Reflections on the Teche

NPM26: Onomatopoeia Poem

April 22, 2026 by margaretsmn

Today, I am the guest poet at Ethical ELA. Please visit the site to see my prompt for an onomatopoeia poem.

Follow the Kidlit Progressive Poem at Karen Edmisten’s blog.

Happy Earth Day! Please consider writing a poem to celebrate our island home.

Posted in Photography, Poetry, Writing | Tagged Ethical ELA, James Edmunds, onomatopoeia, This Photo Wants to be a Poem | Leave a Comment »

Slice of Life: Think You Notes

April 21, 2026 by margaretsmn

Thank you to Two Writing Teachers for creating an amazing community of writers and a safe, welcoming space to write and share.

My grandson Leo is in first grade. Wait? What? Time flies, doesn’t it? He is a little sponge absorbing all of the learning. He doesn’t even realize how fast he is developing his verbal skills, but as a teacher and proud grandmother, I am keenly aware.

His mother has always been good about thank you notes. She’s passing that on to her children. He wrote me a thank you note for his Easter gift, but he wrote it on the envelope and put another envelope inside it for me to write back.

His misspelling of thank you to “think you” charmed my husband to say, “You should write him a think you note.”

Who knows if our correspondence will continue, but I wrote him a note about what I was thinking about. (I should have taken a photo.) And enclosed a self-addressed envelope.

I am writing poetry this month with Ethical ELA. Today’s prompt from Sharon Roy inspired us to write haiku about reading. I am reading Theo of Golden by Allen Levi. It’s my book companion when I can’t sleep, so I found this haiku.

Through my sleeplessness
gravity of rivers flow
hidden life below.

The Progressive Poem is with Irene Latham, originator of the idea, at Live Your Poem.

Posted in Slice of Life, Writing | Tagged #beingmamére, #KidlitProgressivePoem2026, haiku, think you notes | 6 Comments »

Poetry Friday: Another Clutch to Watch Etheree

April 17, 2026 by margaretsmn

Heidi is hosting Poetry Friday this week and she shares a video conversation she recorded of Jone MacCulloch, Heidi Mordhorst, and me talking about our teaching artist experience. Please click this link to check it out.

A big thank you to Heidi Mordhorst for hosting today and for taking the time and energy to create a video about our work with students as teaching artists. I learned so much from Jone and Heidi that I hope to add to my repertoire of workshops.

National Poetry Month is moving along in starts and stops for me. One day the words come, the next I look at a page full of senseless scribbles. I am trying to respond daily to the Ethical ELA VerseLove prompts. Yesterday, Stacey Joy of California prompted us to write an etheree. I wrote once again about wood ducks. (I have a whole book of poems about the Wood Duck house) Our first clutch hatched and fledged, so we have another hen coming in. I am endlessly fascinated by them.

Anticipating

When
eastern
sunlight gleams
a beam across
greening cypress trees,
another wood duck hen
flies in, wiggles her belly
beginning a new clutch to watch
in hope for new life to lay waiting.
Cycle of birth always a miracle.

Margaret Simon, draft

The Kidlit Progressive Poem took a surprising turn this week with a Poetry Slam! Check out today’s line with Robyn Hood Black.

Tabatha Yeatts has graciously offered to end the poem on April 28th. She had the beginning line and is the creator of the map.

Posted in Poetry Friday, Writing | Tagged #verselove, #woodducks, Etheree, Ethical ELA | 16 Comments »

This Photo Wants to be a Poem: Bayou Ducklings

April 15, 2026 by margaretsmn

Muscovy duck with at least a dozen ducklings

I love April! The days start out cool and warm up, but a gentle breeze keeps the heat tolerable. On Sunday, we canoed with friends to the park where there was a symphony concert. The paddling to get there was made harder by the breeze, but we were able to make it just in time for the concert.

On the way, we spotted this Muscovy duck and her babies. The Muscovy is a domestic duck with a warty red bill. Her littles were adorable scrambling around her so quickly that I couldn’t count them.

