2026 Michelle Kogan

Happy Poetry Friday!

I’m sharing an unwinding poem inspired by daisies and oopsy that popped into my thoughts this week, along with the desire to return to my OLW which I slipped in there a couple of times…

TIME MAKEOVER…

Oopsy-daisy
half-our-way
through May
that’s crazy

Didn’t she just
open her door
did I miss it,
time to readjust…

I’m pulling pause
cause time’s
slipp’n by too fast
with no reason or cause

Can’t even catch
a break to wink and
before we blink
we must dispatch

and then it’s
tomorrow, next week,
next year, and
feels like the pits

but wait, where’s that
pause—Come now
pretty please, let’s
power down and arrive at

some quiet,
r-e-f-l-e-c-t-i-v-e
m-e-d-i-t-a-t-i-v-e
moment and apply it,

with breath and
inner sensation
guiding calm whole
body refresh…

The talented poet Patricia J Franz, at her blog Reverie, is hosting this week’s Poetry Friday Roundup, be sure to stop by, thanks Patricia!

Posted in Home, Nature, Nature photos, Poem, poetry | Tagged #ArtistPoet, #MichelleKogan, #naturelovers, #OLW, #PoetryFriday, #Time | 12 Comments

Poetry Friday–Mom’s Day…

Posted on May 7, 2026 by Michelle Kogan Art, Illustration, & Writing

*Indiana Dunes,* © 2019, Michelle Kogan, watercolor.

Happy Poetry Friday & Happy Mother’s Day!

When I surface from my grading, which has to be soon as the due date is dangling before me… Oops, but I also have family visitors this weekend, and how could I miss Mom’s Day. Sooo here’s a wee poem for all those overburdened mom’s out there, relief is on the way, hang in there, don’t I sound convincing…

LIDDLE-DE WHAT DAY…

Fiddle-de-dee
Fiddle-de-da
Did someone say
Mother’s Day?

Find a space a way
to twiddle-de out
a wee bit of time
for biddle-de Mom
on liddle-de Mom’s Day!

Mosey on over to talented Author and Poet Cathy Stenquist’s blog where she is hosting this week’s Poetry Friday Roundup, thanks Cathy!