Real Life #NationalPoetryMonth

It is April, and I am joining many others in celebrating National Poetry Month. This month many people turn to their gardens and landscapes and play in the dirt. I'd rather do a little playing with words. This month I will be creating found poems by taking words, phrases, and lines from other texts and rearranging them into a "literary collage" with a whole new meaning.

Many people go through life looking for the perfect, or the better, or something they do not have. When many times, we just need to be thankful for the surprises we find in our own real lives.

Check out Jama's round-up of month-long Kitlit poetry events for more inspiration.

And the progressive poem continues with Linda, choosing between the two lines I wrote yesterday.

1.   Donna Smith at Mainely Write
2.   Irene Latham at Live Your Poem
3.   Jone MacCulloch at deowriter
4.   Liz Steinglass
5.   Buffy Silverman
6.   Kay McGriff at A Journey Through the Pages
7.   Catherine Flynn at Reading to the Core
8.   Tara Smith at Going to Walden
9.   Carol Varsalona at Beyond Literacy Link
10. Matt Forrest Esenwine at Radio, Rhythm and Rhyme
11. Janet Fagel hosted at Reflections on the Teche
12. Linda Mitchell at A Word Edgewise
13. Kat Apel at Kat Whiskers
14. Margaret Simon at Reflections on the Teche
15. Leigh Anne Eck at A Day in the Life
16. Linda Baie at Teacher Dance
17. Heidi Mordhorst at My Juicy Little Universe
18. Mary Lee Hahn at A Year of Reading
19. Tabitha at Opposite of Indifference
20. Rose Capelli at Imagine the Possibilities
21. Janice Scully at Salt City Verse
22. Julieanne Harmatz at To Read, To Write, To Be
23. Ruth at There is no such thing at a God-forsaken town
24. Christie Wyman at Wondering and Wandering
25. Amy at The Poet Farm
26. Dani Burtsfield at Doing the Work that Matters
27. Robyn Hood Black at Life on the Deckle Edge
28.
29. Fran at lit bits and pieces
20. Michelle Kogan

Progressive Poem 2020 - Day 15

Today marks the 15th day of the Kidlit Progressive Poem, which is being organized by Margaret Simon at Reflections on the Teche. 

It also means it is my turn. My nerves of being a first-timer are somewhat frayed, but my line feels safe knowing it is placed between Margaret and Linda Baie's lines - two writers I adore and admire.

Yesterday Margaret gave me these two lines from which to choose:

Option 1:  I stumble, reach out...there's nothing to grasp.

Option 2:  I gasp! Shudder! Breathe out. Relax...

Both options continue the suspense that was started by Kat Apel, but I chose Margaret's option 2 because I feel like this place at the lake is special, almost sacred. I wanted to keep the spirt of that peacefulness, so I turned the suspense to more of breathlessness or awe of what I see. 

Here is the poem so far:

Sweet violets shimmy, daffodils sway

along the wiregrass path to the lake.

I carry a rucksack of tasty cakes

and a banjo passed down from my gram.

I follow the tracks of deer and raccoon

and echo the call of a wandering loon.

A whispering breeze joins in our song,

and night melts into a rose gold dawn.

Deep into nature's embrace, I fold.

Promise of spring helps shake the cold.

Hints of sun lightly dapple the trees,

calling out the sleepy bees.

Leaf-litter crackles...I pause. Twig snaps.

I gasp! Shudder! Breathe out. Relax...

Since we are at the lake, I began to think about what could be the cause of the twig snap. One choice I identify, and the other I let Linda reveal.

Option 1:  as a whitetail doe comes into view.

Option 2:  I slowly inhale so not to disturb

Check out Linda's blog tomorrow to see what was behind the snap.

You can follow the poem's trail below. 

1.   Donna Smith at Mainely Write

2.   Irene Latham at Live Your Poem
3.   Jone MacCulloch at deowriter
4.   Liz Steinglass
5.   Buffy Silverman
6.   Kay McGriff at A Journey Through the Pages
7.   Catherine Flynn at Reading to the Core
8.   Tara Smith at Going to Walden
9.   Carol Varsalona at Beyond Literacy Link
10. Matt Forrest Esenwine at Radio, Rhythm and Rhyme
11. Janet Fagel hosted at Reflections on the Teche
12. Linda Mitchell at A Word Edgewise
13. Kat Apel at Kat Whiskers
14. Margaret Simon at Reflections on the Teche
15. Leigh Anne Eck at A Day in the Life
16. Linda Baie at Teacher Dance
17. Heidi Mordhorst at My Juicy Little Universe
18. Mary Lee Hahn at A Year of Reading
19. Tabitha at Opposite of Indifference
20. Rose Capelli at Imagine the Possibilities
21. Janice Scully at Salt City Verse
22. Julieanne Harmatz at To Read, To Write, To Be
23. Ruth at There is no such thing at a God-forsaken town
24. Christie Wyman at Wondering and Wandering
25. Amy at The Poet Farm
26. Dani Burtsfield at Doing the Work that Matters
27. Robyn Hood Black at Life on the Deckle Edge
28.
29. Fran at lit bits and pieces
20. Michelle Kogan

