This week, I’ve been thinking about verbs. Specifically gerunds and participles. (Don’t ask why!) The more I thought about this, I decided why wouldn’t you want to be able to turn power-house verbs into nouns and adjectives. What better way to energize your writing? I also wanted to gather some well-crafted lines showing exactly how gerunds and participles work. Joyce Sidman is one of my go-to mentors, and sure enough, I found several verbals, along with many other examples of fine writing, in this gem.

“The Season’s Campaign”
by Joyce Sidman

I. Spring

We burst forth,
crisp green squads
bristling with spears.
We encircle the pond.
…

III. Fall

All red-winged generals
desert us. Courage
clumps and fluffs
like bursting pillows.

Read the whole poem here.

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