Small Steps #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.

I spent some time today in my collection of words. It has been a dreary, rainy Saturday, and letting my fingers sort through brought comfort and some much needed time away from the screen.

Amy at The Poem Farm has today's line with the Progressive Poem.

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 Poem 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

My Reflection #NationalPoetryMonth #PoetryFriday

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.

Welcome to Poetry Friday. Christie has the round-up and the lines for the Progressive Poem.

Check out all the poetry goodness on her blog Wandering and Wondering.

Today I share a special poem. Back in mid-March when we first learned that we would be teaching remotely, I created a Padlet for students to publish poems. Very few students have participated, but some have been brave and have shared their words.

Today I share two of Elliot's poems. In this first poem, she wrote the words and found the picture of the mirror. I created the digital image with the poem. I like the playfulness of seeing our reflections in the mirror, almost peek-a-boo-ish.

Elli also wrote one about cats. In this poem I like how she used the repetition of I and how the poem is told from the cat's perspective. It also has a nonconformist, e.e. cummings style to it with her use of the uncapitalized I. 

Cats

i lick
i cuddle
i purr
i nuzzle
i run
i leap
i sleep

~Elliot, 2020

I am sure that Elli would graciously love to have some feedback on her two poems if you would be so willing to drop her a line or two in the comments. I know her teacher would appreciate it too!

Check out Christie's line she chose from Ruth, and her lines she leaves for Amy. 

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 Poem 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

Time to Bloom

A few days ago as my daughter and I were walking, I spied this peony dressed in its full glory. I knew I wanted to write about it, but I wasn't sure how. I started a poem about lingering in the petals and dancing with the ants, but that fell flat. So, I put it away.

Today, when I saw the invitation to go outside, fling my arms open, and stretch my heart, I knew it was time to take another look at this peony and tell its story.

As I walked over to it, I hollered at Megan, "Look! Look how big this is, and it is the only that has bloomed." She didn't find this as amazing as I did, and she continued walking as I went over for a closer look.

The neighbor had four bushes of peonies in his yard, and this bloom was the only one. All the others were still buds holding tight. I found this moment in nature rather strange.

Looking closer at it, I imagined how scared it must have been. Being different. Being lonely. Maybe feeling like it doesn't belong. I have been struggling with this same feeling lately, and I think that may be why this flower reached out for me.

But then I realized this lovely peony was standing tall and strong and vibrant, confident in its own place in the garden surrounded by so many others. I needed to draw strength from its glory.

I needed to learn that when people dig deep, fling open their arms, stretch their hearts...maybe...just maybe, that's when they bloom.

Butterfly Release #NationalPoetryMonth #NationalHaikuDay

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.

Happy Haiku Day! 

And Happy Poetry Friday!

I missed last Friday due to the terrible storm in my hometown, but I'm glad to be here this week on National Haiku Day. Molly has the round-up at Nix the Comfort Zone with some yummy bread and jam poems.

In keeping with my theme of "Finding Poetry", I saw Margaret Simon's Facebook post about her monarch butterfly. Her words and her video were just what I needed on this rainy, dreary Friday. Check out her butterfly story and poem on her blog, Reflections On the Teche.

Keeping with the haiku celebration:

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

And the progressive poem continues with Heidi today. Check out the progress 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

Room 614

Walking through the back door of school seemed normal yesterday. As I turned the corner and made my way to the back corner, my small space in the wing, the normalcy disappeared.

It wasn't because I haven't walked the halls in four weeks. It wasn't because I didn't see students giving high-fives or special handshakes, or huddling near lockers, or throwing their heads back and laughing, as middle schoolers do.

I could still imagine those scenes. Maybe, I needed to imagine those scenes.

But when I walked into my classroom, my breath hung in the air.

The summer cleaning had begun. The desks were moved to the back, the carpet was shampooed, and the pencil sharpener was emptied.

It wasn't time. I wasn't ready. This wasn't supposed to happen yet.  Packing up my room for the summer is the exclamation point on "yes, we made it." And we didn't make it.

My eyes wandered to the student notebooks, still in the tubs with stories unwritten; books, disheveled on the shelves from the frantic moments of choosing one before we left for spring break. The pronoun folder of resources for the lessons when we returned still sat on my desk. Nothing seemed to know that we wouldn't be coming back.

Not being able to say goodbye to my students hasn't quite set in yet. I still "talk" to them online, although it is not the same. But yesterday, I clearly understood that the learning that happens in room 614 had ended. I felt it for the first time since March 13th.

And that was hard.

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