Papa's Gifts #NationalPoetryMonth

It is April, and I am joining many others in celebrating National Poetry Month. This month many people turn to their gardens and landscapes and play in the dirt. I'd rather do a little playing with words. This month I will be creating found poems by taking words, phrases, and lines from other texts and rearranging them into a "literary collage" with a whole new meaning.

As I was sifting through the snippets spread out on the table, the words Papa's gift struck me, and I knew these were going into a found poem.

Papa's gifts

small steps

reaching across generations

the things they carried 

from the heart

from old roots

a family tree

Wrinkles in Time #NationalPoetryMonth

It is April, and I am joining many others in celebrating National Poetry Month. This month many people turn to their gardens and landscapes and play in the dirt. I'd rather do a little playing with words. This month I will be creating found poems by taking words, phrases, and lines from other texts and rearranging them into a "literary collage" with a whole new meaning.

Today I took some time to search through my magazine clips. There is something therapeutic about my hands touching all of those words, trying to find connections. Today I share a poem that was inspired by Jen Greene and her trying to be happy about her upcoming birthday.

Wrinkles in time

the difference between

flawless

and

real life,

but who's counting?

This is why I love my age!

Check out Jama's round-up of month-long Kitlit poetry events for more inspiration.

And the progressive poem continues with Kat. This year's poem has become a choose-your-own-adventure. Each poet has been offering two lines, and the next person selects which line goes into the poem. 

This week also marks the beginning of the Kidlit Progressive Poem, which is being organized by Margaret Simon at Reflections on the Teche. A different poet adds a line each day for the month of April. For the first time, I am participating and will be adding line 15 (yes, that scares me just a little!). You can find the poem's trail below.

1.   Donna Smith at Mainely Write
2.   Irene Latham at Live Your Poem
3.   Jone MacCulloch at deowriter
4.   Liz Steinglass
5.   Buffy Silverman
6.   Kay McGriff at A Journey Through the Pages
7.   Catherine Flynn at Reading to the Core
8.   Tara Smith at Going to Walden
9.   Carol Varsalona at Beyond Literacy Link
10. Matt Forrest Esenwine at Radio, Rhythm and Rhyme
11. Janet Fagel hosted at Reflections on the Teche
12. Linda Mitchell at A Word Edgewise
13. Kat Apel at Kat Whiskers
14. Margaret Simon at Reflections on the Teche
15. Leigh Anne Eck at A Day in the Life
16. Linda Baie at Teacher Dance
17. Heidi Mordhorst at My Juicy Little Universe
18. Mary Lee Hahn at A Year of Reading
19. Tabitha at Opposite of Indifference
20. Rose Capelli at Imagine the Possibilities
21. Janice Scully at Salt City Verse
22. Julieanne Harmatz at To Read, To Write, To Be
23. Ruth at There is no such thing at a God-forsaken town
24. Christie Wyman at Wondering and Wandering
25. Amy at The Poet Farm
26. Dani Burtsfield at Doing the Work that Matters
27. Robyn Hood Black at Life on the Deckle Edge
28.
29. Fran at lit bits and pieces
20. Michelle Kogan

Ladders of Memory #NationalPoetryMonth

It is April, and I am joining many others in celebrating National Poetry Month. This month many people turn to their gardens and landscapes and play in the dirt. I'd rather do a little playing with words. This month I will be creating found poems by taking words, phrases, and lines from other texts and rearranging them into a "literary collage" with a whole new meaning.

On Wednesday, we had a bad storm - the worst storm to hit my town that I can ever remember. We were without power for 66 hours, and our Internet came back just today. I really wanted to write and post a poem every day this month, but life had other plans. 

Although I had created this poem before the storm, it seems kind of timely to release it today. These past few days we have told stories and created new ones. As we drove around looking at the damage, I couldn't help but think about all the old trees that were uprooted and snapped like they were mere twigs and think about the stories they hold.

This is where my thoughts are today.

Check out Jama's round-up of month-long Kitlit poetry events for more inspiration.

And the progressive poem continues with Linda Mitchell. This year's poem has become a choose-your-own-adventure. Each poet has been offering two lines, and the next person selects which line goes into the poem. 

This week also marks the beginning of the Kidlit Progressive Poem, which is being organized by Margaret Simon at Reflections on the Teche. A different poet adds a line each day for the month of April. For the first time, I am participating and will be adding line 15 (yes, that scares me just a little!). You can find the poem's trail below.

