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Slice of Life #27: In a Small Town

Posted in Slice of Life, Writing, tagged , , , on March 27, 2022| 10 Comments »

Thank you to Two Writing Teachers for creating an amazing community of writers and a safe, welcoming space to write and share.

In a small town, a canopy connects our city to a city in Spain.

Brinkley Segura Lopez with a crocheted piece for the installation.

Brinkley read about a project from New Iberia’s twin city of Alhaurín de la Torre in Spain, an installation of crocheted blankets forming a canopy. She decided to do something similar in New Iberia for the annual Spanish Festival that celebrates the founding of Nueva Iberia. On Saturday, my husband and I walked through Church Alley and visited with Brinkley and viewed the large variety of pieces being sewn together. She hopes to drape Church Alley in one long piece for the Spanish Festival in a few weeks. Click here to see an article from Spain about the installation.

Brinkley’s young daughter wants to help.

In a small town, your best friend becomes Volunteer of the Year.

Patti Holland, Executive Director of The Teche project presents Jenny Lacour with a map of the Bayou Teche.

I am on the council for the Teche Project and our annual banquet was held last night. My good friend Jenny, helped at the greeting table, served food, and was generally all over the place doing whatever needed doing, and then she was shocked to be awarded the Volunteer-of-the-Year Award. The photograph on the big screen showed Jenny in boots with mud to her knees after planting native irises on the bank of the bayou in City Park. Anyone who digs in mud and rescues Patti from falling into the mud is worthy of this prize. I’m proud to call her my friend.

In a small town, you can walk down Main Street and sit outside for a Saturday lunch.

Church Alley, Main Street, New Iberia

Saturday was a wonderful perfect weather day, so my husband and I visited the Church Alley Cafe, a new coffee shop and eatery tucked into an old building down Church Alley. We remember the years before revitalization when Church Alley was a gravel, trashy mess that most were afraid to walk through. But today it’s bustling with renovation and revitalization. We had a nice lunch outside. When Jeff finished his salad, one of the proprietors ran out with salad dressing and said, “Did anyone get a salad without dressing?” Jeff took his last bit and admitted he had a dry salad, but he didn’t want to complain. “I’m working on spreading good karma.” A few minutes later, she asked if he’d like a fresh bowl of lobster mac-n-cheese. After taking his first savory bite, he declared, “I traded up!”

I love a small town kind of day!

Nueva Iberia 1779 centered below the colors of Spain and the Acadian flag.

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Slice of Life #26: Miracle

Posted in Slice of Life, Writing, tagged on March 26, 2022| 13 Comments »

Thank you to Two Writing Teachers for creating an amazing community of writers and a safe, welcoming space to write and share.

“Come see one of your friends,” my husband pleaded. I had just put toothpaste on my toothbrush for the nightly ritual of getting ready for bed. I was too tired for this game. But I went anyway.
“It better not be a snake!” I exclaimed.

He assured me, “I wouldn’t do that to you.” History says otherwise.

He opened the kitchen door to the back porch and there it was. A black swallowtail butterfly!

Black swallowtail butterfly

I was ecstatic! “I can’t believe it hatched. I thought the chrysalis was dead.”

I understand that a chrysalis is supposed to look dead for its own protection, but this one was on a garden trellis that had been knocked over by the wind, carried in and out of my monarch butterfly domain. It held 3 different monarch chrysalises this past winter. I was grateful that I hadn’t taken the dead-looking thing off. I left it without hope or even an inkling that it would ever hatch.

This is the caterpillar from last summer. June 9, 2021 to be exact. I had taken my grandsons on a trip to a nearby farm. The caterpillar was on a parsley plant. The plant was in a small black plastic pot as if it had just been delivered from the nursery. I took the caterpillar and the plant and placed them into a butterfly net enclosure. It made the chrysalis not long after this, but never emerged. Until last night, 9 months later. Currently, the beauty is still hanging on to the screen. I hope he gets the courage to fly. My little miracle!

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Slice of Life #25: Poetry News

Posted in Poetry Friday, Progressive poem, Slice of Life, Writing, tagged , , on March 25, 2022| 19 Comments »

Poetry Friday is with Amy at The Poem Farm
Thank you to Two Writing Teachers for creating an amazing community of writers and a safe, welcoming space to write and share.

I’m excited to hear from Tabatha that Imperfect II is almost here. I have a few small poems included. The anthology is ready for pre-order here. The blog for this book is here.

Hardcover for Imperfect II

My blog is featured on Twinkl as a Top 10+ poetry blog for children.

