Beach Picking

The red buckets
tucked in cubbies,
like toys for toddlers,
reeled us in.

Pick a pail,
the sign read.
Pitch in,
pick up litter.

So we did.

We netted bits of plastic
a sock, some rope,
a bottle, and a bait bag.

"Here's something," one said.
"There's something," the other said.
And the game was on.

One red bucket.

A mere drop in the ocean ...
or the rising tide
of awareness?

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When you're interested in writing a bit about something but not interested in writing a long essay or book(!), try putting your story in the form of a poem.

Narrative poetry allows you to tell your story in verse. Though not always, it's a shorter version of storytelling, and one you might find more inviting, a little less intimidating, or challenging ... at least sometimes.

Some still hang
like ornaments,
bright and red
and shiny.

Others make like
polka dots, red on
green, beneath
the tree.

The ones that
fill the gutter
line up like bowling
balls in the automated
return.

Is it the imperfections,
or is it because they're not
already picked, in a bag,
or in a store?

I wish it was my apple tree.

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Poetry in memoir is a great way to tell a short story in as few words as possible.

There's no need to rhyme, or overthink the structure of verse of your poem. True some poems are set with strict rules and form, but there's also free verse and narrative poetry.

Writing in a different style or form may be liberating. Why not try it?