Posted in nature, Photography, Poetry, This Photo Wants to be a Poem, tagged #poemsofpresence, #smallpoems, This Photo Wants to be a Poem on November 20, 2024| 34 Comments »
I noticed this mushroom in the grass and how in its disintegrating process, it looked like a butterfly, but on closer examination, there is a small worm crawling that camouflaged as the butterfly’s body. Our eyes play tricks on us all the time. Think about what you see and contrast that to what’s not actually there that you may imagine you see. Share a small poem in the comments.
Filaments of brown
turn mushroom inside out
peaceful inclusion
Posted in Poetry, Writing, tagged acrostic, Ethical ELA, name acrostic on November 19, 2024| 5 Comments »
Today I am envious of all the hype leading up to NCTE because I won’t be going for the first time in ten years. I hope all of you who are attending have a wonderful conference and send out some ELA love into the universe.
This morning Emily led the Ethical ELA Open Write with an invitation to write an acrostic about the best and the worst of yourself. I usually avoid looking too closely in the mirror for fear of what I might see. And of course, I have a long name with repeated letters that added an even harder challenge, but this is what I got in the wee dark hours of the morning.
At my best,
Mood smooth like malbec wine
A steady
Rock you can lean on
Grounded in my faith
Alert to nature
Ready for a long talk
Empathetic with my tears
Trust me with your pain.At my worst,
Moody
Arrogantly
Reserved
Guarding my soul
Assailed by doubt
Reactive
Enneagram four evading reality
Torturing myself…But I’ll always love you with intensity.
Posted in Photography, Poetry, This Photo Wants to be a Poem, tagged #haikuforhealing, #poemsofpresence, This Photo Wants to be a Poem on November 13, 2024| 26 Comments »
I’ve been raising Gulf Fritillaries in a butterfly enclosure. One day this week we came into the classroom to find one butterfly and within minutes, like magic, there were three. Unlike monarchs, these seem to just pop out in seconds. We haven’t witness the emerging yet.
I am participating in Mary Lee Hahn’s #haikuforhealing on Instagram. This is a way to put beauty out into the world. Join me and my students today writing about the miracles of nature.
Open your wings
Flutter in sacred silence
Then let go and fly@Margaret Simon
Posted in Gratitude, Poetry, Poetry Friday, Teaching, tagged #poemsofpresence, Louisiana fruit, ode, satsumas on November 8, 2024| 16 Comments »
With my fifth and sixth grade students, I am reading Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse. I’m amazed at the parallels of the Dust Bowl to our current climate crisis in Louisiana, but that is a post for another time. Today I am determined to focus on beauty.
The poem Apple Blossoms was our mentor text. I wrote alongside my students about our favorite fruits. Mine is currently overflowing on a tree in our backyard, the satsuma.
Ode to the Satsuma
after Karen Hesse “Apple Blossoms” Out of the Dust
Not just an orange,
you are the ultimate
citrus,
hanging like golden ornaments
on our tree near the fence
where butterflies play
and spiders web.
Your easy-to-peel goodness
makes anticipation grow
in fall, until by Halloween,
the tree is full, overflowing, drooping, dripping
inviting me to basket
a gift for you
to share juicy sweetness
and smile!Margaret Simon, draft
Posted in Photography, Poetry, Spiritual Growth, This Photo Wants to be a Poem, Writing, tagged #poemsofpresence, #smallpoems, poetry, prayer candles, spiritual journey, This Photo Wants to be a Poem on November 6, 2024| 28 Comments »
I was in my childhood home church on Sunday. While the scent of incense lingered, I walked over to the columbarium to say hello to my dad. I saw the metal rack of votive candles. I decided to light a candle for my mother, in hospice care at the end stages of Alzheimer’s, and one for my daughter’s mother-in-law who is battling cancer. To light a candle for someone symbolizes the prayer intention. Do we need this symbols? I believe we can pray without them, of course, but something in me was comforted by the act of lighting.
I invite you to consider holy moments, whether they be in church or out in nature, perhaps even in the quiet of your day. We can set intentions and practice mindfulness. What are your intentions today? Write a small poem in the comments and encourage others who write with us.
