Friday, November 10, 2017

Looking for Joy...Everywhere!







Students - It is good and wise to look for happiness.  To find small and big joys...to seek out stories of kindness and love and friendship and people and animals being their best selves.  Sometimes you find these by looking, and sometimes they come across your path.  This true storypoem you find here today came across my path in the form of news.  Good news does not always plop into your lap; sometimes you do have to look for it.  I got lucky here...the story of sweet Max and darling Quackers did plop right into lap!  And now, I plop it into yours!

When you read today's poem, you'll notice specifics, specifics such as the death of Quackers' friends, and even the name of the road that Max and Quackers walk along - Route 28.  These specifics all came straight from an article I read online; I did not invent them.  I could invent facts to make up my own story...but I did not do so in this case.  This is a straight storypoem retelling of a surprising friendship.

Writing it made me happy.

Find stories that make you happy. Find joy and goodness.  Look up from your screen.  That's where you'll find the best stuff.  Pass your good stories on.  Make up good stories.  We humans of all ages need and want to read them.

Teachers, through tonight, Heinemann is still holding a giveaway for 5 copies of my new POEMS ARE TEACHERS at Goodreads. If you're interested in the book, please try to win it.

It's a delight to welcome writer and professor Julie Patterson over at my other blog, Sharing Our Notebooks. I feel so lucky to get to peek into others' notebooks, and doing so has helped my own writer self find ideas and inspiration.  Please, teachers and students both, visit. You may also leave a comment to be entered into a book giveaway.

Jama is hosting week's Poetry Friday roundup over at Jama's Alphabet Soup with a delicious celebration of doughnuts. Yum indeed...all are welcome.

8 comments:

  1. What a beautiful poem and true story. I love the way you have used the facts to weave the poem, adding specificty.

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  2. There is something so achingly lovely in this - a poem of friendship, and how we all need someone.

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  3. Thanks for sharing Max and Quacker's heartwarming friendship with us, Amy. We do need reminders to look for good stories that bring us joy and inspiration.

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  4. I've seen this story you've shared, and now a poem, too! It is an unlikely pair, but makes me smile! Seems like a picture book to me, Amy!

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  5. I am glad you plopped this poem story into our laps. It is a delight and good to read of such a friendship. And such wise advice to look for those good and joyful things.

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  6. We need more stories like this of Max and Quackers, thanks for sharing it with us Amy, and the beautiful poem that grew from it!

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  7. What a delightful story of friendship and of finding happiness/companionship after loss. I really liked how your rhyme scheme reflected the arc of Max and Quackers story line, with that one middle non-rhyming stanza where the "pieces" were getting reconfigured. Thanks for another wonderful example of how to find poetry in our world.

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  8. Love your poemversion of this story!

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