Poetry Friday is with Dianne at Random Noodling
I think one of the most enjoyable things about writing poetry is playing with words. I’ve been known to have multiple tabs open on my computer to dictionary and thesaurus sites as well as research sites. I’ll Google a word and get lost in the direction it takes me.
This week one of my self-assigned poetry writing activities was to play with the juxtaposition of words. Inspired by activities in the book Rip the Page: Adventures in Creative Writing, I filled a few pages in my notebook with “words that need a friend.”
Then I wondered what I should do with these lists. I found more inspiration from Naomi Shihab Nye’s book A Maze Me. The poem “Where are You?” included this line that I borrowed, “I’m tucked inside each fresh paper page.” My friend Dani calls this “Taking a line for a walk” from her recent institute with the Montana Writing Project.
By giving myself the discipline of writing a poem every day, I am finding new and innovative ways to encourage my students’ writing when school begins again.
Pixabay photo
A Poem is Waiting
I’m tucked inside
each fresh paper page–
feathery poems
softly drizzled on Tuesday,
a perfumed whir,
blink in the sunshine
of your imagination.A poem is salty chatter
of newly hatched chick-a-dees
twittering in the nest of cloud-joy.A poem is a twister of whispers
rising on the weather front
of waving slurps of watermelon.A poem is a show-off peacock
emerging from the bush
of brain bellows,
a scented thunder
from afternoon rainsprinkling my face,
touching my hand,
this page.
Open gently.–Margaret Simon
Reflections on the Teche 
Oh, that is really beautiful! I’m home and picking up the practice of poetry….I aim to catch up to you and write with you!
You were anything but lazy about writing on your vacation! I hope I can do some word finding and play in Santa Fe.
Your list of words sounds intriguing, Margaret. I have a page in my Start an Adventure journal that is just for words as well – but these are words I am considering to be my “Words for the Year” — words to live by in my teaching practice. I believe it was Ruth Ayres who got me hooked on this idea. But from you I can see the value in collecting words for poetry as well.
Glad you found a fun way to “take a line for a walk..” This definitely was a favorite activity from the MT Writing Project. Beautiful poem!
I love that you gave an intro, Margaret, and then your poem, each part, a new and intriguing look at poetry, that page! Love “salty chatter” especially. Happy writing! It’s like you are writing your own “how-to” for poetry in the classroom as well as for yourself, of course.
I’ve been waiting for a thunderstorm to pass so that I could get back to my blog visiting, then I got to your poem and it made me run to the door and open it wide to get a whiff. Nicely done, Margaret!
This is such fun, Linda. Am I right that you loved writing that? It has that playful sense of words enjoying each others company. I really like these lines:
“A poem is a twister of whispers
rising on the weather front”
Oh my heavens–what wonders you are working! But I must protest–
if you are to offer stanzas with
a twister of whispers
rising on the weather front
of waving slurps of watermelon,
you cannot enjoin us to “open gently”–this kind of language insists on “opening [or opining, which is what I accidentally typed] urgently”!
How funny that my other “guidebook” last summer and this is “Rip the Page.” It’s like we’re pursuing the same self-study. Who will give us continuing education credit???
How beautiful, Margaret. But of course, damp pages must be opened gently! 😛
“blink in the sunshine
of your imagination.” — ❤
Maybe I'll try that "words that need a friend" thing. Thanks for taking us along on your poetic journey!
Oh, Margaret–so many fabulous word pictures in here! I love it, and I love how you combined activities/approaches to come up with this. I agree–the playing with words is the best thing about poetry. I haven’t allowed myself much time for this recently. Must get back to it!
I love this, Margaret. And right now a poem is the joyful shrieking of children two doors down running through the sprinkler on a hot and humid morning. Cheers!
Your discipline and talent bring forth such wonders. We all reap the rewards.
This is stunning, Margaret! I can’t decide which stanza I like best. They’re all so evocative! I’m finally in summer mode and your post has me itching to write. Thank you for being such an inspiration!
I love this poem! So many surprising and thought-provoking images to connect with poetry.
What Julianne said.
Margaret, your twists and turns in your poem are a visual delight. This line is so lovely:
blink in the sunshine
of your imagination.
Life is laced with beauty as you continue to write…
Lovely poem, with winding twists and unexpected imagery! I especially like the ending lines,
“this page.
Open gently.”
I agree with Michelle, the last lines. And hooray for writing a PAD.
The peacock and his brain bellows! I see the need to get back to the business of word collecting and now, line collecting!