My quick internet research said, “Aztec rulers wore cloaks made from the feathers of the Muscovy duck, which was considered the totem animal of the Wind God, Ehecatl.” (All about Birds)

At Ethical ELA, Erica Johnson is leading us in writing a “Playful Cascade” which is a poem form that takes each line of the first stanza making them the last line of the next stanzas. I decided to use tercets, 3 lines per stanza.

Muscovy Ducklings Play

Scrambling fluffs navigate water hyacinth
staying in sight of mother duck—
gymnasts in a bayou playground.

We slowly push along stroke by stroke
keeping watch for new spring life, see
scrambling fluffs navigate water hyacinth.

Whose waters are these, I think I know:
these tiny ducklings move so quick
staying in sight of mother duck.

This journey we share is not all ease.
Time and patience required, we are all
gymnasts in a bayou playground.

Margaret Simon, draft

Please join me in writing about this little miracle of life. Be sure to leave encouraging words for other writers.

The Progressive Poem is with Joyce Uglow today.

Posted in nature, Photography, This Photo Wants to be a Poem, Writing | Tagged #EthicalELA, #poemsofpresence, cascade poem, This Photo Wants to be a Poem | 10 Comments »

Slice of Life: Literary Life on the Bayou

April 14, 2026 by margaretsmn

“I hate writing. I love having written.” Rick Bragg said to an attentive audience in downtown New Iberia. How does he know how it feels every time I open my blog space to write a Slice of Life? Even the most accomplished writers struggle with a blank page.

This past weekend was the 10th annual literary festival in our small town. And it was a full on fun party. I have been meeting once monthly with the implementation team and have marveled at the organizational skills and seeming calm of our volunteers.

On Friday night the skies opened up and poured on the outdoor evening dinner, but there were umbrellas and good food, so no one’s spirits were dampened.

On Saturday morning, we danced at the Beignets and Beats Breakfast.

I sold books.

We danced again. Exhausted we brought home the prize for “Smooth Moves” from the small dance competition.

For a small town, New Iberia is mighty! The 10th annual Books along the Teche Literary Festival was a success. Y’all come next year!

Follow the Progressive Poem. Links in the sidebar.
Today’s line is with Jone MacCulloch.

Posted in Slice of Life, Writing | Tagged Books along the Teche Literary Festival, downtown New Iberia, New Iberia travel, Rick Bragg | 18 Comments »

Poetry Friday: Blog Guest Janet Fagal and the Progressive Poem

April 10, 2026 by margaretsmn

Poetry Friday is hosted today by J one Macculloch.

So grateful to have Margaret host me again this year and for continuing to host the Progressive Poem! I always look forward to seeing how our poem develops. Like its Progressive Supper inspiration, it leads to appetizing anticipation, variety, community and feeds our souls, too. Makes it exciting as we watch the poem evolve, and finally we get to enjoy that delicious dessert. Thank you to all KidLit Poetry Friday Blogosphere poets for your many posts and continued commitment to bringing so much poetry to all. Margaret’s line opened ideas and I wavered between taking a train ride or leading a symphony, but the search for fantastic poems of all kinds seemed to call me.

Janet Clare Fagal

Here is the poem with my line added at the end:

On my first trip to the Land of Poetry,
I saw anthologies of every color, tall as buildings.
A world of words, wonder on wings, waiting just for me!
Birding for words shimmering, flecked in golden gilding.

Binoculars ready, I toured boulevards and side streets,
exploring vibrant verses, verses so honest and tender.
feathery lyrics, bright flitting avian athletes
soaring ‘cross pages in rhythmic splendor.

In the Land of Poetry, I am the conductor,
seeking oodles of poems that tug at my heart

(I left the punctuation for my line to the next poets.)

Next up is Diane Davis at Starting Again in Poetry. The full schedule is in the sidebar. If you are interested in participating, please leave a comment. There are 3 days left. Thanks, Janet for the word oodles and keeping our poem close to our hearts.

