Paradise Loop
Bicycle Ride in Marin County, California
Mornings are a sustained hymn / without the precision of faith. (Oliver de la Paz)
Days on the bay start overcast,
the sun must fight its way out of the fog,
like thoughts when first waking up.
On the Mill Valley path, along the marsh,
ribbons of fog mirrored on the surface
of small pools garlanded by grass.
A great egret, erect, expectant,
a scatter of black-necked stilts
stepping carefully on their pink-rose legs.
Along Strawberry Cove,
ducks flying low, splash-landing,
a brown pelican cruising farther out.
Birds offer a melodious background
to the ticking of my shifters.
These sounds silence world’s dissonance.
On the bayside trail, once rail, Tiburon ahead.
The name means shark, yet the town is slow-paced,
the terminal crowd-free, the ferry almost a toy boat.
I stop at the Depot Museum to take in the view,
the Golden Gate Bridge in full display,
as the morning shroud unravels.
Blue has taken over the morning, above and below,
in shades from pastel to deep.
Aroma of coffee and pastries in the air.
Joggers, dog walkers, anglers join me
in holding close this sustained hymn,
wishing for a splash of faith to believe the next hour,
the next day will be this way, this peace,
the red bridge an arc of hope reaching
across cold water to the other side.
What Inspires You
I wrote the first draft of the poem “Paradise Loop” in response to a prompt during the 2025 Poetry SuperPAC, a poetry accountability club hosted by Rachel Richardson and David Roderick at Left Margin LIT
On Day 21, we were prompted to write an aubade (a morning song, a lyrical poem greeting the new day), and I was inspired by
– one of the referenced poems, Oliver de la Paz’s “Aubade with Bread for the Sparrows” https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/57670/aubade-with-bread-for-the-sparrows
—one of my favorite bicycle rides in the San Francisco Bay Area
This is the link to the upcoming 2026 edition of the online event
https://www.leftmarginlit.org/challenge-page/superpac-2026
Last year was my first time participating and it was inspiring to get daily prompts and work alongside many people, then sharing our drafts. I’m already signed up for the 2026 edition.
Tyler Mills’ Poetry 15: Monthly Poetry Prompt is another source of inspiration for me https://tylermills.substack.com/
I suggest getting into the mailing list of Tyler Mills, Kim Addonizio, and Susie Meserve: they all organize great workshops.
Grant Faulkner runs a twice-a-week “Just Write!” group at Left Margin LIT. Once a month, there is a free trial:
https://www.leftmarginlit.org/accountability-write-ins-faulkner
Having this on my schedule helps ensure I set aside time to write
Bio
Simona Carini was born in Perugia, Italy. She writes poetry and nonfiction (memoir, food, the outdoors). Her first poetry collection Survival Time was published by Sheila-Na-Gig Editions (2022). She lives in Northern California with her husband and two rescue cats, loves to spend time outdoors, and works as an academic researcher. She shops at farmers’ markets and often creates still lifes with the produce she purchases. Her website is https://simonacarini.com/
Find the Spring 2026 Issue HERE
Previous NPM 2026 poets
| April 1 | Amy Forstadt |
| April 2 | Annette Sisson |
| April 3 | Beth Kanell |
| April 4 | Bonnie Proudfoot |
| April 5 | Charles Stringer |
| April 6 | D. Dina Friedman |
| April 7 | David Colodney |
| April 8 | Deanna Ludwin |
| April 9 | Eileen Pettycrew |
| April 10 | Felice Alexandra |
| April 11 | Grace Massey |
| April 12 | Hallie Fogarty |
| April 13 | Isabel Cristina Legarda |
| April 14 | Jon Yungkans |
| April 15 | Kim Welliver |
| April 16 | Laura Foley |
| April 17 | Laurie Kuntz |
| April 18 | Marissa Glover |
| April 19 | Michelle McMillan-Holifield |
| April 20 | Miriam Sagan |
| April 21 | Roy Mason |
| April 22 | Sarah Banks |
| April 23 | Sean Whalen |
| April 24 | Shutta Crum |
| April 25 | Simona Carini |