Instead of empty…
fill
Instead of fallow…
fertile
Instead of loss…
love
Instead of lies…
truth
Instead of hopelessness…
faith
Posted in Poetry, This Photo Wants to be a Poem, Writing, tagged #beingmamére, Alligators, Avery Island, Louisiana, This Photo Wants to be a Poem on October 30, 2024| 2 Comments »
My daughter joined my older daughter and her kids at Avery Island, Louisiana, a few miles south of us. It’s the home of the Tabasco plant. The place is beautiful, set on an inlet from the Gulf of Mexico. The water is fresh water and yes, there are gators there. Alligators are generally not aggressive animals. They peacefully float along the surface. I’m not sure, but this might have been June’s first time to see an alligator out in the wild.
Let’s play with enjambment today. Enjambment is a poetic element in which a sentence or phrase continues from one poetic line to the next, without end punctuation. Enjambment can create a surprise or suspense.
Here’s an example from Maggie Smith’s poem “First Fall”:
“I’m your guide here. In the evening-dark
morning streets, I point and name.
Look, the sycamores, their mottled
paint-by-number bark. Look, the leaves”
Here is my draft:
Your finger is the guide here, pointing,
noticing, identifying first gator.
You say, “Foggie,” and Mom
repeats, “That’s an alligator!”
You point again, fumble over
new syllables, soaking up
space, place, and being
a toddler on tour.
Margaret Simon, draft
Posted in Photography, Poetry, Teaching, This Photo Wants to be a Poem, Writing, tagged #poemsofpresence, #writeout, Halloween, metaphor poem, Spanish moss, This Photo Wants to be a Poem on October 23, 2024| 19 Comments »
If you have a tree covered in moss, then you must hang a ghost there.
I’ve taken a number of pictures of Halloween decorations thinking about the photo for this week. This one is the winner. In my neck of the woods (South Louisiana), moss covered trees are common. My husband grew up calling it “spooky moss”. It is the common Spanish moss, and on some trees, the stuff practically takes over the tree, even though I’ve read that moss is a bromeliad in the pineapple family and does not harm the tree.
“Many homeowners think that Spanish moss kills their trees. This is not the case because the moss is not parasitic. The only thing Spanish moss uses trees for is support.” University of Florida.
Yesterday as we were writing metaphors for artifacts in nature (#WriteOut), Avalyn created this form:
The (A, An) object in nature
is/is like …
describe how it is like
end with a connection to life
I tried the form when writing about milkweed seeds. I combined it with a prompt from Ethical ELA to write with words from paint chips here.
A milkweed seed
is a great white egret
showing off its lacy wings
to the mirrored pool in the sky.
Margaret Simon, draft
Spanish moss
are stalactites
hanging on a crepe myrtle
hosting ghostly terrormites.
Margaret Simon, draftNow it’s your turn. You can try Avalyn’s form or use your own. Please encourage other writers with your responses. Happy Halloween!
Posted in Photography, Poetry, This Photo Wants to be a Poem, Writing, tagged cherita, Mary Lee Hahn on October 9, 2024| 28 Comments »
Recently I’ve had three different friends travel to Scotland. I think it’s a sign that I am meant to travel there. And, of course “Outlander” on Netflix is my current binge obsession. Mary Lee has been posting daily albums on Facebook of her travels. I chose this one, but they are all amazing. Can’t you just hear the bagpipes and feel the cool breeze?
Let’s travel today in our poems. Where would you like to go? Maybe a stay-cation is all you need. Close your eyes and dream. Please leave a poem in the comments and respond to other writers.
Mary Lee is writing daily cherita poems of one line, two lines, three lines that tell a complete story. So I chose the cherita form.
Scotland calls me
to hear the wind
roar across the seaand be a traveler
wondering isle to isle
seeking Skye.Margaret Simon, draft
Posted in Gifted Education, Photography, Poetry, Slice of Life, Teaching, Writing, tagged #poet, cinquain, I am From, poem, poetry, skinny poem, student poems, This is Just to Say, writing on October 8, 2024| 11 Comments »
This is Just to Say
I have forgotten
the words
to that song
you sang to me
and which
you are probably
humming in your head
while you sleep.
Forgive me:
I will sing
along with you
anyway.
Margaret Simon, after William Carlos Williams
I believe in daily poetry, but I fell off the Stanford Challenge for writing a poem a day. Lately the new book from Sarah Donovan, Mo Daley, and Maureen Young Ingram, 90 Ways of Community is helping. Each day I present one of the prompts to my students and write alongside them. They are responding so well to this daily practice. I hope you don’t mind if I share a few here. First up is a skinny poem by Grayson.