Posted in Progressive poem, Writing | Tagged #KidlitProgressivePoem2026, Janet Fagel | 20 Comments »

NPM26: Progressive Poem progresses

April 9, 2026 by margaretsmn

The Kidlit Progressive Poem is here today. Tabatha started us off not only with a first line, but also with a beautiful map. Donna added place names to the map. Each year I am awed by the creativity that plays with this poem. The poem has taken on an ABAB, CDCD rhyme scheme. I’m happy that I don’t have to rhyme; I’ve been gifted the first line of stanza 3.

If you are reading and following, please come back to this site tomorrow for Janet’s line. Also, there are still 3 days left to participate. If I don’t fill those last three days, we will end the poem on April 27th.

The Land of Poetry

Binoculars ready, I toured boulevards and side streets
exploring vibrant verses, verses so honest and tender,
feathery lyrics, bright flitting avian athletes
soaring ‘cross pages in rhythmic splendor.

In the Land of Poetry, I am the conductor.

Posted in Progressive poem, Writing | Tagged #KidlitProgressivePoem2026 | 8 Comments »

NPM26: This Photo Wants to be a Poem: Alliteration

April 8, 2026 by margaretsmn

Rose Cappelli has the line from the Land of Poetry Progressive Poem today. She used her secret favorite devise of alliteration. It’s my favorite, too. As I tell students, it just sounds good.

At Ethical ELA, Luke Bensing prompted us to use alliteration in our first and last lines. The photo today is from my visit to the butterfly exhibit in New Orleans at the Audubon Aquarium and Insectarium. I wrote a septercet, which is a small three lined poem of 7 syllables each.

Purple pops of salvia
nectar-seeking flutter by
season for saving scents

If you wish to write a poem today, please leave it in the comments and respond to other writers with encouragement.

Posted in nature, Photography, Poetry, This Photo Wants to be a Poem, Writing | Tagged #KidlitProgressivePoem2026, #poemsofpresence, #smallpoems, Ethical ELA, This Photo Wants to be a Poem | 2 Comments »

Slice of Life Tuesday: NPM26: Forgiveness

April 7, 2026 by margaretsmn

The Kidlit Progressive Poem is moving along through The Land of Poetry. If you’d like to participate, please send me an email. Today’s line is being added by Ruth Hersey at There is no such thing as a God-forsaken Town.

I’ve been in New Orleans all weekend, Monday, and today hanging out with my daughters and their adorable children. Yesterday Aunt Kacky and I took the three kids to the Audubon Aquarium and Insectarium. My favorite experience is always the butterfly exhibit. There are so many different species of butterflies flying everywhere.

Finding time and space for writing doesn’t happen when I’m being Mamére, but that’s OK. I’ve had a wonderful weekend of snuggles and giggles.

Ethical ELA’s poetry prompt yesterday was from Wendy Everard on Forgiveness. I turned to William Carlos Williams’ This is Just to Say.

Have you ever had a person in your life who just knows how to punch your buttons? It annoys me that I can’t just turn around and let it wash over me. My whole body tenses, and I usually say something to distract from my obvious irritation.

This is Just to Say

I have seen
your weakness
and rolled into the muck
of ignorance

The mirror of doubt
is revealing
so clear and critical

I should say something kind
but all I muster
is a lie.

Margaret Simon, draft

Posted in Poetry, Slice of Life, Writing | Tagged apology poem, Audubon Aquarium, Ethical ELA | 9 Comments »

NPM26: Day 4: Lazarus

April 4, 2026 by margaretsmn

Lazarus

Gestures weave
strips of burial cloth
cross-hatching
of sounds
violent and soothing
like a balm
on the day of death.

Jesus wept.

Jesus weeps with me
in joy and sorrow,
frustration and calm.

Our cries do not
go unnoticed.
We tear off
the garment
binding us to darkness,
enter into the Easter
of light eternal.

Margaret Simon, draft

At Ethical ELA, Melissa Heaton prompted us to write an ekphrastic poem, a poem about art. I turned to my father’s illustration of Lazarus. This drawing was in his folder of bible study material. His usual style was pointillism. This drawing, to me, is striking with its wild gestures.

Yesterday, for Good Friday, I led a morning meditation. My friend Carolyn played her singing bowls while the lawn mowers roared outside. At first I was irritated by this invasion, but as I wrote, I found that the juxtaposition of sounds was the point.