The Kidlit Progressive Poem begins on April 1st. The schedule is ready to go. Irene Latham starts us off. I can’t wait!

Click here to copy and paste the Kidlit Progressive Poem schedule.

I won a copy of Amy Ludwig VanDerwater’s new book If This Bird Had Pockets, released March 1st. Amy is one of my favorite poets and people. Her poetry makes me smile. It’s accessible to children and is just plain fun!

Personal signature on the title page of If This Bird Had Pockets

Many poets take on a poem-a-day project during National Poetry Month. I haven’t decided yet if I am creating one or just following along with someone else. What are your plans for celebrating National Poetry Month?

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Slice of Life #24: Thankful Thursday

Posted in Slice of Life, Writing, tagged , , on March 24, 2022| 9 Comments »

Thank you to Two Writing Teachers for creating an amazing community of writers and a safe, welcoming space to write and share.

Enough is a feast.

Buddhist Proverb

I’ve almost made this a habit, Thankful Thursday. It works for me, helps me gather what the week has given so far. Gratitude helps me live into my One Little Word: Enough.

  1. This baby rose cutting was left on my front porch. I haven’t found the person to thank yet. I’ve tried a few suspects with not luck. It’s a mystery. The plant looks like a Peggy Martin rose. I bought one last spring, and I know I talked a lot about wanting one. That’s because my SCBWI colleagues and friends Carol Stubbs and Nancy Rust wrote a picture book about this rose, The Rose Without a Name. It’s the story of the Katrina Rose and how it survived the flood of Hurricane Katrina. I’m excited to have this cutting and will find a good place to plant it, but if you are reading this and you gave it to me, please let me know.

2. Every once in a while I treat myself to a Starbucks coffee drink. Yesterday I had bonus points for a free drink. I’m thankful for the cute barista who made this cold brew with sweet cream foam just right.

3. Yesterday the temperatures were in the 60’s and breezy. I took my coffee drink out to the deck and just listened to the wind chimes. I’m thankful to live in such a beautiful place, Bayou Teche. I don’t do this enough and it really fed my soul to just sit and listen.

What are you thankful for this week? Tell me in the comments.

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This Photo Wants to be a Poem: Bloodwort

Posted in Photography, Poetry, Slice of Life, Writing, tagged , , , , on March 23, 2022| 32 Comments »

Thank you to Two Writing Teachers for creating an amazing community of writers and a safe, welcoming space to write and share.

Laura Shovan is an author-poet-friend who lives in Maryland. She posted this photo on Facebook with the following message:

Bloodwort is one of my favorite #secretgarden plants. They only bloom for a few days in early spring. The dogs (or I) stepped on this flower — rescued and happily in an espresso cup!

Laura Shovan, 3/22/22

I love the idea of a secret garden. I love the book The Secret Garden. When I first moved to the house I live in now, every season I would discover new-to-me plants and flowers.

I also love that Laura rescued this little blossom and placed it on a table in an espresso cup. Something so ceremonial and sacred about that.

Bloodwort is also known as bloodroot because the roots are red. Join me in musing on this photo today. Leave your small poem in the comments and encourage other writers with your responses.

Bloodwort by Laura Shovan

Prayer
Grace
from her secret garden
fell
at her feet.
She knelt in the still cold earth
to notice
and return its kindness,
placing the small flower
in a small cup,
like a prayer.

Margaret Simon, draft

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Slice of Life #22: Hope Haiku

Posted in Poetry, Slice of Life, Teaching, Writing, tagged , , , on March 22, 2022| 7 Comments »

Thank you to Two Writing Teachers for creating an amazing community of writers and a safe, welcoming space to write and share.

Quote-of-the-day from Matthew, age 11, in 365 Days of Wonder:

This precept gave me the opportunity to teach about simile. Avalyn understood immediately and created her own simile. When the syllable count emerged as 5, then 7, I saw a haiku in the making. Avalyn completed it with a dazzling 5-syllable line.

Hope is the rainbow
sparkling in the sunshine rain
dazzling air with Joy!

Avalyn, 2nd grade

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Slice of Life #20: Tired Dancing Feet

Posted in Slice of Life, Writing, tagged , on March 20, 2022| 7 Comments »

Thank you to Two Writing Teachers for creating an amazing community of writers and a safe, welcoming space to write and share.

“I’m tired,” said Deborah. “We’ve been here all day. And John wants to stay to hear Cory, but I want to see Bonsoir Catin. If I do, though, I lose my dance partner.”

