#verselove | Reflections on the Teche

Posts Tagged ‘#verselove’

National Poetry Month Day 22: You Matter

Posted in being mamére, Poetry, Slice of Life, Writing, tagged #beingmamére, #EthicalELA, #verselove, musical lyrics, National Poetry Month on April 22, 2025| 8 Comments »

I’ve been writing this month with Ethical ELA’s #Verselove. On Sunday, Susan Ahlbrand led us in a prompt called “Lingering Lines.” We could choose a song from a musical to use as inspiration. One of my favorite musicals is Waitress by Sarah Bareilles, and my favorite song is You Matter to Me. Try to listen to it without crying. I can’t.

This weekend my daughter was visiting with her son, Thomas, who is now 5 and a half. How time flies! He is the sweetest boy with an active imagination and crystal blue eyes. He loves me without condition which warms my mamére heart. I borrowed the song lyric and wrote a short poem for Thomas.

You Matter to Me

I find sea glass treasure in your eyes.
You look in my heart as a mirror
and smile for the picture frame.
You matter to me.

I sing a lullaby love song
and you think I’m magical.
You say “I love you” like they’re
the easiest words to say.

I know your love is true
innocence of a 5 year old
simple and free, no baggage
or judgement. You see
You matter to me.

Margaret Simon, draft

Kidlit Progressive Poem Update: Patricia had a family emergency, so Rose is taking her line today (at Imagine the Possibilities). That is one thing I love about this community. We can lean on each other.

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

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National Poetry Month Day 20: Things to Do if You’re Mamére

Posted in being mamére, Poetry, Writing, tagged #EthicalELA, #verselove, Barred Owl Cam, food poem, Things to Do Poem on April 20, 2025| 1 Comment »

In my book Bayou Song: Creative Explorations of the Southern Louisiana Landscape , I have a Things to Do poem about the alligator snapping turtle. You can see the poem and poem prompt here. On Friday, I was looking at the Barred Owl Cam from All about Birds with a young poetry student. We wrote Things to Do poems. From Ethical ELA, Tammi Belko suggested using random words to write a poem. This prompt fit well with our Things to Do poems. We looked at AI generated words about barred owlets and made a list of words to use in our poems.

On Saturday #Verselove, the prompt came from Jordan Stamper. She asked us to think about food memories. What she didn’t know was that very morning I was making a food memory with my grandson Thomas.

Banana Bread (first line from Billy Collins)

I love the sound of
a grandson in the morning
finding the muffin tins
and demanding to bake with me.

We gather flour, sugar, butter, eggs–
Stir the dry.
Whisk the wet.
Smash dappled sweet bananas.

“When will the banana bread be ready? he whines,
melting my heart
with his crystal blue eyes.
Goodness takes time to rise.

Margaret Simon, draft

The Kidlit Progressive Poem is with Mary Lee Hahn today at A(nother) Year of Reading.

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National Poetry Month Day 15: Sunrise

Posted in Photography, Poetry, Progressive poem, Slice of Life, Writing, tagged #EthicalELA, #griefpoem, #nature, #poemsofpresence, #sunrise, #verselove on April 15, 2025| 8 Comments »

I am writing daily poems with Ethical ELA’s #verselove. Today’s prompt is with Brittany Saulnier.

Visiting my mother is filled with emotions for me. Bittersweet is a good word because she’s still here with us, but in many ways she is far from us. Her Alzheimer’s is advancing slowly at this point. Each visit she’s thinner and less able. Yet, she knows me and loves me and tries so hard to talk to me. This morning I will visit her before I drive back to Louisiana. Will this be the last time? Who knows?

At the hotel, I looked out at a beautiful sunrise. It reminded me of days sitting on the back porch with Mom and Dad looking at the lake behind their house. How I long for those easy days. There was always a heron that came to perch. All of these thoughts came when I read Brittany’s prompt to write about nature using 3 different colors.

Outside the hotel window in Ridgeland, MS.

Sunrise

I wake to sky color–
golden-white-lined gap
in purple-blue clouds

where sun rays sparkle
through
like angel wings.

Bittersweet grey clouds
hover high
like heaven’s shroud

reflected in heron’s stealth.

I imagine you next to me
with the news (all ghastly)
and your coffee mug steaming.

We sit in silence,
the silence of years between us
looking for the heron.

Margaret Simon, draft

The Kidlit Progressive Poem continues its ride through spring with Carol Varsalona at Beyond Literacy Link.

