In January I was looking for everything about Amanda Gorman, the inaugural poet and National Youth Poet Laureate, and I found a poetry prompt video from April, the beginning of the pandemic. The program was done by the 826 National Network called #agoodtimetowrite. Amanda called it a book scavenger hunt.
It’s a quick writing prompt. Everyone usually has a book nearby to grab. Select 3 random pages and one word from each page. List those words, then write for 5 minutes. I’ve done it a few times, and the results can be really fun, so I challenged my Sunday night Swaggers to try it out.
This week was Read Across America Week which is still called Dr. Seuss Week at my school. Every day was a different dress up day. On Thursday, we dressed as our favorite characters. Lots of Cats-in-the-hat and Things 1 & 2. One of my students was Cindy Lou Who.
With this fun-filled week and words from a nearby book (LifeBoat by Susan Hood), I selected the words movie star, peaches, and tantalizing. This is my original draft:
Mouthwatering delight
Margaret Simon, draft
the movie star of flavors–
pour Skittles into an open palm–
tantalizing
irresistible
like bacon in the frying pan
or syrup on pancakes
or melted chocolate
inside a s’mores,
peachy pink bubble
satisfied my sweet tooth,
gift from a girl
dressed like Cindy Lou Who
on the playground.
See how my Poetry Swagger friends met the challenge:
Heidi Mordhorst
Catherine Flynn
Linda Mitchell
Molly Hogan
If you would like to sign up to participate in the 2021 National Poetry Month Progressive Poem, go to this post.
Reflections on the Teche 