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Archive for the ‘Poetry’ Category

Cover Reveal: Bayou Song

Posted in Bayou Song, Poetry, Poetry Friday, Writing, tagged , , , on April 27, 2018| 20 Comments »

Poetry Friday round-up is with Irene at Live Your Poem.

 

The time has come to let you all in on a very exciting adventure, my first poetry book for children, Bayou Song: Creative Explorations of the South Louisiana Landscape.

This unique book that combines poetry, nonfiction text, photographs, and illustrations with invitations to write and draw will be published by UL Press on June 18, 2018.

This week I wrote an anticipatory poem prompted by Amy VanDerwater’s exercise in writing striking words.

Publication Day

I’m flabbergasted
by anticipation,
dizzy with expectation,
nauseous
with nervousness.


I’m sidestepping
assumption,
antsy for predictions,
impatient
for beliefpower
to hurtle into
my psyche.

 

I’m dancing
with my destiny
with heebie-jeebies
and butterflies
splitting me into
a hive of many bees.

The day of publication is near.

–Margaret Simon, (c) 2018

I am so pleased with my illustrator, Anna Cantrell.  She was a delight to work with.  She is young and enthusiastic.  Follow her on Instagram at jarofpencils.

I’ve received a few awesome blurbs.  Love this one from Ava Leavell Haymon, former Louisiana poet laureate.  It’s probably too long for the back cover, but I want to savor every word regardless.

A love-song to the Bayou Teche, this inviting book creates its own universe.  I suspect there are multiple paths for us to enter that universe, but I am drawn in immediately by Anna Cantrell’s luminous watercolor illustrations, a gift to us from her precise observation and quiet love for her subjects.  And then Henry Cancienne’s photographs add another layer of beauty and understanding.  Then I come to brief paragraphs of information, enough to arouse curiosity but press me with too many facts. Then — what a treasure box this little book is! — Margaret Simon’s poems, each one born of minute observation and winsome appreciation of this  Bayou universe.  And nestled into all of this are Simon’s suggestions for writing a poem of our own in the manner of the one we’ve just read, and a little space right there to do so.  Experienced teacher, she suggests with a light touch and offers inviting tricks to make our writing easy.

This is a generous, generative book that gives and gives and does not make demands.  My fingers were itching to hold a pencil, a canoe paddle, a watercolor set, a camera. I leave its universe a little sad to go, but refreshed in my love of the Louisiana bayous and with my own creativity restored.         Ava Leavell Haymon

If you would like to participate in a blog tour, please fill out the form below.  Select a date that works for you (between June 18-August 18) In the comments, let me know your ideas for your post as well as your snail mail address.  I will make a schedule and send you a pdf of the book.

 

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#NPM2018: What Poem will you Carry?

Posted in Poetry, tagged , , on April 26, 2018| Leave a Comment »

National Poetry Month 2018

Moon Song by Lisa Kattenbraker

Seven Ways to Touch the Moon

Reach.
Be still.
Ride the tide.
Climb on a branch.
Read a moon story.
Look beyond horizons.
Play your instrument for her.

–Margaret Simon

Today is Poem in Your Pocket Day. Are you carrying a poem?  Today I will carry two poems, one in each pocket.  I hold Naomi Shihab Nye’s poem Kindness.

Before you know what kindness really is
you must lose things...


I will also hold a poem from one of Kim Douillard's students, Avi.  
She posted this poem on her blog, and it touched me.

Poetry Is

Poetry is like the last rays of sun on a sunset

it leaves with beauty and sadness at the same time

poetry is like a song that sings forever

and when you forget

it will always whisper back.

Avi

 

 

 


					
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#NPM2018: Cypress in Wind

					

					Posted in Photography, Poetry, tagged ,  on April 25, 2018|
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This April, Renee LaTulippe of No Water River is hosting a wonderful month of poet visits and writing prompts. I saw a tweet about a prompt by the infamous Jane Yolen which drew me in.  She suggested that we all have topics that we go back to again and again.  (Mine is the bayou, of course.) She posted a poem in three acts and prompted us to write a poem about our favorite topic in three acts.


Since I am writing ekphrastic poetry, I searched for the just right image for a poem about the bayou.  My friend (and cousin, by marriage) Marjorie Pierson is a fine art photographer.  The wetlands is a common theme in her photos.  I think her photos are poems. Even though she lives in North Carolina, she visits South Louisiana often to be with her mother who happens to live across the street from us.  Today I am featuring her image titled “Cypress in Wind.”  To see more from Marjie, go over to her website.


 


 


Cypress in Wind by Marjorie Pierson.


Bayou Performance


Act I:


Dawning sun

plays peek-a-boo

with cypress trees.