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National Poetry Month Day 14: Safe Harbor

Posted in nature, Poetry, Progressive poem, Writing, tagged #verselove, childhood, Ethical ELA, Padma Venkatraman, Safe Harbor, tanka on April 14, 2025| Leave a Comment »

Today’s #verselove prompt is from Padma Venkatraman who wrote Bridge to Home and most recently Safe Harbor. Her books never fail to take me to a new place where I can find a relatable character and beautiful language. What a honor to have her writing a prompt for us based on her latest book. She invited us to write about a safe place.

I am visiting Ridgeland, MS, a few miles from the place I grew up. While my visits here bring forth many emotions, this morning I wanted to find solace in a walk in nature. Even though my hotel is near an outdoor shopping mall, there is a creek nearby with a walking path. The creek is the very same creek that ran behind my childhood home, Purple Creek. I used the poetry form of tanka (haiku with a chorus) which has a syllable count of 5, 7, 5, 7, 7.

The Kidlit Progressive Poem is with Janet today at Donna’s blog, Mainely Write.

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Poetry Friday: I Remember

Posted in Poetry Friday, Progressive poem, Writing, tagged #verselove, Ethical ELA, I remember, Kim Johnson on April 11, 2025| 14 Comments »

Irene Latham is gathering Poetry Friday today at Live Your Poem

I didn’t want to write about my father today, but I woke up and looked at the clock at 4:44 AM, so there he was. He would tell us that he always woke up at 4:44. He had a thing for double numbers. His birthday was 11/11/33. On this day 4/11/22, he had a stroke and died 11 days later on 4/22/22.

When I opened #Verselove, I saw a prompt that Kim Johnson shared in our poetry session on Wednesday at the Fay B Kaigler Children’s Book Festival. Unfortunately, Kim had a family emergency, so she had to leave on Thursday. She is supposed to be sitting with me as I write this morning. The loneliness has gotten the best of me, so I had to write about my father. As Kim and I said to our session participants, poetry can be healing. It’s a place of vulnerability. Kim’s prompt can be found on Ethical ELA.

Remember

I remember
the phone call
in the middle of class.
I answered it.
I remember thinking something bad had happened.

I remember I packed a bag
for 3 nights max (I stayed 2 weeks).

I remember the gruff hospitalist
rattling the bed with her pronouncement
of no hope. You stared after her
with anger and fear.

I remember the long days
as you fought, grabbing tubes,
glaring helplessly,
speech stolen by the stroke.

I remember tears and singing,
prayers whispering, silently longing
to bring you back to us.

I remember someone said
the deepest grief comes from the deepest love.
I wasn’t ready to remember.

Margaret Simon, draft

The Kidlit Progressive Poem is with Rose today at Imagine the Possibilities.

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National Poetry Month Day 10: Mary’s Garden

Posted in nature, Poetry, Writing, tagged #verselove, Golden Shovel, Joy Harjo, Kim Johnson on April 10, 2025| 3 Comments »

This morning I am writing in a little house in Hattiesburg, MS with my friend and fellow Ethical ELA writer, Kim Johnson. We are here for the Fay B. Kaigler Children’s Book Festival. Yesterday we presented together about the power of poetry to heal. We shared writing prompts from 90 Ways of Community and led a group of teacher-librarians to discover themselves as writers. The room was vibrating with their energy. We just don’t often take the time to write just for ourselves. It was a wonderful way to begin the 3 day festival.

Today’s prompt for #Verselove comes from Joanne Emery who shared a model poem from Joy Harjo, “Red Bird Love.” I used a striking line from Joy’s poem to write about my friend Mary’s butterfly garden.

Mary’s Invitation

In her garden, there’s
salvia, swamp milkweed, that
purple one
I forgot the name of: you
watch a swallowtail circle
tall parsley flowers, back
around to
orange pincushion pistils on a coneflower
for a taste of home.

Marcie Atkins has the line today for the Kidlit Progressive Poem.

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National Poetry Month Day 7: Purple Passion Vine Villanelle

Posted in Poetry, Writing, tagged #verselove, National Poetry Month, nature poem, villanelle on April 7, 2025| Leave a Comment »

Today’s Ethical ELA prompt was from Erica Johnson, to write a spring villanelle. Rhyme is always a challenge for me. I knew I wanted to write about the passion vine because it’s popping up like magic in my butterfly garden and even out in the yard. Every day it gets a little taller. What I learned in research was the connection to Christ.

