• Author
  • About
  • Blessen Books
  • Illuminate
  • Bayou Song: Creative Explorations of the South Louisiana Landscape
  • Home
  • Kidlit Progressive Poem 2020
  • Kidlit Progressive Poem 2021
  • Writing Prompts

Reflections on the Teche

Reflections and poems about life on the bayou

Feeds:
Posts
Comments

KidLit Progressive Poem 2022

Where they were going, there were no maps.

Sorry! I don’t want any adventures, thank you. Not today.

Take the adventure, heed the call, now ere the irrevocable moment passes!

We have to go back. I forgot something.

But it’s spring, and the world is puddle-wonderful,

so we’ll whistle and dance and set off on our way.

Come with me, and you’ll be in a land of pure imagination.

Wherever you go, take your hopes, pack your dreams, and never forget –

it is on our journeys that discoveries are made.

And then it was time for singing.

Can you sing with all the voices of the mountain, paint with all the colors of the wind, freewheeling through an endless diamond sky?

Suddenly, they stopped and realized they weren’t the only ones singing.

Listen, a chattering of monkeys! Let’s smell the dawn
and taste the moonlight, we’ll watch it all spread out before us.

The moon is slicing through the sky. We whisper to the tree,
tap on the trunk, imagine it feeling our sound.

Clouds of blue-winged swallows, rain from up the mountains,

Green growing all around, and the cool splash of the fountain.

If you look the right way, you can see that the whole world is a garden,

a bright, secret, quiet place, and rather sad;

and they stepped out into the middle of it.

Their minds’ libraries and lightning bugs led them on.

The darkwood sings, the elderhist blooms, the sky lightens; listen and you will find your way home.

The night sky would soon be painted, stars gleaming overhead, a beautiful wild curtain closing on the day.

Mud and dusk, nettles and sky – time to cycle home in the dark.
There are no wrong roads to anywhere
lift me like an olive branch and be my homeward dove.

Standing at the fence of the cottage,
I hear the new note in the voices of the birds.

I pray to the birds because I believe they will carry the message of my heart upward.

I make up a song that goes on singing all by itself

Surfing rivers of wind way up high . . . calling zeep, zeep, zeep in the sky,

blinking back the wee wonder of footprints, mouse holes, and underground maps.

It was all so wonderful and so magical that sometimes I got a little confused by my adventures.

I feel like waving… like dancing around on the road

But, “There is no hurry. We shall get there some day.”

Sources:
1. The Imaginaries: Little Scraps of Larger Stories, by Emily Winfield Martin
2. The Hobbit, by J. R. R. Tolkien
3. The Wind in the Willows, by Kenneth Grahame
4. Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech
5. inspired by “[in Just-]” by E. E. Cummings
6. “Pure Imagination” from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
7. Maybe by Kobi Yamada
8. Sarah, Plain, and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan
9. inspired by Disney songs “A Whole New World” from Aladdin and “Colors of the Wind” from Pocahontas
10. The Other Way to Listen by Byrd Baylor
11. adapted from Cinnamon by Neil Gaiman
12. adapted from The Magical Imperfect by Chris Baron
13. adapted from On the Same Day in March by Marilyn Singer
14. adapted from a line in Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
15. The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
16. Prince Caspian by CS Lewis
17. The Last Cuentista by Donna Barba Higuera
18. Kate DiCamillo’s The Beatryce Prophecy
19. The Keeper of Wild Words by Brooke Smith
20. Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv
21. The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster
22. “Dance Me to the End of Love” by Leonard Cohen
23. adapted from Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt
24. A quote from Terry Tempest Williams in Birdology by Sy Montgomery
25. adapted from “When I Was a Bird” by Katherine Mansfield
26. Warbler Wave by April Pulley Sayre with Jeff Sayre
27. a quote from the poem, “Reading in the Dark” from the book, “Please Bury Me In the library” by J. Patrick Lewis.
28. The Ship That Flew by Hilda Lewis
29. adapted from “So This is Nebraska” from Sure Signs: New & Selected Poems by Ted Kooser
30. adapted from “The House At Pooh Corner” by A. A. Milne

