I entered this poem in The Wind Poetry Soup contest on October 10th, 2026. The rules required a poem between 14 and 20 lines, in any recognized poetry form. The title also had to contain exactly four words, including the word "wind".
Is Pac-Man eating the sun, or spitting out sunbeams?
Pac-Man Cloud Experience
...back when Nevadans had lawns...
Personal photo taken September 10th, 2011
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Who has seen the wind?
Neither I nor you.
But when the leaves hang trembling,
The wind is passing through.
Who has seen the wind?
Neither you nor I.
But when the trees bow down their heads,
The wind is passing by.
But when the leaves hang trembling, The wind is passing through.
Tree Leaves and Shadows
Photo by Esther Sorto on Unsplash
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But when the trees bow down their heads, The wind is passing by.
Passing Westerly Wind In the Trees
Photo by Ivan Nemchinov on Unsplash
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I thought this was a beautiful poem to use as inspiration. It got me thinking about how to describe the experience of wind through its effects on the environment, inanimate objects, and animals. I wanted to illustrate the ways we feel its presence, without explicitly using the word "wind" in my poem—except in the title, of course!
Mist Off The Water
Experience of wind through its effect on the environment
Photo by Oscar Avalos on Unsplash
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The inspiration poem also brought the following movie quote to mind.
"No matter how the wind howls, the mountain cannot bow to it." — The Emperor in Disney's Mulan
The Las Vegas Wash landscape,
which reminds me of the power and persistence of nature.
Here is the poem I came up with.
Wonders of the Wind
Deserts keep peculiar paces.
The weather takes many faces.
Like a dirt road, a tumbleweed graces,
Swiftly spices swirling sandnado spaces.
The weather takes many faces.
Like a dirt road, a tumbleweed graces,
Swiftly spices swirling sandnado spaces.
Moves of water and sand could be slow.
Sometimes in eye, either may blow.
Unwanted litter appears in F1 show.
How money landed there, we’ll never know.
It must be a playful force…
That raises skirts, of course!
Even when we look for a source,
Doubt ‘twill dissuade dresser’s remorse.
Birds, true masters of flight,
Sometimes struggle to stay right.
They kind of meander like my kite.
While in their plight, it is quite the sight!
Causes me to grab a shawl,
Helps me see where raindrops fall,
Alters the trajectory of the ball,
Magically mysterious to us all.
Originally published on the Poetry Soup website on October 10th, 2026.
Contest Results:
My poem placed fourth in a seven-way tie! There was a twelve-way tie for first, a four-way tie for second, and two-way tie for third. The competition was fierce, like a strong gust of wind.
Even while writing my entry, I thought wind was a wonderful subject because it could be interpreted in so many different ways. I'm honored to have placed in the contest.
Poet's Notes:
A Little Rhyme Research
The contest instructions emphasized selecting the correct poetry form when submitting an entry. Since I decided to try a slightly different rhyming scheme than usual, I found myself reading about the various rhyme forms described on the Poetry Soup website.
I wondered whether my poem qualified as monorhyme rather than general rhyme. After reading about the different forms, I concluded that it was still simply a rhyming poem. So, as usual, I worried too much for nothing. LOL!
Even so, I learned a lot about poetic rhyme forms, which I found fascinating. Who knew there were masculine and feminine rhymes?
Speaking of masculine...
Screenshot from The DaVinci Code IMDB image gallery
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Desert Dwellers and Swirling Sand
The first stanza was influenced by where I live: Las Vegas, in a desert. Write what you know, right?
The weather takes many faces.
A side of a sand dune is like a flat face on a pyramid.
Photo by Kurt Cotoaga on Unsplash
Link: Original
The weather takes many faces.
...Or maybe the weather makes faces...
Photo by Krists Luhaers on Unsplash
Link: Original
The reference to the weather taking many faces also had me envisioning the pyramids and the Sphinx in Egypt, slowly eroding in the wind. I enjoyed the double meaning of "faces"—both the sides of a pyramid and the facial features of a statue, perhaps formed from fine grains of sand.
Like a dirt road, a tumbleweed graces...
Tumbleweed Canyon Road
Image by jenniferspak from Pixabay
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Swiftly spices swirling sandnado spaces.
Dust Devil on Dirt Road
Sometimes, a photograph is better than an illustration.
Photo by Gleive Marcio Rodrigues de Souza on Unsplash
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Like a spinning dust devil, I revised the fourth line over and over. I wanted to describe how dirt could be lying on the road one minute and swirling through the air in a dust devil the next. I was also experimenting with alliteration, partly inspired by an alliterative poem I'd recently read and commented on at Poetry Soup.
Swiftly spices swirling sandnado spaces.
Dust Devil on Dirt Road
Sometimes, an illustration is STILL cool, though.