White void endless space just
waiting
wondering
no
thoughts
waiting,
I’m
tired
of
waiting
in this endless void, white space that is just too empty.by Grayson, 5th grade
We’ve explored ourselves and written I am From poems.
I am from
crunching leaves
and windy days.
I am from
books, and books,
and even more books.
I am from the Bayou,
and I am from the
trees.
I come from murky waters
and lush green leaves
and sturdy branches.
I am from
the scratching of
a pen,
and the flick of a brush.
I am from
the smell of
cigarette smoke
and an autumn evening.
I am
from a household,
a household holding
four.
A mother of books,
a father of autumn,
a daughter of both,
and a sister
of all.
by Adelyn, 6th grade
Each week I invite my students to write to a photograph. They are free to choose their own form even as I model a form for them.
Old tree
Stays in the backyard
Is surrounded by water and ferns
Waiting outside on the porch for the sunrise
Lovely morning
by Marifaye, 5th grade
If you would like to write a poem to a photo, please join me on this blog on Wednesdays: This Photo Wants to be a Poem. I wish for you daily poetry.
Posted in Photography, Poetry, This Photo Wants to be a Poem, Writing, tagged 90 Ways of Community, Grandmother Oak, Linda Mitchell, Love, Oliver, photography, poem, poetry, writing on October 2, 2024| 8 Comments »
I’ve been working through the new book 90 Ways of Community by Sarah Donovan, Mo Daley, and Maureen Young Ingram of Ethical ELA. Daily I’ve been reading a prompt to my students and writing alongside them. Today’s prompt comes from Linda Mitchell. Her original prompt suggests to find a list of words in our notebooks to write along to. Her sample poem is “Wishing Well Price List” which led me to think of the song from the musical Oliver, Who Will Buy?.
I took this photo at sunrise on Sunday morning. Hanging from our grandmother oak is a rope swing. I began to imagine how many people over the years have swung on that rope. My grandchildren don’t have the strength yet in their toddler bodies to hold on, but they love swinging the rope and running to keep it from hitting them, a game they made up.
This photo may take you on a journey to another place in your memory. Let it go and write a small poem in the comments. Respond to others with encouraging words.
Who will buy
this sunglow on water?Who will buy
the fallsteam rising?Who will buy
a twist of rope to swing on?Who will buy
this changing of seasons?
I find a reason to keep my spirits high
wondering who will buy.Margaret Simon, draft
Our address on the Bayou Teche
Order on Amazon.
April 1 Linda Mitchell at A Word Edgewise
April 2 Tricia at The Miss Rumphius Effect
April 3 Robyn at Life on the Deckle Edge
April 4 Donna Smith at Mainely Write
April 5 Denise at https://mrsdkrebs.edublogs.org/
April 6 Buffy at http://www.buffysilverman.com/blog
April 7 Jone at https://www.jonerushmacculloch.com/
April 8 Janice Scully at Salt City Verse
April 9 Tabatha at https://tabathayeatts.blogspot.com/
April 10 Marcie at Marcie Flinchum Atkins
April 11 Rose at Imagine the Possibilities | Rose's Blog
April 12 Fran Haley at Lit Bits and Pieces
April 13 Cathy Stenquist
April 14 Janet Fagel at Mainly Write
April 15 Carol Varsalona at Beyond LiteracyLink
April 16 Amy Ludwig VanDerwater at The Poem Farm
April 17 Kim Johnson at Common Threads
April 18 Margaret at Reflections on the Teche
April 19 Ramona at Pleasures from the Page
April 20 Mary Lee at A(nother) Year of Reading
April 21 Tanita at TanitasDavis.com
April 22 Patricia Franz
April 23 Ruth at There's No Such Thing as a Godforsaken Town
April 24 Linda Kulp Trout at http://lindakulptrout.blogspot.com
April 25 Heidi Mordhorst at My Juicy Little Universe
April 26 Michelle Kogan at: https://moreart4all.wordpress.com/
April 27 Linda Baie at Teacher Dance
April 28 Pamela Ross at Words in Flight
April 29 Diane Davis at Starting Again in Poetry
April 30 April Halprin Wayland at Teaching Authors
Reflections on the Teche 
