Showing posts with label Auntie Poems. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Auntie Poems. Show all posts

Friday, April 28, 2017

Writing the Rainbow #28 - Wisteria


Welcome to my National Poetry Month project for 2017!  Students - Each day of April 2017, I will close my eyes, and I will reach into my box of 64 Crayola crayons.

Aerial View of Crayola Box
Photo by Georgia LV

Each day I will choose a crayon (without looking), pulling this crayon out of the box. This daily selected crayon will in some way inspire the poem for the next day.  Each day of this month, I will choose a new crayon, thinking and writing about one color every day for a total of 30 poems inspired by colors.

As of April 2, it happened that my poems took a turn to all be from the point of view of a child living in an apartment building.  So, you'll notice this thread running through the month of colors. I'd not planned this...it was a writing surprise.

I welcome any classrooms of poets who wish to share class poems (class poems only please) related to each day's color (the one I choose or your own).  Please post your class poem or photograph of any class crayon poem goodness to our Writing the Rainbow Padlet HERE.  (If you have never posted on a Padlet, it is very easy.  Just double click on the red background, and a box will appear.  Write in this box, and upload any poemcrayon sharings you wish.)

Here is a list of this month's Writing the Rainbow Poems so far:


And now...today's crayon.  Wisteria!

Dance
by Amy LV




Students - Yesterday's color, BLUE VIOLET was purple-y....and I've written about purple-y sky with PERIWINKLE.  So today's challenge was to find a new window into a new purple.  Tia Inez, from April 17 (MAHOGONY), led the way.

Now, I don't know so much about Tia.  I don't even know if Tia and our friend are really related or if they are just so close that they feel like family.  Today, though, family or not, Tia Inez is sharing some of her thoughts about life.  Sometimes people do this - give us advice or tips or wise words.  We can remember and write about them.  Or, as writers, we can make up our own and give them to our characters.

If you are Writing the Rainbow with me, perhaps your color for today will bring you to a place of thinking or advice.  Maybe you will find yourself musing on an idea or topic as I did her through Tia Inez.  

Colors can take us anywhere.  And if you'd like to join in with your own poem at our Writing the Rainbow Padlet, please do! It is one colorful and beautiful place to visit.  (And I heard there may be a few new poems going up there soon...written by another poet who is writing about a colorful apartment building of her own!)

JoAnn Early Macken is hosting today's Poetry Friday roundup over at Teaching Authors with some spring beauties.  All are always welcome to this weekly poetry party.

And please don't miss the links to all kinds of Poetry Month goodness up there in my upper left sidebar.  Happy twenty-eighth day of National Poetry Month.  Only two days left after today!

Please share a comment below if you wish.

Monday, April 28, 2014

Fur Coat - Poem #28 for April 2014 Poetry Project

LIVE!
Learn about this, my April 2014 Poetry Project, HERE!

Fur Coat
Photo by Amy LV


Students - This was not the first photo I planned to write about today. I was going to write about a cool silver tea set.  But when writing time came (and today writing time was thinking time while driving), I chose this fur coat instead. Why?  I do not know why, but I do know that I tend to follow my gut instinct when it speaks about writing topics.

I tend to write many of my poems with eight syllables per line or four syllables per line, and today I wanted to try something different.  Once again, I advise you to look at the poems you have been writing and mix it up a little here at the end of poetry month.  

If you always write rhyming poems, try some free verse.  If you always write free verse, try some rhyme.  If your lines are generally short, write some long ones.  If your lines are always long, go short.  Experiment!  Try copying the rhyme scheme and meter of a poem exactly.  All of this is good exercise.

Today's poem has a lot of my history in it.  Willa Cather has been quoted as saying, "“Most of the basic material a writer works with is acquired before the age of fifteen," and I think this is true.  Again and again I find bits and scraps of childhood memories woven into my words.

Aunt Kay did have a big brown fur coat.  She did smell like roses.  She did have a big car and a big laugh.  She did tell me stories. But I do not think I ever hid in her coat.  Or maybe I did?

Fur Coat - Draft Page Spread #1
Photo by Amy LV

Most of this verse was written orally, just me talking out loud to myself, trying to remember the lines of the poem as I drove home late in my car.  When I walked in the house, I ran to the couch with my notebook to remember whatever I could.  

Did you notice that for the last few days I have not been writing in the red notebook with the cream pages?  I filled it up this month!

Please share a comment below if you wish.