“The plants were given the name Passionflower or Passion Vine because the floral parts were once said to represent aspects of the Christian crucifixion story, sometimes referred to as the Passion. The 10 petal-like parts represents the disciples of Jesus, excluding Peter and Judas; the 5 stamens the wounds Jesus received; the knob-like stigmas the nails; the fringe the crown of thorns.” wildflower.org

Purple Passion Vine

Open the door to sweet passion vine,
climbing, perky maypop
alluring fritillaries by design.

Your lavender petals a sure sign
while mysterious tendrils won’t stop.
Open the door to sweet passion vine.

Five stamens like wounds align
frilly fringe like a thorny crown top
alluring fritillaries by design.

Remind us that all life is divine,
beyond the garden you hop.
Open the door to sweet passion vine
climbing, perky maypop.

The Kidlit Progressive Poem is with Jone today.

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National Poetry Month Day 6: Where I Live

Posted in Poetry, Writing, tagged #verselove, Bayou Teche, Ethical ELA, National Poetry Month, Where I'm From poem on April 6, 2025| 6 Comments »

Today’s #VerseLove prompt is from Stacey Joy. She brought back once again the faithful form Where I’m From, originally from George Ella Lyon. Like Stacey, I’ve written many iterations of this poem over the years. A recent one that I actually liked, I posted here.

Today I used one of Stacey’s alternate suggestions to try, “I live” as a repeated phrase. Again, my results came out kind of corny. I always feel when I try to rhyme that it sounds corny and forced. I’m sharing anyway.

New Iberia, Louisiana April 6, 2025

I live where heat and humidity full bloom around noon.

I live under a canopy of cypress trees
with knees that will full stop a mower’s blade.

I live near bayou brown
watching for wood ducks
coming round.

I live with spiders, roaches, mosquitoes, and gnats.
I’ve learned to let-them-be or smash-them-flat.

I live among neighbors who know me,
who offer mint leaves for tea.

I live in a red state with hearts of blue.
What about you?

Margaret Simon, draft

The Kidlit Progressive Poem is with Buffy today.

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National Poetry Month: Late Shadorma

Posted in Poetry, Writing, tagged #verselove, Ethical ELA, Inklings challenge, National Poetry Month, shadorma on April 5, 2025| 4 Comments »

I dropped the ball yesterday with my Inklings writing group. I had given the monthly challenge and forgot about it. Today I am trying to make up for it by combining the Ethical ELA prompt from Bryan Ripley Crandall to write about scars with the form. Shadorma poems have a syllable count of 3, 5, 3, 3, 7, 5.

Virus

weary soul
invisible scars
tenderly
heal in time
slowly becoming new skin
touched by cleansing light
Margaret Simon, draft

To see how the Inklings approached this challenge, here are their links:
Mary Lee Hahn
Heidi Mordhorst
Molly Hogan
Linda Mitchell

The Kidlit Progressive poem is with Denise Krebs today at Dare to Care.

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National Poetry Month Day One: Dandelion Lines

Posted in Books, Poetry, Writing, tagged #verselove, National Poetry Month, Were You There? A Biography of Emma Wakefield Paillet on April 1, 2025| 5 Comments »

You Can’t Have It All

but as light is to a star
you can have this dandelion–

Every flower is a good flower to see.

These domes of ghost stars
Astonish the grass–so much deliciousness.

Dazzle me, little sun-of-the-grass.
You can still summon the summer day
when you blew your wishes
to the wind.

(line sources: Barbara Ras, Robert MacFarlane, Amy Tan, Jean Nordhaus, Emily Dickinson, Aimee Nezhukumatathal)

Jennifer Jowett encouraged us to gather a list of lines from other poets, authors, to create a cento poem. My process began with the books I had on my coffee table. Lost Words by Robert MacFarlane and Jackie Morris was there because I used a model poem from the book for my students today. This is a gorgeously illustrated book of acrostic poems. There is one using the word Dandelion.

I was reminded of a prompt from Georgia Heard using Barbara Ras’s poem You Can’t Have it All.

I enjoyed this creative exercise of gathering beautiful lines and adding form and my own words to create something entirely new. That’s what the creative process is.

Today is the release of my new book that doesn’t feel new to me. I’ve been writing and editing this book since 2018. Finally, you can read it, too. My co-author Phebe Hayes did all of the historical research on Emma Wakefield Paillet, the first African American woman to get a medical degree in the state of Louisiana. I wrote poems in Emma’s voice. Linda Mitchell, fellow Inkling and librarian from Virginia, wrote the educational guide. I am proud of this important work to connect to our past and forge a new future for women, for people of color, and for poetry that speaks the truth.