Showing posts with label Giving. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Giving. Show all posts

Friday, October 25, 2024

What Have I Been Given?

Posing with a Pin Oak
Photo by Amy LV

On the Ground
Photo by Amy LV

Students - Two evenings ago, at my knitting group, Gretchen brought out a few jackets and other things that she wished to give away. Katie brought a couple of tablecloths to rehome, Tanya brought pumpkin bread, and Emily brought a baby sweater pattern and pumpkin pie. Once again it felt so good and warm to share with friends. Such sharing is a regular occurance with this group of friends, offering each other items we no longer use but which still have lots of life left, passing baked goods and tea across the table. I was grateful to come home wearing this cozy autumn jacket, and yes...it is the jacket in the photo above, a great match to the pin oak trees in our yard.

Today's poem came to me as I wrote in my notebook yesterday, reflecting on this simple and happy moment with friends. I hadn't planned to write a poem about it, but I was notebooking along, knew I had a poem to write for today, and this one showed up. I am again reminded of the importance of regular writing, of writing not because I am inspired but because it is delightful to see which words and stories and wonderings appear on the page when I set myself to work.

Remember this - you don't a great idea to get started. Just get started.

And if you want to try what I tried, remember something you have been given and write about that. Perhaps it was a gift, or a hand-me-down, a piece of advice, or a bit of food. When we pay attention to what we have been given, we feed our sense of gratitude. You may even wish to make a list of things you have been given in your own notebook. Actually...I think I will do that too.

Ahead of me will be a bit of mending on this cuff. I have a couple of old flowery suitcases full of fabric and will choose a perfect patch. Perhaps I will write about it. Perhaps not!

A Small Hole on One Cuff
Photo by Amy LV

In unhelpful cat assistant news, I bring you Winnie (otherwise known as Winnie Woo or Winnie Walenda). She was happy to join me yesterday in my outdoor writing session...

Winnie the Writer
Photo by Amy LV

Carol is hosting this week's Poetry Friday roundup over at Beyond Literacy Link with the theme of "Autumn's Abundant Gifts." Each Friday, all are invited to share poems, poem books, poetry ideas, and friendship in this open and welcoming poetry community.

May you be given delights and may you give delights to others this week.

xo,

Amy

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Friday, September 6, 2024

Repetition in a Summer Mystery

Hello Friends!

If you are just back to school, welcome back to school! I wish you and your new teacher and new friends a joyful and meaningful year ahead, and I look forward to writing together and perhaps meeting some of you and reading your work.

You will notice that The Poem Farm has a new search feature. Thank you so much to Marisa Saelzler who helped me so perfectly with this. You may search by topic, poetic technique, or type of poem. To learn more about this, click the FIND A POEM tab above.

A Visit from the Tomato Fairy
Photo by Amy LV

Students - Today's poem is about a small, surprise event that happened just this week at The Poem Farm. I went to get my mail from the big blue mailbox, and the small newspaper box next to it held one big tomato, two small cherry tomatoes, and a few flowers. It seemed they may have been left the day before, and the whole scene in my newspaper box made me so happy. Right away I knew that I would write about the generosity of this mystery-giver.

As you write this week, you might wish to look out for kindnesses - surprise or not - or to remember past kindnesses you have given or received. Somehow just thinking and writing about such memories makes our todays better.

One thing you may notice about this poem is that I repeat a lot of words. This repetetion just seemed to happen on its own at first, but then, I so enjoyed the feeling of the poem's words rolling over on themselves that I just kept at it, repeating words on purpose. Which repeated words do you find?

If you want to try this with your own writing, just begin writing with an ear for repetition. You might begin a line with the last word of the line before. You might repeat a whole line or thread up words from earlier in your poem. There are many ways to repeat, and repetition adds a song-like quality to your poem. 

September 19, 2024 Update - My talented friend, English Professor and Musican Gart Westerhout is once again back with a song version of a poem. Please enjoy "Summer Mystery," sung by Gart. Thank you, friend!

Buffy is hosting this week's Poetry Friday roundup over at Buffy Silverman with an early book celebration for her forthcoming beautiful STARLIGHT SYMPHONY and a poem about a walking stick. Each Friday, all are invited to share poems, poem books, poetry ideas, and friendship in this open and welcoming poetry community.

Happy Septembering!

xo,

Amy

ps - Yes...I did find out who the mystery tomato-giver was. It was two wonderful girls who live on our road...so many thank yous to them. The tomatoes were deee-licious!

Please share a comment below if you wish.
Know that your comment will only appear after I approve it.
If you are under 13 years old, please only comment 
with a parent or as part of a group with your teacher.