Friday, November 2, 2018

Pretending and Remembering...


Ghost and Jack
Photo by Amy LV




Students - I often think about the days before and after holidays.  Today found me thinking about the sheet I still use on a bed sometimes, the sheet with eye holes cut into it.  See, four years ago, I was a ghost for Halloween, back when our black cat Fiona was small.  And I haven't had the heart to throw the sheet away.  You can see it in the picture (taken today) above, with Jack and in the picture below, with Fiona.

Amyghost & Fiona, 2014
Photo by Someone LV

I so like pretending to be other things, and today, as I sit beside a lit pumpkin after the holiday, I like thinking about how special days come and go and how our memories remain.  This is not the first time I have done this...perhaps I am a wistful and nostalgic gal.

Not sure what to write? Think about the days before or after a big holiday or event.  Write from your point of view or from the point of view of someone or something else.  Switching perspective helps a writer understand something in a whole new way.

And I have a question for you to think about.  Just when did you realize that the speaker in this poem was a bed sheet, anyway?  I considered using the word sheet in the title...but then, instead, I chose to preserve a bit of mystery until a few lines in.  Remember this: as author, to a certain degree, you control when readers make various realizations.  These decisions are in your hands, my friend, so have some fun with them.

I very much look forward to the Rochester Children's Book Festival tomorrow! It is always a treat and an honor to attend this wonderful event in Rochester, NY.


Jama is hosting this week's Poetry Friday roundup at Jama's Alphabet Soup with a wise and beautiful call to vote and a poem by Judith Harris. Please know that each Poetry Friday, we gather together to share books, and poetry ideas all at one blog.  Everyone is always welcome to visit, comment, and post.  We invite you!

Please share a comment below if you wish.

12 comments:

  1. Love your ghost poem, Amy, and that you kept the sheet with the eye holes. The handsome boast made me smile. :)

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  2. I still have a 'ghost sheet' made for my son so long ago. No one else has worn it, and now you've made me wonder how lonely it must be! "My very soul shifted from sheet to disguise." I love it, Amy, and that fun photo, too.

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  3. I love that you still use the sheet! The photos are a priceless companion to the poem.

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  4. So clever to personify a bed sheet! Thanks for sharing!

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  5. What a delightful poem! I admit I was a touch confused when I started reading. Once I realized who the speaker was (in about the fourth stanza), I went back and reread. I had a whole new appreciation for your clever wordplay. "My whole life was flat." lol And how perfect to end with the word "treat."

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  6. I adore this poem from the sheet's POV. I realized it in the second stanza when you threw in the washer and the curled up cat. So clever! The sheet I think of is the one I use to wrap around the bottom of the Christmas tree. I like to think this sheet is happy to hold presents and a black cat.

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  7. I love this personified sheet poem! My favorite line is definitely "My very soul shifted from sheet to disguise." By the end of the second stanza, I suspected a sheet was speaking, so I re-read. Very clever!

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  8. What a fun poem, and what a lucky sheet to have been kept all these years!

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  9. I love how you always have such interesting ideas. And a great poem. Terrific. It was great seeing you today and I wish I had taken a photo of you at your table surrounded by all your wonderful books. If you have one, can you email it to me? I wanted to put on my fb. I was really in a rush today. Wish I could have gotten to your poetry writing session !! Had to get home for Peter and the Starcatcher play. Darling and funny.
    Janet

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  10. What a fun ghostly poem Amy, and I love the image of the ghost in the straw hat. I also like your poem "I Vote, " and the line, "I just need to think" thank you for both!

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  11. I absolutely loved “November 2nd” Amy! Thank you ♥️🎃

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