Not a tree
But a twig
Not a mountain
Nor a mound
But a small deposit
Of mineral Earth
Boiled up from below
Perhaps more beautiful
Than it deserves to be
Like the problems I face
And resolve
Every day
Small deposits
All growing into me
Perhaps more beautiful
Than I deserve to be
Yellowstone National Park
Wyoming, United States of America
Taken during travels, 1996
Pic and a Word Challenge
Last week we illuminated the darkness with Light. This week let’s Scale up — or down — or seek something else to inspire you in this photograph of a twig slowly being overwhelmed by mineral deposits from a hot spring.
The Pic and a Word Challenge is (usually) a weekly creativity prompt offered Mondays.
Each week I provide a photograph of mine along with a single word. The challenge? Use the pic and/or word as points of inspiration to create something — a photograph, a painting, prose, poetry, fiction, non-fiction, longread or just a few words. You are welcome to use these two elements (photograph and word) literally, thematically or metaphorically. If you create both images and words, all the better.
To participate:
- Use any title you like
- Your response can be words and/or images
- You may use my image in your post, or any image you have created
- Mention that you are responding to the Pic and a Word Challenge
- Add a link to this post in your response
To help us find your response — whether on WordPress, Instagram, Flicker, Tumblr, etc. — you can also:
- Add a comment on this post to announce your response
- Apply the tag/hashtag “Pic and a Word Challenge” or “#picandawordchallenge” to your post
Each week, I’ll list the previous week’s responses at the end of the new challenge. I may also share some on my social media: Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Tumblr, etc.
The previous challenge was: Light

Four bloggers displayed their brilliance with Light this week. 😉 Thanks Everyone!
- the faerie tale bowl, by Defying Atrophy
- Light, by WoollyMuses
- Vibrancy of Spring, by HeavensSunshine
View all the Pic and a Word Challenges, including the current challenge, on the Pic and a Word Challenge tag page.
Happy Creating!