Just as my school year started, I received my final Poem Swap gift and poem from Janet Fagel. It was all about Taylor Mali, the inventor of Metaphor Dice. She’s friends with him. (Swoon!) She sent me his book Late Father, which I added to my Sealy Challenge stack, and a signed print of his poem Undivided Attention. Janet’s poem for me came as a found/black out poem from this poem. I don’t know if it was intentional or not, but the poem arrived just in time for my 60th birthday.
Earlier in the summer I received a poem swap from Mary Lee Hahn. She made an oracle deck from my own words, phrases she had found in my poems. She color-coded the cards to show which was 5 syllables and 7 syllables. Then she created two poems from my words, a haiku and a doditsu (7-7-7-5). She encouraged me to make these with my students this year. Tucking it away until April when we’ve written lots of poems together from which to choose lines.
Both of these gifts come straight from the heart. This is the whole embodiment of this Summer Poem Swap, organized and led by Tabatha Yeatts. Thanks Janet, Mary Lee, and Tabatha. My hear is full!
Reflections on the Teche 
Happy birthday Margaret! Jim n Paula
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I love the haiku you created!
And won’t it be fun to keep this in your back pocket until April! Kids could mine each other’s work for phrases, or their own. And making the cards is its own fun art project!!
What incredible gifts! I love every poem Janet and Mary Lee created for you, and love the idea of having kids create their own oracle decks. Thank you for sharing your treasures!
I also received a beautiful poem swap from Mary Lee and just swoon over it each day. I am planning to share it soon since Mary Lee asked me to wait until August. I think the poems Mary Lee and you created are lovely. Janet’s gift is another poetry love piece, especially with the the thought of falling snow. Have a great weekend, Margaret. Celebrate your new decade in style!
Oh Margaret, what a treasure from Mary Lee. What a terrific idea for you, for your students (lucky!) and for us. I LOVE this idea and want to try it. (Big thanks to Mary Lee.) I am wondering about the cards themselves? Something bought or created? They are so beautifully done. Also very happy you love the things I sent. I read the poems in Late Father a lot. There is something about them that I can relate to on a level I don’t fully understand but have guesses about. And my poem was just a serendipitous coincidence that just makes me happy. You are generous and warm and thoughtful and busy…..your words, your poems….delicate, beautiful, provocative like snow that comes gently or sometimes wildly like a blizzard. I know you don’t get much snowfall where you live, but that first snow fall and kids….magic, and for adults who pay attention, magic, too. Like poetry. Like you!
Card stock, painted with watercolors. Each sheet cut into 1/8ths.
I thought they looked special. I love them. Thx!
Welcome to the 60’s Margaret, for we who are fortunate to reach this landmark, the skies our launching pad… Happy Belated Birthday! 🥳 Love your special swaps set fire with those “wild stories” and word gifts, thanks for sharing them!”
I don’t know where to begin! I love color, so seeing the delicious pops of color with lyrical phrases stacked into new poetry is enchanting. I love hearing about the serendipity of their arrival on your 60th! It makes me want to write an Irene Latham-esque poem collection where the all things 60 can sparkle! Welcome to the sixties club! Thank you for sharing the genius of the supportive community that poetry swapping created.
Wow. What a buffet of wonderful. Janet’s found poem is so lovely, and then…an oracle deck? I’ve never heard of this, but I LOVE it. Like magnetic poetry but with whole lines. This is genius.
Here is a link to Taylor Mali’s Undivided Attention which is on his website. I love his poem. https://taylormali.com/poems/undivided-attention/
The new broadside of it is for sale there as well and I think it is beautiful. Whoever prints these for him does a wonderful job.
Wow! What wonderful gifts! The found poem was so perfectly timed for your birthday and the oracle deck is a gift that will keep on giving. What fun to do these with your students! I love the examples you shared and look forward to reading more.
Wow, Margaret! What fun gifts of poetry for this summer swap. Yes, they are gifts from the heart. I am enchanted with the poetry cards Mary Lee made for you. What a lovely gift. I’ve just been at Taylor Mali’s website checking out Metaphor Dice and so much more from you and Janet. I learn something new every Friday.
Happy, happy birthday to you, Margaret! I missed greeting you on Wednesday and writing about the basket of sunflowers. Hope you had a lovely day!
Lovely gifts for summertime & then for your birthday, too, Margaret! Hope it was a happy one!
Such a great idea, the oracle cards from Mary Lee. What a fun way to create a haiku! Janet’s poem is fascinating and I’ve learned a lot here about options for poetry swaps to keep in mind.
Oh my goodness what a wonderful idea! All of the poems that you and Mary Lee created with the oracle deck are wonderful! Thanks for sharing this idea with us.
Hooray for lovely poetry swap gifts! I have been blessed with them too…can’t wait to share next week!