I hope you are having a fun-filled poetry month. This week I played with equation poems à la Laura Purdie Salas. Laura released a book of equation poems titled Snowman – Sun = Puddle (published by Charlesbridge and with art by Micha Archer). This is a great book to read with budding second and third grade writers as they learn about figurative language. This month Laura is posting an equation poem on her blog daily. My students and I enjoyed creating image equation poems using Canva.
Posted in Poetry Friday, Teaching | Tagged equation poems, Laura Purdie Salas | 22 Comments »
This is National Poetry Month, so there are many poetry prompts floating around. I appreciate you coming by today to exercise the muse.
I was in New Orleans for Easter and had the privilege of taking my 19 month old grandson to City Park. Close to Cafe du Monde where you can get amazing coffee and beignets, there is a playground set among old oaks. One of the oaks has grown huge branches draped over the ground. This oak is a favorite uncle that kids climb all over. Here is a link to more information about the Live Oaks in City Park.
Please leave a small poem in the comments. You have permission to use this photo on your blog or social media. Be sure to support other writers with your comments.
You drape and dip
Margaret Simon, draft
hands free
for daily dance–
happily holding
mother’s gold.
A little lagniappe (Creole French for a little something extra): Thomas and the tree.
Posted in Photography, Poetry, Writing | Tagged live oaks, New Orleans City Park, playground, Thomas | 36 Comments »
Thanks to Margaret Simon for hosting the Progressive Poem started by Irene Latham. And a big thank you for allowing blog-less me to appear on her blog once again. If you don’t know me I comment on Poetry Friday as Janet F. or Janet Clare F. and I love this poetry community! As a former teacher and poet I feel at home with my poetry friends.
Following last year’s procedure established by Donna at Mainely Write, we are choosing between two lines offered by the person before us and then writing two for the next poet. Our poem about kindness and friendship is now traveling a new path so off we go.
Thanks to Buffy for two great options, which did not surprise me at all, but I am off to the woods. I hear the bees buzzing, the quiet and the birdsong. I remember how I loved to explore the woods behind my house while playing as a child. And on hikes when my family camped in summers. Fresh air, imagination and wholesome times!
I’m a case of kindness – come and catch me if you can!
Easily contagious – sharing smiles is my plan.
I’ll spread my joy both far and wide,
As a force of Nature I’ll be undenied.
Words like, “how can I help?” will bloom in the street.
A new girl alone on the playground – let’s meet, let’s meet!
We can jump-skip together in a double-dutch round.
Over, under, jump and wonder, touch the ground.
Friends can be found when you open a door.
Side by side, let’s walk through, there’s a world to explore.
Buffy’s lines for me were:
and
Not surprisingly I selected #1! It sounds like a wonderful way to enjoy special time with a new (or old) friend.
We’ll hike through a forest of towering trees
And now for Jone, I offer:
Option 1: Look for flowers, enjoy birdsong as long as we please.
OR
Option 2: Find a stream we can follow while we bask in the breeze.
(You can tell I was torn by that lovely idea of following the stream!)
Jone you may choose one of these OR feel free to choose one of your own as Kat Apel describes in the first day’s post! Happy poeting!
P.S. As I was contemplating the idea of walking for health, poetry and friendship for the Progressive Poem, it reminded me of the one I saw today at Poetry Boost with Michelle Schaub. I recalled Thoreau espousing the benefits of walking about 4 hours a day. I googled and found this interesting link. I am going to make a goal of doing more contemplative walking! With and without my friends, but friends are always good to have around!
(You can find me on FB at Janet Clare. If we haven’t yet connected, I look forward to doing so.)
Posted in Poetry, Writing | Tagged 2021 Kidlit Progressive Poem, Janet Fagel | 15 Comments »
This year’s progressive poem started out recognizing kindness and is currently bouncing off to the playground where we have met a new character. Here’s the progress so far:
I’m a case of kindness – come and catch me if you can!
Easily contagious – sharing smiles is my plan.I’ll spread my joy both far and wide,
As a force of Nature I’ll be undenied.Words like, “how can I help?” will bloom in the street.
A new girl alone on the playground – let’s meet, let’s meet!We can jump-skip together in a double-dutch round.
Denise at Dare to Care offered these line choices:
OR
I am attracted to the action in the first line, so I have selected it.
I’m a case of kindness – come and catch me if you can!
Easily contagious – sharing smiles is my plan.I’ll spread my joy both far and wide,
As a force of Nature I’ll be undenied.Words like, “how can I help?” will bloom in the street.
A new girl alone on the playground – let’s meet, let’s meet!We can jump-skip together in a double-dutch round.
2021 Kidlit Progressive Poem Day 9
Over, under, jump and wonder, touch the ground.
I am happy that I get to begin a new stanza, but since this poem has become a rhyming poem, I don’t want to burden it with a difficult word to rhyme. I also need to consider the theme thus far, kindness and friendship.
I love the idea of a friendship blooming. Chloe was around when I was trying to create the line choices, so I let her write one of them. I won’t tell you which one, though. My friend and critique partner, Molly Hogan, gets to choose from these two lines:
Friends can be found when you open a door.
Or
A never-ending sign connects hand to hand.
For a full list of participants, check out the sidebar.
Posted in Poetry, Poetry Friday, Writing | Tagged 2021 Kidlit Progressive Poem | 25 Comments »
This week I am traveling with my sister. She lives in Texas, I in Louisiana, and our parents and brother live in Mississippi. We’ve had a quick visit after more than a year of separation. Yesterday, Beth and I wanted to take a walk. It was a gorgeous spring morning, so we found Friendship Park near our hotel. Both of us were taken by the scenery. Huge old azaleas were in bloom. There was a winding soft asphalt path to walk. The trees jutting up to the sky were fresh with new green. Each of us snapped multiple pictures.
New green reaches
Margaret Simon, draft
for a heavenly lit sign
all is well
Please consider writing your own small poem response in the comments. Give encouraging feedback to other writers.
Today the Kidlit Progressive Poem is with Rose at Imagine the Possibilities.
Posted in Photography, Poetry | Tagged nature haiku, This Photo Wants to be a Poem | 16 Comments »
I’m inviting you to find inspiration today at Ethical ELA. I wrote the guest prompt of the day for National Poetry Month. My inspiration came from a National Geographic email that I subscribe to. In the newsletter, there were selected photographs chronicling the pandemic across the world. I chose to write about a photograph of undocumented workers making masks.
Writing to photographs is inspirational as there are so many ways to approach the task. With students you can ask questions that lead them to wonder and response. Who do you see? What do you think you know? What can you discover?
Building a sense of empathy is vital in our world today. Finding a world view can open up empathy. Consider joining the community at Ethical ELA and writing a poem in response to a photograph.
Undocumented
“How can you say we don’t belong here
when we are working so hard
to heal this country’s communities right now?” Veronica VelasquezI think of the mask makers,
side-by-side on an assembly line
cutting, threading, sewing
white cloth
To keep us safe
while they live
in the shadow
in plain sight,
essential now.Belong
Margaret Simon
or don’t belong?
Our survival
depends on
their survival.
Undocumented
saviors.
The Progressive Poem is moving along. Check on it today with Jan at Book Seed Studio.
Posted in Poetry, Slice of Life | Tagged Ethical ELA, pandemic poetry | 6 Comments »
Happy National Poetry Month! At the beginning of the month the Sunday Night Poetry Swaggers post a poem in response to a challenge. This month the challenge is from Linda Mitchell. “Something seen in many ways” patterned after Pat Schneider’s The Moon Ten Times as seen on Jama Rattigan’s blog here.
I was pretty last minute in doing this challenge. In fact, I’d call it a LaMiPoFri poem (coined by Kat Apel as “last minute poetry Friday” poem). To help myself find the time to write, I offered the challenge to my student Chloe, set the timer, and we wrote. I like her poem, too, so I will share it as well.
I’ve been working on crocheting a baby blanket for my daughter’s sister-in-law’s baby coming in May. With so many hours of loops and chains, I’ve got the blanket on my mind.
Baby Blanket. Ten Ways
I. Magic circle
double crochet
chain 3, chain 4
Granny squareII. Angel lace
holes for small fingers
III. When the apple peeler
curls a perfect unbroken spiral.IV. Thread of cotton once
worn by a fieldV. Play peek-a-boo
I see you
over & underVI. Miracle wrapped
like a presentVII. Woven dreams
criss-cross
double wishVIII. Scent of new skin
settles inIX. Touch to touch
heirloom for a Hope ChestX. Mother’s heart
Margaret Simon, draft
Grandmother’s grace
Nothing but love
Chloe wrote her poem about origami, a new obsession of hers.
Five things about origami
Creasing perfect angels
Carved into the
Ombre of life
That swims
Through scissors
Warming the
Temperature of
Cold
With a design
To expose.
Chloe, 5th grade
Read other Swagger poems here:
Heidi Mordhorst
Linda Mitchell who also has the next line for the 2021 Progressive Poem!
Catherine Flynn
Molly Hogan
Posted in Writing | 20 Comments »
Today is the beginning. Each day is, I suppose, but today begins National Poetry Month, my favorite month of the year. The KidLit Progressive Poem is off to a wonderful spinning start with Kat Apel.
It’s Maundy Thursday in another strange Holy Week. Thankfully, the 4 person choir at my church is gathering again and singing (masked) from the loft. Maundy Thursday music is my favorite. Feels holier. Foreshadowing death to resurrection. The solemn act of foot washing reminds us of Jesus’ servanthood and love. We are not quite to resurrection from the pandemic yet, but having had my vaccine, I am feeling a sense of relief and new beginnings.
The first three months of this year I read The Artist’s Way and met weekly with a group on Zoom. Our last meeting on Tuesday night felt sacred. We each shared a creative work. Creativity makes us human and vulnerable, but also celebratory and worthy. One of the tasks from the author Julia Cameron was to write an artist’s prayer. I didn’t write one yet. Jone inspired me when she shared hers. She included her past One Little Words into her prayer. My words are reach, open, presence, grace, explore, cherish, embrace, inspire.
Dear Great Creator,
I am here today
to be an instrument of your work
to explore your world with curiosity, to open myself
to your creativity. I trust your hand
will reach for mine,
guide my pen to something new.
May I be present in this day, embrace nature,
follow the contrail of your vision for me.Margaret Simon, always in draft
May I be filled with grace
so to bless others with my offering,
May I nurture the child within,
accept her imperfections and needs,
cherish her with love and devotion.
Help me to know I am not alone.
By your side, I can be inspired
to breathe your spirit
into each day.
Posted in Spiritual Growth, Writing | Tagged Creativity, prayer, The Artist's Way | 11 Comments »
On the last day of the March Slice of Life Challenge, walk with me. Listen to the birds. Take a minute to just be here.
This month of Slicing has been a way for me to be present. Present to my thoughts. Present to the words of others.
One of my favorite photographers is my writing critique group partner, fellow SOL blogger, Molly Hogan in Maine. I cannot imagine how she gets such amazing photos of birds. She must be so still and patient. Her latest batch on Facebook are shots of bluebirds. This one she posted looks like a cartoon character.
Consider writing a small poem in response to this photo in the comments or on your blog (link in the comments). Leave encouraging comments to other writers.
Posted in Photography, Poetry, Slice of Life, Writing | Tagged bluebird, Molly Hogan, This Photo Wants to be a Poem | 41 Comments »
I have been tutoring 3rd grade virtual students after school once a week. There are rarely more than 3 students who tune in. It’s on Monday; what can I expect? I actually prefer the small group. The planning for these meetings has been a challenge because I am not completely familiar with 3rd grade standards. I usually focus on a writing skill. This week when I checked on what third graders are learning, I found similes. That was a topic I could get my head around.
I created a slide show with some simile examples and a writing activity. Only one student came. D does not show his face or turn on his mike because there is a lot going on in his house. I often wonder if he is paying attention at all. When I asked him what a simile was, silence.
“Are you with me?”
In the chat box, “yes”.
“Do you know what it is?”
“no”
“Let me show you.”
I showed examples and then asked him to find the simile in a passage. He got it. We then moved on to the poem. Have you ever written a poem with a student you cannot see or hear? With discussion (me talking, him typing), we got through it. For taste and sound, I gave him some ideas to choose from.
“Do you have any clothing that is lime green?”
“A shirt”
“Where did you get that shirt?”
“school”
“Oh, it’s the Spirit Shirt you can wear on Friday?”
“yes”
So I typed “feels like Friday” as well as the line “Lime green reminds me of the shirt I wear to school on Spirit Days.”
We had “It smells like…” to fill in.
By then he had gotten the idea. He typed, “outside.” Perfect!
D unmuted long enough to read his poem out loud. I heard the pride in his voice. And then he said, “Thanks. I learned something today.” There it was, all I needed to smile.
Posted in Slice of Life, Teaching, Writing | Tagged color poem, ELA tutoring, Simile poetry | 13 Comments »
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 