Act II:


Breeze builds, waves

rippling, Baldcypress needles

helicopter down.


Act III:


Line of light

drawn from tree to tree

traffic light to the day.


–Margaret Simon (c) 2018


 


 

					
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Slice of Life: How Poetry Enters the Social Studies Door

					

					Posted in Poetry, Slice of Life, Teaching, Writing, tagged  on April 24, 2018|
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See more posts at Two Writing Teachers Slice of Life .


 


Social Studies is not my area of expertise, so last week I found a way to let poetry come in the door.  I pull a group of gifted students for their Social Studies class. I needed to teach these kids about the Civil Rights Movement.  Equipped with website links, videos, and articles, we explored three major events: Woolworth’s lunch counter sit-in, March on Washington, and the Montgomery bus boycott. As a way to synthesize the information, we wrote poems together.  Our discussion about these events included what important information to include and how to make it into a poem.


In the Woolworth’s store,

four brave students,

as brave as can be

sat at the lunch counter

and would not leave.


Several more the next day

sat with those brave boys

they took Mr. Woolworth’s

breath away.


News spread, far and wide.

Three hundred more stood by their side.


To get their minds straight

and stop segregation,

they worked hard, stood strong.

It’s not time to have fun.

There is still work to be done.


–Mrs. Simon’s class




Dear Rosa Parks,


You are a hero for all of America.

I really appreciate

that everyone can ride together.

You refused to give up your seat.

You inspire us to fight

for what we believe in.


Because of you,

segregation on buses ended.

You befriended yourself in my eyes

through your bravery in the Montgomery Bus Boycott

sewing together minds for integration.


Sincerely,

Mrs. Simon’s Sea 


Another group of my kiddos was featured on Today’s Little Ditty with their dinosaur poems.


If you would like to participate in a round up of poetry about photos, join the photo/poem exchange on my blog, More than Meets the Eye. 

					
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#NPM2018: 13 Ways of Looking at a Heron

					

					Posted in Poetry, Writing, tagged , ,  on April 23, 2018|
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National Poetry Month 2018


Heron in Flight by John Gibson


After Wallace Stevens, Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird. 


 


I.


Taking flight,

one heron, great and blue,

lifts on kite-wings.


II.


At daybreak, he stalks

early risers

stealthily staring

at the water’s surface.


III.


The heron looks long

at his own reflection,

beauty knows beauty.


IV.


Straight as an arrow on a hunt

for its mark, heron’s beak

pierces the sky.


V.


Sun beams dance on waves

winking at heron’s stature,

inviting his participation

in the day.


VI.


My totem, Heron,

teach me

your lessons of grace.


VII.


As evening falls, heron

circles back

to tell me good night.


VIII.


Times with heron

I value silence

and know God.


IX.


Heron’s squawk

scrapes on Goose’s last nerve.

A cacophony on courthouse steps.


X.


At the sight of heron flying,

barely skimming water’s surface,

even playful children

stop and admire.


XI.


Heron lifts his wing

to preen like an awkward teen

crumples over his tall body

to tie his shoelace.


XII.


A storm raged during the night,

heron stood still

never losing his grip

on the fallen log.


XIII.


I haven’t seen Heron for days.

He will return. He may not return.

The light on the lake fades.


–Margaret Simon (c) 2018


If you are interested in joining a photo-poetry exchange I am hosting, click here.

					
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Poetry Friday: A Photo Exchange “More than Meets the Eye”

					

					Posted in Photography, Poetry, Poetry Friday, tagged , ,  on April 20, 2018|
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Poetry Friday round-up is with Tabatha at The Opposite of Indifference


Photo by Molly Hogan, mbhmaine at Nix the Comfort Zone.


The world

inside a crystal ball

feels mystical

and magical,

a fairy tale land

where princes

fall in love

with glass slippers.


The world

inside ocean waves

feels treacherous

and terrifying,

a tossed ship

where pirates

set traps

for fair maidens.


The world

in a child’s mind

feels exciting

and thrilling,

a shore of seashells

where girls and boys

gather treasures

to share.




The photo above took my breath away.  I saw it on Molly Hogan’s blog and thought, “I want to write a poem about this.”  I also went to Amazon to buy my own crystal photo ball.  I changed my header image to one of the bayou with the ball placed on my deck railing.


I had an email conversation with my virtual-poetry-writing-photographer-friend Molly Hogan about exchanging photos and writing poems about them.  The idea grew into something we’d like to share with the Poetry Friday community.  We are calling it “More than Meets the Eye.”