1.   Donna Smith at Mainely Write
2.   Irene Latham at Live Your Poem
3.   Jone MacCulloch at deowriter
4.   Liz Steinglass
5.   Buffy Silverman
6.   Kay McGriff at A Journey Through the Pages
7.   Catherine Flynn at Reading to the Core
8.   Tara Smith at Going to Walden
9.   Carol Varsalona at Beyond Literacy Link
10. Matt Forrest Esenwine at Radio, Rhythm and Rhyme
11. Janet Fagel hosted at Reflections on the Teche
12. Linda Mitchell at A Word Edgewise
13. Kat Apel at Kat Whiskers
14. Margaret Simon at Reflections on the Teche
15. Leigh Anne Eck at A Day in the Life
16. Linda Baie at Teacher Dance
17. Heidi Mordhorst at My Juicy Little Universe
18. Mary Lee Hahn at A Year of Reading
19. Tabitha at Opposite of Indifference
20. Rose Capelli at Imagine the Possibilities
21. Janice Scully at Salt City Verse
22. Julieanne Harmatz at To Read, To Write, To Be
23. Ruth at There is no such thing at a God-forsaken town
24. Christie Wyman at Wondering and Wandering
25. Amy at The Poet Farm
26. Dani Burtsfield at Doing the Work that Matters
27. Robyn Hood Black at Life on the Deckle Edge
28.
29. Fran at lit bits and pieces
20. Michelle Kogan

Why Is Everything Black and White? #NationalPoetryMonth

It is April, and I am joining many others in celebrating National Poetry Month. This month many people turn to their gardens and landscapes and play in the dirt. I'd rather do a little playing with words. This month I will be creating found poems by taking words, phrases, and lines from other texts and rearranging them into a "literary collage" with a whole new meaning.

Today I took a line from a very special book written by Andy Schoenborn's daughter Everly. Andy teaches seniors in Michigan, and they were writing today in response to this picture.

Everly decided to write along with her dad and his students and created this lovely book. The title of her book is Why is Everything Black and White?

 

In her book, she sees a unicorn, her favorite animal! She is eating a cheeseburger and walking her dog Finn. But she wonders why everything is black and white?

During our Teach Write Workshop on Tuesday night, Everly read her book to us, and I loved the words "Why is everything black and white?" So I borrowed them to create this found poem.

My poem isn't as fun as unicorns and dogs and cheeseburgers, but I still have the same question as Everly.

Photo by Engin Akyurt from Pexels

Check out Jama's round-up of month-long Kitlit poetry events for more inspiration.

And the progressive poem continues with Tara Smith. This year's poem has become a choose-your-own-adventure. Each poet has been offering two lines, and the next person selects which line goes into the poem. 

This week also marks the beginning of the Kidlit Progressive Poem, which is being organized by Margaret Simon at Reflections on the Teche. A different poet adds a line each day for the month of April. For the first time, I am participating and will be adding line 15 (yes, that scares me just a little!). You can find the poem's trail below.

1.   Donna Smith at Mainely Write
2.   Irene Latham at Live Your Poem
3.   Jone MacCulloch at deowriter
4.   Liz Steinglass
5.   Buffy Silverman
6.   Kay McGriff at A Journey Through the Pages
7.   Catherine Flynn at Reading to the Core
8.   Tara Smith at Going to Walden
9.   Carol Varsalona at Beyond Literacy Link
10. Matt Forrest Esenwine at Radio, Rhythm and Rhyme
11. Janet Fagel hosted at Reflections on the Teche
12. Linda Mitchell at A Word Edgewise
13. Kat Apel at Kat Whiskers
14. Margaret Simon at Reflections on the Teche
15. Leigh Anne Eck at A Day in the Life
16. Linda Baie at Teacher Dance
17. Heidi Mordhorst at My Juicy Little Universe
18. Mary Lee Hahn at A Year of Reading
19. Tabitha at Opposite of Indifference
20. Rose Capelli at Imagine the Possibilities
21. Janice Scully at Salt City Verse
22. Julieanne Harmatz at To Read, To Write, To Be
23. Ruth at There is no such thing at a God-forsaken town
24. Christie Wyman at Wondering and Wandering
25. Amy at The Poet Farm
26. Dani Burtsfield at Doing the Work that Matters
27. Robyn Hood Black at Life on the Deckle Edge
28.
29. Fran at lit bits and pieces
20. Michelle Kogan

What If #NationalPoetryMonth

It is April, and I am joining many others in celebrating National Poetry Month. This month many people turn to their gardens and landscapes and play in the dirt. I'd rather do a little playing with words. This month I will be creating found poems by taking words, phrases, and lines from other texts and rearranging them into a "literary collage" with a whole new meaning.