Oh, the woes of a music festival.

For two years, bands that normally play weekly have been banned. So what is a dancer to do?

It is a joyful problem to have. Who will we hear next? What stage is this band playing or do we want to take a food break? Look at art?

The Festivals Acadiens et Creoles has it all. Usually a festival that happens in the heat of October, this day in March was the absolute perfect weather. Sunny and 65. Doesn’t get better than that.

I was tired. My feet hurt. Post-pandemic wearies. All in the service to joyful dancing. Let the dust fly!

“She makes the dust fly”

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Slice of Life: Symbols

Posted in Poetry, Slice of Life, Writing, tagged , , on March 19, 2022| 7 Comments »

Thank you to Two Writing Teachers for creating an amazing community of writers and a safe, welcoming space to write and share.

I wasn’t going to write today. My tired body and weary mind said, “Nope. You are all out of gas.” Then I took a walk. While walking I listened to sweet Ada Limón on her poetry podcast The Slowdown. More than the poem she read, I was inspired by her introductory words. She said, “There are symbols everywhere.” I took that line and mused on it. This is what I dictated into my Notes app (with some revision).

There are Symbols Everywhere

No one noticed
I wore my grandmother’s bracelet–
charms with each grandchild’s name
engraved, missing Beth, the youngest
born too late to make it onto the chain
before Nene’s death. I wonder
if she wore the tinkling charms
placing me in the center of her circle
a symbol of her love for us,
or a symbol of God,
family, humanity?
It is a symbol
nevertheless
to me, to me.

Grandmother’s charm bracelet

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Poetry Friday: Spring Triolet

Posted in Poetry Friday, Slice of Life, Writing, tagged , , on March 18, 2022| 10 Comments »

Thank you to Two Writing Teachers for creating an amazing community of writers and a safe, welcoming space to write and share.
Poetry Friday round-up is with Ruth at There is not such thing as a God-forsaken Town.

My drive to my schools changes with the seasons. In fall, the sugarcane is tall and takes my attention. In spring, these fields are fallow, and some become meadows of golden wildflowers. Horses roam. I wish I had taken a picture, but I’m usually on a strict time schedule.

Last week my student Chloe and I played with the triolet form, inspired by this Irene Latham poem, Triolet for Planting Day. It was a more challenging form than I thought it would be.

Triolet for Field and Breeze

When Field awakens to glimmering gold,
Breeze gallops upon green waves.
An ember mare nuzzles her foal
when Field awakens to glimmering gold,
and readies itself for a front of cold,
with frolics over winter’s graves.
When field awakens to glimmering gold,
Breeze gallops upon green waves.

Margaret Simon, draft
Photo by Magda Ehlers on Pexels.com

Spring Triolet

Spring  colors over winter’s greed.

The rain fills all the holes.

Marshy areas buy blankets of reed.

And spring colors over winter’s greed.

Birds come home, now flight freed.

Out comes the little moles.

When spring covers winter’s greed, 

The rain fills all the holes.

Chloe, 6th grade
The Progressive Poem Schedule is Complete. Click here to grab the schedule.

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Slice of Life #17: Thankful Thursday

Posted in Gratitude, Slice of Life, Writing, tagged , on March 17, 2022| 8 Comments »

Thank you to Two Writing Teachers for creating an amazing community of writers and a safe, welcoming space to write and share.

Three Things I’m Thankful for This Thursday:

Clutch of Wood Duck Eggs

We have a wood duck house near the bayou in our backyard. This is the third year we have watched this amazing process. On the roof of the nesting box my husband built, he placed a Ring doorbell camera. It is activated by motion. He cleaned out the house and prepared for a new season in late January. It didn’t take long for a wood duck couple to find it and start laying eggs. Counting the number in this clutch (close to 20), it seems there may have been two hens laying the eggs. The hen started sitting on the eggs on March 1st. Every day I get multiple alerts “There is motion at your wood duck house.” She leaves twice a day to feed. She preens her feathers incessantly and turns the eggs. We are hopeful the recent freeze did not affect this clutch. They are due to hatch around March 28, so stay tuned.

Sky

One of my favorite things, a close second to seeing a rainbow, is a bright sun burst through a cloud. And with the bare branches of winter trees, this image fills me with hope.

Full Moon

Last night I attended church with a soup supper and good discussion. We prayed for Ukraine which feels like so little in such a horrible situation. When we were leaving, the full moon was high. I am grateful for my church family, for good food, and for peace in my community.

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