I am hosting the Poetry Friday round-up on Friday, May 25th and would like to invite poets to fill out the form below and I’ll match you with someone to exchange photos with. I’m going to make an effort to match you to someone in a totally different geographical location. Your charge will be to write a poem about the photo you receive and post it on your blog on Friday, May 25th.  The photos should not include people. (People tend to complicate things.) There are no other rules except that the writer should give proper credit to the photographer and vice versa. Please sign up by Friday, April 27th.




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#NPM2018: Star

					

					Posted in Poetry, Writing, tagged , , ,  on April 19, 2018|
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Star by Sarah Hazel


In a field of bluebonnets,

cockerpoo smiles for the Sky.

Royal Star of prairie grass.


Joy twinkles in his Star-eyes,

Inspiration for Sarah’s

hand to oil majestic poise.


–Margaret Simon, (c) 2018


This pet portrait looks just like my childhood dog, Lucky.  I was drawn in immediately, but the poem was elusive.  When I struggle with a poem, I often turn to form to guide me.  This one became a septercet, stanzas of three lines with seven syllables each.  Jane Yolen created the septercet.


Words are another hurdle, so I Googled bluebonnets and collected words.  The dog’s name is Star, but I decided to also capitalize Sky as if it is a character in the poem.  Sarah is the artist, and Joy is one of her daughters.  To see more of Sarah Hazel’s art, click here. 


 


 


 


 

					
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#NPM2108: Happy Haiku Day

					

					Posted in Photography, Poetry, tagged ,  on April 18, 2018|
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National Poetry Month 2018


Pileated woodpecker by Ralph Fletcher


When I saw this photo from Ralph on Facebook, I knew I had to write about it.  And yesterday, April 17th was National Haiku Day, and I forgot, so here’s a quick haiku fo honor Mama Woodpecker.


Knocking down walls

wood thin, cleaning out closets

woodpecker nesting


–Margaret Simon, (c) 2018


Click over to Ralph’s photography page to see a video of this mother nesting.


 

					
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#NPM2018: Bees Play

					

					Posted in Blogging, Poetry, Slice of Life, Teaching, tagged ,  on April 17, 2018|
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National Poetry Month 2018


 


See more posts at Two Writing Teachers Slice of Life .


 


My students and I have been writing to Amy Ludwig VanDerwater’s daily prompts at The Poem Farm.  I usually write alongside my students, so some days I have three poems done because I teach 3 different groups of kids.  On Monday, when we were writing using word play, I started writing at school number one about bees.


Dawson, 4th grade, helped me think about rhymes.  He told me that bees carry pollen in their mouths and spit it back and forth with other bees until it becomes honey, thus “honey primers.”


I turned to bee research and RhymeZone.


At school number two, Chloe, 2nd grade, told me that a bee’s dance is called a waggle.  Google confirmed it.


Last month, I had a bee incident in my classroom at school number 2 that caused a curse word to come out of my mouth, thus “cursing singer.” This incident happened in March, so I sliced about it here.


My students responded with pleasure at my completed poem.  They exclaimed “Boomchakalaka.”  Great word play for the ending!


 


Bees

hullabaloo

on flowering trees

humming,

drumming,

buzz-strumming.


Bees

hokey-pokey

through pollen fields

persnickety climbers,

expert mimers

honey primers.


Bees

waggle-dance

in the hive

insect communication

tapping out dictation

pointing to a destination.


Bee–one bashful bee

squirming

in my hair

angry stinger

hand slinger

cursing singer.


Boomchakalaka!


I am writing ekphrastic poetry this month for National Poetry Month.  Michelle Kogan is an poet-illustrator I’ve met through Poetry Friday.  Usually I start with the image to inform the poem.  This poem came before the illustration, but I knew Michelle would have one that fit just right. Thanks, Michelle.




Towering Tulip by Michelle Kogan. Click image to see Michelle’s website.

					
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#NPM 2018: Horse Races

					

					Posted in Poetry on April 16, 2018|
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National Poetry Month 2018


Horse Races


This drawing has been in my files since the beginning of the month.  I’ve passed over it again and again, not because I don’t love it, but because I have no experience with horse racing.  I mean, none!  I’ve never been to a horse race.  I’ve never watched horse racing.  It is a total foreign experience to me.


To enter into this drawing, I turned once again to Susan Goldsmith Wooldridge and PoemCrazy.  She writes, “Poetry is a form of deep ecology, allowing us to experience the interdependence of everything on earth.”


Horse Race


Can you feel the beat

of the earth beneath

their feet?


Pounding horse hooves

in the wake

of the news.


Head down, focused strength,

we’ve all been there,

not knowing the outcome,

energy in the air.


Hold on tight.

This ride will be breathtaking.

Don’t let go.

The race is earthshaking.


Ride it out!


–Margaret Simon (c) 2018


 


 


 


 


 


 

					
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