Today's found poem is a bit of a reflective challenge. What if we....

What if we

learn to embrace change

instead of fearing the unknown

dare to dream

of possibility

and

make a big difference in the world?

Check out Jama's round-up of month-long Kitlit poetry events for more inspiration.

And the progressive poem continues with Catherine Flynn. This year's poem has become a choose-your-own-adventure. Each poet has been offering two lines, and the next person selects which line goes into the poem. 

This week also marks the beginning of the Kidlit Progressive Poem, which is being organized by Margaret Simon at Reflections on the Teche. A different poet adds a line each day for the month of April. For the first time, I am participating and will be adding line 15 (yes, that scares me just a little!). You can find the poem's trail below.

1.   Donna Smith at Mainely Write
2.   Irene Latham at Live Your Poem
3.   Jone MacCulloch at deowriter
4.   Liz Steinglass
5.   Buffy Silverman
6.   Kay McGriff at A Journey Through the Pages
7.   Catherine Flynn at Reading to the Core
8.   Tara Smith at Going to Walden
9.   Carol Varsalona at Beyond Literacy Link
10. Matt Forrest Esenwine at Radio, Rhythm and Rhyme
11. Janet Fagel hosted at Reflections on the Teche
12. Linda Mitchell at A Word Edgewise
13. Kat Apel at Kat Whiskers
14. Margaret Simon at Reflections on the Teche
15. Leigh Anne Eck at A Day in the Life
16. Linda Baie at Teacher Dance
17. Heidi Mordhorst at My Juicy Little Universe
18. Mary Lee Hahn at A Year of Reading
19. Tabitha at Opposite of Indifference
20. Rose Capelli at Imagine the Possibilities
21. Janice Scully at Salt City Verse
22. Julieanne Harmatz at To Read, To Write, To Be
23. Ruth at There is no such thing at a God-forsaken town
24. Christie Wyman at Wondering and Wandering
25. Amy at The Poet Farm
26. Dani Burtsfield at Doing the Work that Matters
27. Robyn Hood Black at Life on the Deckle Edge
28.
29. Fran at lit bits and pieces
20. Michelle Kogan

Master of Love #NationalPoetryMonth

It is April, and I am joining many others in celebrating National Poetry Month. This month many people turn to their gardens and landscapes and play in the dirt. I'd rather do a little playing with words. This month I will be creating found poems by taking words, phrases, and lines from other texts and rearranging them into a "literary collage" with a whole new meaning.

Today's poem is one cut from magazines. I knew I wanted to write something about the "master of love" so I began looking for words to go with this. Passion on a mission felt like something a master of love would have. And of course, a good master of love loves for a lifetime.

master of love

indulge her heart

with head to toe magic

passion on a mission

gives 

an entire lifetime 

of 

togetherness

Check out Jama's round-up of month-long Kitlit poetry events for more inspiration.

And the progressive poem continues with Kay McGriff. This year's poem has become a choose-your-own-adventure. Each poet has been offering two lines, and the next person selects which line goes into the poem. 

This week also marks the beginning of the Kidlit Progressive Poem, which is being organized by Margaret Simon at Reflections on the Teche. A different poet adds a line each day for the month of April. For the first time, I am participating and will be adding line 15 (yes, that scares me just a little!). You find the poem's trail below.

1.   Donna Smith at Mainely Write
2.   Irene Latham at Live Your Poem
3.   Jone MacCulloch at deowriter
4.   Liz Steinglass
5.   Buffy Silverman
6.   Kay McGriff at A Journey Through the Pages
7.   Catherine Flynn at Reading to the Core
8.   Tara Smith at Going to Walden
9.   Carol Varsalona at Beyond Literacy Link
10. Matt Forrest Esenwine at Radio, Rhythm and Rhyme
11. Janet Fagel hosted at Reflections on the Teche
12. Linda Mitchell at A Word Edgewise
13. Kat Apel at Kat Whiskers
14. Margaret Simon at Reflections on the Teche
15. Leigh Anne Eck at A Day in the Life
16. Linda Baie at Teacher Dance
17. Heidi Mordhorst at My Juicy Little Universe
18. Mary Lee Hahn at A Year of Reading
19. Tabitha at Opposite of Indifference
20. Rose Capelli at Imagine the Possibilities
21. Janice Scully at Salt City Verse
22. Julieanne Harmatz at To Read, To Write, To Be
23. Ruth at There is no such thing at a God-forsaken town
24. Christie Wyman at Wondering and Wandering
25. Amy at The Poet Farm
26. Dani Burtsfield at Doing the Work that Matters
27. Robyn Hood Black at Life on the Deckle Edge
28.
29. Fran at lit bits and pieces
20. Michelle Kogan