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Celebrating Nothing but Poetry

Posted in Celebration Saturday, Poetry Friday, Teaching, Writing, tagged Canva, Douglas Florian, nothing poems, student poetry, Today's Little Ditty on January 30, 2016| 16 Comments »

Poetry Friday round-up with Catherine at Reading to the Core

Ruth Ayres invites us the celebrate each week. Click over to her site Discover. Play. Build. to read more celebrations.

Over at Today’s Little Ditty, Michelle has posted the wrap-up of nothing poems from this month’s ditty challenge posted by Douglas Florian. I have a poem in the collection.

I challenged my students by sharing Diane Mayr’s nothing poem. She used anaphora, a repeated line, “Nothing, but…” This prompt generated a lot of thought. I was excited by the results.

Today, I have a dual post: I celebrate the nothing poems my students created and add them to the Poetry Friday Ditty collection. The digital images were created on Canva.

Love this nature nothing poem from Andrew, 3rd grade.

Lynzee loves the songs of nightingales, 1st grade.

Nothing poem by Kaiden, 5th grade

Kielan’s poem is about a classmate, Erin.

Nothing but rainbow narwhals

Nothing but rainbow butterfly unicorn kittens

Nothing but unicorns

Nothing but love

Nothing but a helpful heart

Nothing but imagination

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This I Believe

Posted in Gifted Education, Poetry, Poetry Friday, Writing, tagged creed poems, I believe, Irene Latham, sonder on January 22, 2016| 11 Comments »

Poetry Friday round-up with Tara at A Teaching Life.

Over at Holly Mueller’s blog, Reading, Teaching, Learning, a group of us are writing about the spiritual aspects of our OLWs. Last week, we wrote about the word Believe. Irene Latham’s creed poem inspired me. I posted it on my kidblog site and asked my students to reflect on the meaning and to respond with their own beliefs. Today I am sharing Irene’s poem and my students’ responses.

I Could Say I Believe in the Ocean

But what I mean is,
I believe in water:
leagues wide
and miles deep,
still-cool-cold on one shore,
warm-salty on the other.

I believe in clownfish
and anemone,
riotous coral reef
and cruising grouper,

octopuses origami-ing
themselves into
castaway bottles
and now-you-see-em-
now-you-don’t krill
diving into
the mouths of whales.

I believe in turquoise
and teal, cobalt
and blacker-than-black.
In shipwrecks
and tsunamis
and deep-sea
luminescence.

I believe in a world
with enough anything
for everyone
where I am a boat
floating quiet
as a moon jellyfish,

weaving between sharks
and icebergs,
allowing the current
to carry me
wherever it will.
– Irene Latham

Student response poems:

I believe in life,

A world where nature blooms beautifully on the ground,

Where the sun is the light bulb of Earth,

Where animals are in love,

And a world where people are all treated equally no matter how different. –Kielan (6th grade)

I believe in unicorns,

dancing through the skies,

I believe in magic,

right before my eyes,

I believe in mermaids,

swimming through the seas. — Lynzee (1st grade)

And this response from Vannisa prompted me to look up the word sonder. I found an interesting YouTube video.

“I believe that you can’t judge a person when you first meet them, or barely know them. Every person you interact with or even just pass by, has a story and memories of their life that you know nothing about. I think it’s an interesting concept to think about. The word for this, which I think isn’t an actual word, is sonder. Some people live by quotes, but I think that sonder is a great word to live by. –Vannisa (6th grade)”

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Nothing Happened

Posted in Gratitude, Poetry, Poetry Friday, Writing, tagged Barbara Crooker, Douglas Florian, nothing, poetry, Today's Little Ditty on January 15, 2016| 19 Comments »

Join the Poetry Friday round-up with Keri at Keri Recommends

Last week Michelle Barnes interviewed Douglas Florian who challenged poets to write a poem about nothing. On Saturday, I had a bunch of nothing much going on and I read a poem by Barbara Crooker that was about nothing and the joy of a day when nothing goes wrong. I stole a line and off I went.

with a borrowed line from Barbara Crooker, “Ordinary Life” in The Woman in this Poem selected by Georgia Heard.

This was a day when nothing happened.

I swept the floor.
Leaves piled with swirly
dust–not many left on trees

this winter day, but the sun
shone through a break in the clouds
making my gathering glisten.

I stopped to switch laundry
pulled long sleeves from the dryer.
Soft warmth brushed my cheek.

View from my kitchen window, by Margaret Simon

The dryer hummed a rhythm.
Time enough for another cup of coffee,
another deep breath of nothing happening.

I promised God to be present.
He said, “It’s all in the way you look at things.”
So I swept

words into a small pile
on a page
where nothing much was happening.

