For Real Toads: sketching poetry

Yesterday, Ella (and I thought she was my friend) introduced poet and poetry-teacher Sandford Lyne to the writers' group Imaginary Garden with Real Toads.
Lyne's theory is "poetry sketching" or, as it says above, sketching poetry. The reasoning behind the theory is "artists sketch before they paint" so poets can do the same. He suggests keeping lists of words in different categories, and referring to the list before writing a poem.
This is contrary to all of my own poetry techniques (which I keep to a minimum) and doesn't seem to require major life events, like falling madly in love, or being deserted by the loved one, or war, or even peace. Just a list of words. You look at the list and art springs forth.
So, I grabbed my shopping list, and nothing sprang forth except dog hair.
Try again. Try all day yesterday. Jaywalk across busy streets thinking about lists of words.
Something sprang forth at 2am last night.
I sent my husband out of the room at 7am while I drank lots of coffee and looked at the four words.

flower storm cactus desert

Richard Schear photo, copyright Richard Schear and Kay Davies

Cactus Flower, Desert Storm

elegant flower

with cactus spines;

dangerous storm

wild with wonder --

why does the beauty

hide the danger?

how does the danger

hide the beauty?

Nature hides the beauty of the desert storm,

to protect the wanderer, urge him to safety.

so, too, the beauty of the cactus flower hides the spines

so insects will come to pollinate.

the wanderer, from a window, watches with wide eyes,

sees the beauty of the storm.

so, too, the spiky spines discourage those

who would pluck and eat the wondrous cactus flower.

Kay L. Davies, March, 2012