Poems About Endings

Clara and Her Kittens on May 1
Photo by Amy LV

Henry and Clary Sage on July 21

Photo by Amy LV

amylvpoemfarm · Fostering Kittens - a poem by Amy Ludwig VanDerwater

Students - On Sunday, the last two kittens our family is fostering will be off to their new homes. Throughout this spring and summer of Covid-19, we have had the pleasure of caring for a mother cat named Clara (her new family named her Molly) and Clara's five kittens: Nutmeg (now Opal), Pepper, Clary Sage, Rosemary, and Ginger (soon to be Gertrude Stein). Caring for these kittens and watching them grow has given our family so much joy. Now it is natural and right for them to have bigger lives in homes of their own, but still...it is sad to split them up and to say goodbye.

Poems stand by us in times of emotion: happiness, fear, grief. Wherever you are right now, there is a poem to match. Have you ever written a poem about letting something go? If you wish to try this, you might start by making a list of losses you have experienced and then choosing one to write from. Oftentimes our joys and sorrows hold hands and together, these feelings and experiences make us who we are. In your poem, see if you can hold two emotions at once.

Did you notice that I repeated the words they were ours? This poem is very short, but those words are important, important enough for me to write twice. Repetition is a way to slowly sew meaning into a reader's heart. When you write, reread your work to see if there are words or lines important enough to repeat.

Margaret is hosting this week's Poetry Friday party over at Reflections on the Teche with a generous share and the question: What is Poetry? We invite everybody to join in each Friday as we share poems, poem books, poetry ideas, and friendship. Check out my left sidebar to learn where to find this poetry goodness each week of the year.

Please share a comment below if you wish.day 

If you are under 13 years old, please comment only with a parent 

or as part of a group with your teacher and class.

Curled Kitten & a Poetry Peek with Emily

 

 

Students - Today's verse is about our new kitten, Fiona.  I saw her curled up on Georgia's blanket, and I loved the sound of "kitten" and "camouflage" together.  The rest of the poem just grew around those sounds.  It is fun for me to read.

Can you find other similar sounds in the poem?  

Look for consonants that repeat near each other.  This is called consonance. 

Look for vowels that repeat near each other. This is called assonance.

Alliteration is when sounds at the beginnings of words repeat near each other.

When you write a poem, experiment with the sounds at the starts of words and also the vowels inside of words.  Rhyme is not the only way to play with sound.  

Is there a daily image you love?  If so, do not miss a chance to write about it.  I love seeing Fiona curled all around the house, and now I can read this poem to her as she sleeps.

Today I am honored to welcome Emily, a fourth grade poet from Louisana.  Margaret Simon from Reflections on the Teche, is one of Emily's teachers, and I am thankful to share her poem today at The Poem Farm.  It is an acrostic, but it is so well written that you might not even realize this if we didn't tell you.

I asked Emily if she would be willing to share how she writes.  She replied...

My tips for writing a good poem would be the following:

• You do not want to write a "lazy" poem. 
• Think about descriptive words that other people would be able to imagine.
•  Try to use metaphors that are related to your subject.

I don't really know how I do it; I just love to write.  I want to be a poet.

Emily is a poet already, and I very much hope to have the opportunity to read more of her work.  Students - I recommend trying one of these writing tips when you write.  What do you think Emily means when she refers to a "lazy" poem? 

Much gratitude to both Emily and Margaret for this Poetry Peek today.  

This week's Poetry Friday roundup is over at Today's Little Ditty with Michelle.  Head on over for some new poems and to visit with some new and old friends too. 

Please share a comment below if you wish.