Progressive Poem 2022

1 April 1 Irene at Live Your Poem
2 Donna Smith at Mainely Write
3 Catherine Flynn at Reading to the Core
4 Mary Lee at A(nother) Year of Reading
5 Buffy at Buffy Silverman
6 Linda Mitchell  at A Word Edgewise
7 Kim Johnson at Common Threads
8 Rose Cappelli at Imagine the Possibilities
9 Carol Varsalona at Beyond Literacy Link
10 Linda Baie at Teacher Dance
11 Janet Fagel at Reflections on the Teche
12 Jone at Jone Rush MacCulloch
13 Karin Fisher-Golton at Still in Awe
14 Denise Krebs at Dare to Care
15 Carol Labuzzetta @ The Apples in my Orchard
16 Heidi Mordhorst at My Juicy Little Universe
17 Ruth at There is no such thing as a God-forsaken Town
18 Patricia at Reverie
19 Christie at Wondering and Wandering
20 Robyn Hood Black at Life on the Deckle Edge
21 Kevin at Dog Trax
22 Margaret at Reflections on the Teche
23 Leigh Anne at A Day in the Life
24 Marcie Atkins
25 Marilyn Garcia
26 JoAnn Early Macken
27 Janice at Salt City Verse
28 Tabatha at The Opposite of Indifference
29 Karen Eastlund at Karen’s Got a Blog
30 Michelle Kogan Painting, Illustration, & Writing

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Email

Like this:

Like Loading...

  • One Little Word 2022: Enough

  • Email me

    I live on the Bayou Teche in New Iberia, Louisiana. I love teaching, poetry, my dog Charlie, my three daughters, and dancing with my husband. This space is where I capture my thoughts, share my insights, and make connections with the world. Welcome! Walk in kindness.

  • Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

    Join 3,962 other followers

  • Follow me on Twitter

    My Tweets
  • Pages

    • About
    • Author
    • Bayou Song: Creative Explorations of the South Louisiana Landscape
    • Blessen Books
    • https://reflectionsontheteche.com/kidlit-progressive-poem-2021/
    • Illuminate
    • Kidlit Progressive Poem 2020
    • Kidlit Progressive Poem 2021
    • Kidlit Progressive Poem 2021
    • KidLit Progressive Poem 2022
    • Writing Prompts
  • Calendar

    July 2022
    M T W T F S S
     123
    45678910
    11121314151617
    18192021222324
    25262728293031
    « Jun    
  • Poetry Friday Roundup

    July
    1 Janice at Salt City Verse
    8 Jan at Bookseed Studio
    15 Elisabeth at Unexpected Intersections
    22 Mary Lee at A(nother) Year of Reading
    29 Marcie at Marcie Flinchum Atkins

    August
    5 Molly at Nix the Comfort Zone
    12 Margaret at Reflections on the Teche
    19 Dave at Leap of Dave
    26 Tanita at {fiction, instead of lies}

    September
    2 Linda at TeacherDance
    9 Carol at Beyond LiteracyLink
    16 Kat at Kathryn Apel
    23 Rose at Imagine the Possibilities
    30 Tabatha at The Opposite of Indifference

    October
    7 Sarah Grace at Sarah Grace Tuttle
    14 Matt at Radio, Rhythm & Rhyme
    21 Bridget at wee words for wee ones
    28 Jone at Jone Rush MacCulloch

    November
    4 Heidi at my juicy little universe
    11 Buffy at Buffy Silverman
    18 Jama at Jama’s Alphabet Soup
    25 Ruth at There is no such thing as a God-forsaken town

    December
    2 Catherine at Reading to the Core
    9 Michelle at Michelle Kogan
    16 Karen at Karen Edmisten*
    23 Irene at Live Your Poem
    30 Patricia at Reverie

  • 2022 Kidlit Progressive Poem

    April 1 Irene at Live Your Poem
    2 Donna Smith at Mainly Write
    3 Catherine Flynn at Reading to the Core
    4 Mary Lee at A(nother) Year of Reading
    5 Buffy at Buffy Silverman
    6 Molly at Nix the Comfort Zone
    7 Kim Johnson at Common Threads
    8 Rose Cappelli at Imagine the Possibilities
    9 Carol Varsalona at Beyond Literacy Link
    10 Linda Baie at Teacher Dance
    11 Janet Fagel at Reflections on the Teche
    12 Jone at Jone Rush MacCulloch
    13 Karin Fisher-Golton at Still in Awe
    14 Denise Krebs at Dare to Care
    15 Carol Labuzzetta @ The Apples in my Orchard
    16 Heidi Mordhorst at My Juicy Little Universe
    17 Ruth at There is no such thing as a God-forsaken Town
    18 Patricia at Reverie
    19 Christie at Wondering and Wandering
    20 Robyn Hood Black at Life on the Deckle Edge
    21 Kevin at Dog Trax
    22 Margaret at Reflections on the Teche
    23 Leigh Anne at A Day in the Life
    24 Marcie Atkins
    25 Marilyn Garcia
    26 JoAnn Early Macken
    27 Janice at Salt City Verse
    28 Tabatha at The Opposite of Indifference
    29 Karen Eastlund at Karen’s Got a Blog
    30 Michelle Kogan Painting, Illustration, & Writing