–Margaret Simon

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Poetry Friday: One Little Word

Posted in Digital Learning, Poetry Friday, Writing, tagged Canva, One Little Word, student acrostic poetry on January 8, 2016| 11 Comments »

Poetry Friday round-up with Tabatha at The Opposite of Indifference

This week my students and I wrote about our one little word choices. I encouraged them to select an image and create a Canva. I’ll write more about this process on DigiLit Sunday this weekend. Please consider joining the round-up. This week we are sharing about OLW in the classroom.

My newest student, a gifted first grader, wrote this profound poem about the idea of selecting a OLW.

A word is like a leaf,

So fragile,

Everyone chooses a word,

At the beginning of the year,

Little do they know,

Their word is a leaf.

–Lynzee, 1st grade

This student selected the word “Astonish” which is quite a big word for her age, but she wrote a personal acrostic that helped me understand her choice.

My OLW is Present. My student Vannisa helped me write this poem as I was showing how Canva works.

By Margaret Simon (with help from Vannisa)

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Twelve Ways of Looking at a Year

Posted in Poetry Friday on January 1, 2016| 9 Comments »

Poetry Friday round-up with Mary Lee at A Year of Reading.

The Time is Now: “Think back over the past year. What does the memory of each month feel like? What is its emotional tone, vibration, form? Write a poem in twelve parts that tries to capture each month’s abstract feeling in a single line or stanza. Like Wallace Stevens’s Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird,”

I looked through Facebook and blog posts throughout the year to create this poem. It may mean nothing to you, but it was a meaningful exercise for me. I hope you will find peace and kindness in 2016.

12 Ways of Looking at 2015

January:

Sometimes on the bayou in January
light hides behind grey,
the owl hoots before sunset,
shadows disappear
and I watch
for a poem hiding there.

February:

Sounds abound, poetic listening
beads flying to the beat
of the djembe drum.

March:

Wonders lead us
to a masterful old oak
walking his roots
to hear his wisdom.

Watercolor painting of Mr. Al by Jerome Weber

April:

Are you an author,
a poet, an illustrator?
What are you doing in this place?
no faking it here.

May:

Packing up mugs, vases, photos,
stories, memories,
voices of many children,
the heart of one teacher.

June:

A walk in the woods,
I come across a doe,
eye to eye
we are mothers
holding in a moment
nature’s promise.

July:

Life changes in an instant
gun shots in a theater
lives lost, lives changed,
tragedy closes in on home.

August:

She must come, August
and paint me in the picture
of a daughter engaged to a boy.

September:

Miles and miles to go
driving to Chicago
bringing a sister home.

Illinois farmlands

October:

She makes the dust fly!
Eating gumbo with queens
is the way to conquer the world.

November:

Glow like the lemon in the sunlight.
Be the harvest.

December:

Magic tricks, magic windows,
magical gifts, magical white wigs,
the season of magic is here.

–Margaret Simon

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Winter Poetry Exchange

Posted in Poetry Friday, tagged Christmas, Linda Baie, Poetry Exchange on December 25, 2015| 11 Comments »

Poetry Friday round-up with Irene Latham at Live your Poem.

Merry Christmas Poetry Friday! My celebration began last night at our Christmas Eve service. St. Nick visits each year and tells a story to the children. He also leaves candy in their shoes that they left at the church door. Since it was 80 degrees yesterday, their little bare feet did not get cold.

On Christmas Eve Eve, our choir with some children tag alongs went caroling at two local assisted living facilities. We brought Santa along. I love this picture of Baby Jacques cuddling up to Santa.

Tabatha Yeatts gathers names and addresses to spark a poetry exchange. I received a lovely package from Linda Baie in cold Colorado. She sent a poet’s set from our own Robyn Hood Black’s Etsy shop.

Linda crafted a black-out poem especially for me and mounted it on a Christmas collage. It’s lovely.

passage home
round the lamp
beam each one in his own way,
making others idle
together
giving coats
strong enough
for bad weather.
lined on the inside with flannel,
every one did something
for the season

Friday, December 25th.
This day was Christmas;
all day long, and
a holiday dinner
Old Style celebrated
grand
drank, ate

finished all
another answered
very well
magnificent light
carrying us
fine day
sunshine.

–Linda Baie

May you and yours enjoy this day and always the blessings of Christmas Joy.

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A Story in Haiku

Posted in Poetry Friday, tagged haiku, Won Ton and Chopstick on December 18, 2015| 12 Comments »

Poetry Friday round-up with Diane at Random Noodling

Won Ton and Chopstick is a cutie-pie story in haiku. I shared it with my students this week and a funny thing happened. They were compelled to read it chorally. These short verses about Won Ton, the cat, and his new friend (maybe) Chopstick, the puppy, are clever and witty.

Won Ton and Chopstick by Lee Wardlow

When searching for a website, I came across this great activity for kids. Wish I had found it sooner!

We quickly figured out that it’s not so easy to write a story in haiku. I tried a few drafts about my cat Mimi.

Bow tie mustache bites
at open faucet, waiting
for drip-water to fall.

Oh, that Christmas tree,
lights and hanging ornaments
a feline playground.

Rip, tear, gnaw, paw, rip
Ribbon scatters, glitter rains,
Here’s the cardboard box.

–Margaret Simon

Lynzee, first grade, and I worked together. She’s been studying pandas for her passion project, so she wanted to write a panda story.

Two Pandas

Brother panda eats
bamboo leaves high on a shoot
Chomp! Chomp! Delicious!

The Unexpected Surprise

Brother pounces hard
wakes Sister with a Beep! Beep!
Then he runs away.

Mother Saves the Day

Sister yawns lazily
runs inside to Mother
who holds mug of warm tea.

–Lynzee

Emily is in gifted art class. She is working on a hero art project. Her hero is Cynthia Lord who wrote A Handful of Stars. This post tells why.

a handful of stars
all shades of blue and purple
blueberries fill page

patterns and designs
with stars,stripes,splatters, and dots
it’s a masterpiece

finalizing it
adding the stars on top
Cynthia Lord, proud

–Emily

Madison, 2nd grade, chose Atlantis on Wonderopolis this week and made her poem into an Animoto video.

https://animoto.com/play/NMyaF2givDRuhm0fSMY1PA

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Oh Christmas Tree

Posted in Poetry Friday, Writing, tagged Christmas on December 11, 2015| 12 Comments »

Poetry Friday round-up with Tara at A Teaching Life

The multiple pictures of Christmas trees started showing up on Facebook before Thanksgiving. The more pictures posted, the more anxious I became. When we moved into this house eleven years ago, I didn’t get a tree until Dec. 18th, and Christmas came anyway. So what made me think on Dec. 1st that I was running behind? Should I let Facebook run my life? Get a grip.

My tree is here. We ventured out last Saturday afternoon to find the just-right one. It’s up. There are lights on it. That’s all.

I know I will enjoy putting the ornaments on. I will travel through the years and think of all the kids I have taught. I love the ones that mark “Baby’s First Christmas” and other milestones. Many memories in the box. But I can’t make myself do it yet. What am I waiting for? (A chunk of time that seems to get more and more elusive with each new December day.)

Tall evergreen in my living room,

long branches reach out,

my fingers touch your soft fur.

I’ll adorn you soon.

But today I watch

your twinkle lights

twinkle.

–Margaret Simon

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Gallery Poetry

Posted in Poetry Friday, Teaching, tagged A&E Gallery, ekphrastic poetry, Paul Schexnayder on December 4, 2015| 15 Comments »

Poetry Friday round-up with Buffy at Buffy’s Blog

Walking down Main Street you may find a poem in a window.

Or you can stop in at A&E Gallery and see that poets have been there.

Space Man and Space Dog
walk the moon alone,
with only each other
to keep company
on the long way home
–Vannisa

Paul Schexnayder has started a series of Circus Gators in his paintings. This makes for a crazy circus poem.

Cirque du Gator
a green gator circus,
a scaly trapeze,
two mingy gymnasts,
and a sharp-toothed dancer.
–Emily

$100 is the price
for a patriotic watermelon sunrise.
A alligator
stealing a watermelon from a chubaka?
Greedy green gator
masking the red white and blue.
–Kaiden

Beauty marks the spot.
An angel from high above is calling.
I won’t let go of your baby boy,
I promise.
–Kielan

I joined in the secret poem walk and wrote to the work in progress.

An empty frame
waits
layers
of color
build
a world,
a circus
of imagination.
–Margaret Simon

A field trip down Main Street can be a poetic treat.

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Cat Whispers a Poem

Posted in Poetry Friday, Writing, tagged nature poem on November 27, 2015| 15 Comments »

Poetry Friday round-up with Carol at Carol’s Corner.

I signed up years ago for the Poem a Day email from Poets.org. But my inbox gets full of them. I feel like I need a stretch of time to read them all. And then sometimes when I open the poem-of-the-day, I am inspired to write. I get distracted from what needs to be done. I am like an artist in “flow.” Borrow a line. Steal a pattern.

My bumper sticker should read, “I’d rather be writing a poem.”

This one is patterned from Rebecca Lehmann’s poem Natural History using anaphora (repetition) of “Here comes” and “Tell me.”

Here comes light
streaming down the bayou
like a surfer riding the waves.
Here comes wind,
in a stream of its own
wiggling those chimes.
Tell me bent cypress branches,
how year after year
you shed and redress
in brighter green.

Here comes the sun
casting a shadow of the mother oak
I spread my arms wide
in tableau, statue of majesty.
Tell me the child swinging on your rope,
how she came to you when her mother cried,
finding another mother in your shade.

Here comes the land
softened by hard rain
answering our prayer.
Tell me about wet,
how all at once you feel fat
and full like resurrection.

Here comes grey cat
the one with no tail
flipping at my feet.
Tell me what you see
at night on the lonely road.
Whisper your wisdom.
Follow me home.

–Margaret Simon