Happy National Poetry Month! At the beginning of the month the Sunday Night Poetry Swaggers post a poem in response to a challenge. This month the challenge is from Linda Mitchell. “Something seen in many ways” patterned after Pat Schneider’s The Moon Ten Times as seen on Jama Rattigan’s blog here.
I was pretty last minute in doing this challenge. In fact, I’d call it a LaMiPoFri poem (coined by Kat Apel as “last minute poetry Friday” poem). To help myself find the time to write, I offered the challenge to my student Chloe, set the timer, and we wrote. I like her poem, too, so I will share it as well.
I’ve been working on crocheting a baby blanket for my daughter’s sister-in-law’s baby coming in May. With so many hours of loops and chains, I’ve got the blanket on my mind.
Baby Blanket. Ten Ways
I. Magic circle
double crochet
chain 3, chain 4
Granny squareII. Angel lace
holes for small fingers
III. When the apple peeler
curls a perfect unbroken spiral.IV. Thread of cotton once
worn by a fieldV. Play peek-a-boo
I see you
over & underVI. Miracle wrapped
like a presentVII. Woven dreams
criss-cross
double wishVIII. Scent of new skin
settles inIX. Touch to touch
heirloom for a Hope ChestX. Mother’s heart
Margaret Simon, draft
Grandmother’s grace
Nothing but love
Chloe wrote her poem about origami, a new obsession of hers.
Five things about origami
- Crisp folds
Creasing perfect angels
- Shapeshifting waves
Carved into the
Ombre of life
- Natural resource
That swims
Through scissors
- Bright colors
Warming the
Temperature of
Cold
- Topping off
With a design
To expose.
Chloe, 5th grade
Read other Swagger poems here:
Heidi Mordhorst
Linda Mitchell who also has the next line for the 2021 Progressive Poem!
Catherine Flynn
Molly Hogan
Reflections on the Teche 
I love this! It somehow gathers all the love that is going into the blanket. I hope you will include it when you give her the baby blanket. And I love that you and Chloe are writing together.
Well done, Chloe! You really made me see origami in new ways!
Margaret, I’m particularly taken by IV. What a great challenge!
Margaret, what a good idea! I especially like III. and IV., “thread of cotton/once worn by a field,” and the way an apple peel has nothing to do with a baby blanket except everything.
Hello, Chloe! Your 5 things about origami are subtle and so different; they show how you have put your whole being into origami’s combination of complexity and simplicity. My favorites are 3. and 4., especially “natural resource/that swims/through scissors” and “carved into the ombre of life.”
Margaret- I love the gentleness of your observations. You’ve inspired me to try this form. Lovely, Chloe – I especially like “shapeshifting waves”
Margaret, your blanket is stunning! I know so well how our handiwork finds its way into our writing. I love that your poem considers the source, “…once worn by a field,” the process, which is like magic, and the destination, sent on its way with “nothing but love.” Chloe’s poem is making me think about origami in a new way. I love the idea of “shapeshifting waves.”
Wow! Your poem is perfect wording to go inside the card to accompany the blanket. What a treasure for this mom-to-be to receive. I love the cotton once worn by a field and peek-a-boo. You’d never know this is a LaMiPoFri! Take a bow.
Chloe! You go, girl! Love the origami and poem…a double artist. My favorite line is “Warming the temperature of cold.” Oh, that’s delicious.
Your beautiful blanket poem is such a great companion to the blanket itself. And I’m happy to see another visit from Chloe!
Ruth, thereisnosuchthingasagodforsakentown.blogspot.com
Love the form and blanket poem, especially the second part – II. Angel lace
holes for small fingers. I could just envision the tiny newborn’s fingers grasping the soft yarn through the holes. Precious! And, Chloe! My goodness – you have several talents you are sharing with us here! I especially like the last part: Topping off
With a design
To expose.
My son, now 19 and an artist (making a living at it), was heavily into origami between 3rd and 5th grade! It’s a fun craft and skill builder. I hope you keep writing and folding!
I’ve loved every one of these and now your loving one for that baby coming – a poem itself, but also wonderful with your own definitions, Margaret. Then Chloe’s creative look at origami, both about creating!
This challenge produced beautiful poetry from you and Chloe. Origami and crochet are equal hand/mind crafts. Number 2 of Chloe’s and number 6 of yours feel connected.
So many gorgeous lines and love, woven throughout your poem and blanket – which is so, so beautiful. The new skin settling in… can almost smell the sweet baby-skin… both of these gifts from your hands and heart will be heirlooms, Margaret. You make me I wish I could crochet! And Chloe – “Ombre of life” – that is an amazing phrase!
Just gorgeous–all those loops and chains wrapping up so much love and hope and tenderness.
Oh so sweet. I was wondering how you were going to come up with the 10 different ways to see that beautiful blanket but you surely did it! My bet would have been on you! My favorite is Miracle wrapped like a blanket. Chloe’s beginning of crisp folds, creating perfect angels draws the reader right in!
Oh, Chloe’s swimming through scissors–perfection! And your #4 and #8–those made me feel like I was holding the blanket right there, somehow.
I can just feel the softness of that blanket. Interesting idea to use poetry to describe how to do something. I think young writers would find this challenge fascinating. I see Chloe took it right up – brilliantly.
Love all these lacey thoughts–I see those fingers poking through, smell the new scent.
Margaret, that blanket is just beautiful and I love considering the many ways one can see a blanket. I’m especially drawn to II and IV. And Chloe, well done! 4 is my favorite. Wishing you more happy writing times together!
Wow, what marvelous poems you both wrote! Chloe I love your stanza/#2.
Beautiful blanket Margaret filled with so many treasures to come. I especially like #3 and 4, thanks!
Wow, you both wrote amazing poems. Chloe, all of your stanzas are great, but I especially love #2 and # 3! Margaret, I all of your stanzas are great, but I especially love #2, #3, and #7! I also love both of your photos. Margaret, I resonated with your poem because it reminded me of a beautiful baby blanket that was lovingly crocheted into a circle for our first born. How I loved to pose both of our babies in the middle of that circle and snap photos. I know the mother your crocheting for will love the blanket and your poem. Chole, I resonated with your poem because it reminded me of my husband teaching our young girls origami. It also reminded me when I taught a Poetry Enrichment class. I always had my students illustrate their final drafts. One year my student assistant and I taught the class origami and encouraged them to write a small poem on their origami. Thank you to both of you.