Photo by Gleive Marcio Rodrigues de Souza on Unsplash
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Hence, the abundance of wordplay in that line. Hello, fourth line in stanza one!
Litter, Money, and a Little Devil's Advocacy
Moves of water and sand could be slow.
Waves of Water Reach The Shore
Photo by CARTIST SARVAM on Unsplash
Link: Original
Moves of water and sand could be slow.
Famous Example of Slow Water and Sand Erosion — The Grand Canyon
Illustrations don't do the Grand Canyon justice.
Image by sarangib from Pixabay
Link: Original
The second stanza took some thought, too. I wanted to describe the slow movement of water and sand before introducing the faster idea of something suddenly blowing into the reader's eye. I considered phrases such as "waves of water," and "sand slides," but ultimately chose the more general word "moves" to connect the different kinds of motion.
That wording decision also set up the next line to snap like a whip and wake the reader up.
I always found it curious how raindrops and snowflakes made it past my glasses and hit my eyes when I was attending college in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Getting snowflakes in my eyes is soooo irritating...
Photo by omid armin on Unsplash
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Being a desert native, I worry more about sweat dripping into my eyes because of the heat or dirty wind blowing dust in them. That familiar irritation of things flying into my eyes surely influenced this poem about wind.
Sometimes in eye, either may blow.
Girl With Eyes Closed in Windy Weather
Image by ptksgc from Pixabay
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Unwanted litter appears in F1 show.
Pink Cup in the Gutter
Photo by Red Dot on Unsplash
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I also included a nod to the litter that appeared during Formula 1 races in Las Vegas, which irritated some viewers. I think the actual nuisance litter on the F1 racetrack was a plastic bag.
How money landed there, we’ll never know.
Pearl Inside an Oyster Shell
A pearl isn't money, but close enough. It's treasure!!
Image by Schaferle from Pixabay
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Then I juxtaposed that unwanted litter with the mysterious delight of finding money on the ground or other treasures.
We find money while walking around, probably regardless of where we live. (I sometimes wonder whether living in Las Vegas means I find more money than people in other cities do. I also like to believe my late mother sends me messages when I find money unexpectedly.)
Technically, money lying on the ground could be considered litter, too. So that stanza is playing devil's advocate, just to be cheeky.
A Windy Wardrobe
It must be a playful force…that raises skirts, of course!
Obvious nod to Marilyn Monroe
Photo by MARIOLA GROBELSKA on Unsplash
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It can get quite windy in the desert, so I don't wear skirts unless I'm wearing jeans underneath them. I KNOW MY REALITY. LOL!
I KNOW MY REALITY. LOL!
Extreme Look On Face - Storm Marilyn Monroe in Golden Dress
Even when we look for a source, doubt ‘twill dissuade dresser’s remorse.
Elle Woods As Playboy Bunny at College Party - Misled To Wear Costume
Legally Blonde Movie
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I also spent time figuring out how to write the abbreviation 'twill, meaning "it will." Since 'twas is an abbreviation of "it was," I followed that pattern. I liked how the final t sound in "doubt" flowed into 'twill, too.
Sometimes the sound of a word matters just as much as its meaning.
Birds, Kites, and a Curious Observation
I may have overdone the exclamation points in the poem, particularly the one at the end of the last line in the fourth stanza. I originally ended that line with a period because I intended it as a curious observation rather than an excited declaration.
I don't actually enjoy watching birds struggle to fly. When I see them having difficulty staying on course, I just think the wind must be especially interesting that day for the birds to be having such a hard time flying.
Birds...sometimes struggle to stay right. They kind of meander like my kite.
💖 Charming Woodstock 💖 — "You do you."
Image taken from Woodstock page in Peanuts Wiki
Category 1980s Woodstock Image
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The Romantic Stanza—and the Title
Causes me to grab a shawl...
Photo by OSPAN ALI on Unsplash
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I think of the fifth stanza as the romantic one. It's short and sweet, grasping at visionary wisps.
Helps me see where raindrops fall...
Roses in a Rainstorm
Image by chulmin1700 from Pixabay
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My favorite line in this entire poem is, "Helps me see where raindrops fall." I originally wanted to title the poem Where the Raindrops Fall. I also considered Magically Mysterious to All.
However, the contest required a four-word title containing "wind." When I thought about the poem as a whole, I realized I was describing the wonders of the wind throughout. Wonders of the Wind felt like the most fitting title.
Sometimes, the right words find their way to us when we stop trying so hard to find them.
Pure Country
Movie Cover
Great Movie! Highly Recommend Watching It!
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It also reminded me that many of our first encounters with poetry come through songs and the stories they tell. I still appreciate that connection, and I love that my mind made the connection to a song with the word "wind" in it, that also talks about the rain.