  • T.E.C.H.E.Project

    Our address on the Bayou Teche

  • Illuminate

    Order on Amazon.

  • Blessen Books

  • Bayou Song

  • Recent Posts

    • Poetry Friday: Persistence
    • This Photo Wants to be a Poem: Tree Heart
    • Poetry Friday: Heartfelt Exchange
    • This Photo Wants to be a Poem: Southern Mimosa
    • Slice of Life: Say I Love You
  • Archives

    • July 2022
    • June 2022
    • May 2022
    • April 2022
    • March 2022
    • February 2022
    • January 2022
    • December 2021
    • November 2021
    • October 2021
    • September 2021
    • August 2021
    • July 2021
    • June 2021
    • May 2021
    • April 2021
    • March 2021
    • February 2021
    • January 2021
    • December 2020
    • November 2020
    • October 2020
    • September 2020
    • August 2020
    • July 2020
    • June 2020
    • May 2020
    • April 2020
    • March 2020
    • February 2020
    • January 2020
    • December 2019
    • November 2019
    • October 2019
    • September 2019
    • August 2019
    • July 2019
    • June 2019
    • May 2019
    • April 2019
    • March 2019
    • February 2019
    • January 2019
    • December 2018
    • November 2018
    • October 2018
    • September 2018
    • August 2018
    • July 2018
    • June 2018
    • May 2018
    • April 2018
    • March 2018
    • February 2018
    • January 2018
    • December 2017
    • November 2017
    • October 2017
    • September 2017
    • August 2017
    • July 2017
    • June 2017
    • May 2017
    • April 2017
    • March 2017
    • February 2017
    • January 2017
    • December 2016
    • November 2016
    • October 2016
    • September 2016
    • August 2016
    • July 2016
    • June 2016
    • May 2016
    • April 2016
    • March 2016
    • February 2016
    • January 2016
    • December 2015
    • November 2015
    • October 2015
    • September 2015
    • August 2015
    • July 2015
    • June 2015
    • May 2015
    • April 2015
    • March 2015
    • February 2015
    • January 2015
    • December 2014
    • November 2014
    • October 2014
    • September 2014
    • August 2014
    • July 2014
    • June 2014
    • May 2014
    • April 2014
    • March 2014
    • February 2014
    • January 2014
    • December 2013
    • November 2013
    • October 2013
    • September 2013
    • August 2013
    • July 2013
    • June 2013
    • May 2013
    • April 2013
    • March 2013
    • February 2013
    • January 2013
    • December 2012
    • November 2012
    • October 2012
    • September 2012
    • August 2012
    • July 2012
    • June 2012
    • May 2012
    • April 2012
    • March 2012
    • July 2011
    • June 2011
    • April 2011
    • March 2011
    • February 2011
    • January 2011
  • Categories

    • #cyberpd
    • #sosmagic
    • #TeachWrite
    • Bayou Song
    • being mamére
    • Blessen
    • Blogging
    • Books
    • Celebration Saturday
    • Chalk-a-bration
    • clmooc
    • Creativity
    • Digital Learning
    • Gifted Education
    • Gratitude
    • Photography
    • Poetry
    • Poetry Friday
    • Progressive poem
    • Recipe
    • Slice of Life
    • Solomon House
    • Spiritual Growth
    • sunshine
    • Teachers Write
    • Teaching
    • This Photo Wants to be a Poem
    • Travel
    • Uncategorized
    • Writing
  • Meta

    • Register
    • Log in
    • Entries feed
    • Comments feed
    • WordPress.com
  • Blog Stats

    • 202,706 hits

Blog at WordPress.com.

WPThemes.


  • Follow Following
    • Reflections on the Teche
    • Join 3,962 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • Reflections on the Teche
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Copy shortlink
    • Report this content
    • View post in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...
 

    %d bloggers like this: