Looking at the calendar-chart plan for this month, I realize I haven’t written a cinquain yet. This form is a five-lined verse with a syllable count 2, 4, 6, 8, 2. Yesterday was the most perfect spring day after a raging storm the night before. The air was breezy with a touch of cool. Perfect canoeing weather, so Jeff and I seized the day and paddled for a couple hours. One of our goals for each paddle is to clean up crap junk from the bayou. Yesterday we retrieved a basketball, a soccer ball, and a few cans and water bottles, one large piece of styrofoam. A small part, but we had a good time finding and trying to retrieve it.
Notice how light dances on bayou’s belly rolls washing us with soothing hopeful Nurture
To celebrate National Poetry Month, #AuthorsTakeAction2023 is organizing a community poetry project for kids.
Children’s poets and authors from all over the country are offering poetry prompts and inviting teachers and children to write poems on the topic of climate change.
My poem prompt is a Things to Do Poem. This is a form I used in my book Bayou Song: Exploration of the South Louisiana Landscape. The alligator snapping turtle is not endangered as far as I know, but it is a celebrated Louisiana critter.
To begin, select a bird or animal that is endangered in your area. I did a Google search for my state “Endangered animals in Louisiana.” I was amazed to find out that Kemp’s Ridley sea turtles had hatched near New Orleans. And I also thought they were very cute to draw.
My friend Julie Burchstead sent me instructions for a crayon resist art project.
With a pencil, draw your chosen bird or animal on watercolor paper. Create a contour drawing with no shading. It will look like a coloring book page.
2. After drawing, outline the pencil lines in Sharpie marker. (The marker must be permanent or the ink will smear.)
3. Color with crayon or Cray-pas. Julie says, “Note: The crayon must be applied darkly (thick). If it is too light, there will not be enough wax to resist the wash, and the crayon work will be lost. Any areas that must remain white, must be colored white with crayon. ”
4. Using watercolor paint, select a single color of paint. Pool a few drops of clean water into the chosen color with a wide brush. (Do not use the skinny one that comes with the kit.) Wash (spread) the paint over the whole image. Where there is crayon, the wax will resist the paint.
5. Create a list poem using action words to begin each phrase. You may personify your chosen animal.
Things to Do if You’re a Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtle
Hatch for the first time in 75 years. Crawl toward the ocean. Leave tracks in sand for researchers to find. Return to your nest on the Chandeleur Islands. Find a protected sanctuary. Restore hope in Louisiana’s wetlands. by Margaret Simon
Here are a few student examples:
Things to do if you’re an Eagle
Fly in the air. Attack little fish. Snag on meat. Glide over the ocean. Soar over 10,000 feet! Symbolize our nation.
by Brayden, 3rd grade
Things to Do if You’re a Grasshopper Sparrow
Land on a fingertip. Eat earthworms, snails, and spiders. Let your wings soar on the ground. Carry on with the wind. Find a sanctuary of protection.
Margaret Simon lives on the Bayou Teche in New Iberia, Louisiana. She teaches gifted elementary students, writes poetry and children's books. Welcome to a space of peace, poetry, and personal reflection. Walk in kindness.
Reflections on the Teche 