The Poem Farm: List Poem

Showing posts with label List Poem. Show all posts

Thursday, April 30, 2026

listen - day 30

As I strive to become a better listener and to connect more with my sense of hearing, National Poetry Month 2026 finds me writing daily, handwritten, index card poems inspired by sounds and listening.. I have begun a new notebook to collect the sounds I notice throughout the month, and I will reflect on them in short poems. My ears - and my heart - are open wide.

I invite you to join me in this project, on any of my projects from the past 16 years, or on a project of your very own. To do so, simply write a poem each day of April in any way you wish. Share or don't share, as you wish. Your poems are your poems. Your projects are your projects. And if you wish learn a bit more about writing poetry, I welcome you to the short lessons in the tab above: COAXING POEMS VIDEOS - 2024.

National Poetry Month 2026 Poems

April 29 - every night

Here is poem 30 -

Students - As I have been writing poems about sounds this month, I have often found myself thinking about quiet. And quiet is quiet - no sound. But then again, quiet IS its own sound, something I realized after a month of focusing on sounds I hear.

Today's poem is a list poem, listing a few very specific quiet things, ending with a reminder of quiet's message, and my own discovery. It has been a delight to pay closer attention to sounds in my life over the past 30 days, and I believe that in some way, this has changed me. Thank you for joining me on this journey of listening..

Today is Poem in Your Pocket Day! I encourage you to place a poem in your pocket and to share it with those you meet today. I wrote a book illustrated by Emma Virján, to celebrate this day. Learn about If This Bird Had Pockets: A Poem in Your Pocket Day Celebration HERE.

I am carrying Rudyard Kipling's "Seal Lullaby" in my pocket today. It is a beautiful poem, and many years ago, one of our daughters memorized it and recited it to us. A treasured memory that I will hold close all day.

To learn about many of the wonderful National Poetry Month projects that took place online this April, visit the generous Jama Rattigan at Jama's Alphabet Soup.

May you always listen and be listened to....

xo,

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Thursday, April 23, 2026

listen - day 23

National Poetry Month 2026 Poems

April 22 - our maillady zooms

Here is poem 23 -

Students - It is funny to think about how different foods make different sounds. Milkshakes and soup and spaghetti are slurpy, potato chips and pretzels and certain cookies are crunchy. This poem celebrates the crunchiness of potato chips and also how LOUD potato chips are in my head. I thought of four different words to describe the sound of the chips (onomatopoeia), and I took the photograph with a pile of veggie chips as this is all we have in the house right now.

Today's poem ends with a question. Have you ever ended a piece of writing with a question? It can be an interesting way to leave a wonder hanging in the air. The wonder might be a serious wonder, or the wonder might be a bit of a silly wonder as mine is here.

To learn about many of the wonderful National Poetry Month projects happening online this April, visit the generous Jama Rattigan at Jama's Alphabet Soup.

Listen to your food. What is your food telling you?

xo,

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Friday, April 10, 2026

listen - day 10

National Poetry Month 2026 Poems

April 1 - listening, listening

April 2 - clicking kitty

April 3 - spring morning

April 4 - tea

April 5 - team

April 6 - from far away

April 7 - on a day of April snows

April 8 - breakfast

April 9 - beep beep beep

Here is poem 10 -

Students - Today's poem is a list poem, and the idea for it came to me as I was working on my notebook list of daily sounds I hear. I noticed, "Gosh, many of the sounds I hear are some type of alert that is telling me to DO something NOW." List poems are not difficult to write. You simply think of several things that can go together and list them down the page. It often works well to end with a little twist, and this is why many folks might describe a particular list poem as "a list with a twist!"

My friend, highly respected educator Sheila commented on yesterday's post about many different types of listening, wondering what listening might mean to a deaf person. It seems right that I acknowledge now that this month's project partly grew from a conversation I had with a new friend who is blind, a conversation about her strong sense of sound. This got me thinking about how heavily (too heavily) I rely on sight in my writing and noticing of the world around me. I am grateful to expand my appreciation and use of my senses, and now I wish to expand it even more.

Have you been paying attention to the sounds in your life? Please allow me to recommend taking a moment or two this weekend with no screens, no made-by-you-sounds...time to simply listen. As I do this now, I again here the magical and very cheery spring peepers!

Jone is hosting today's Poetry Friday roundup over at Jone Rush MacCulloch with so much goodness, including information about her forthcoming book...TILT. Each Poetry Friday, all are invited to share poems, poem books, poetry ideas, and friendship in this open and welcoming poetry community.

To learn about many of the wonderful National Poetry Month projects happening online this April, visit the generous Jama Rattigan at Jama's Alphabet Soup.

xo,

ps - And yes...we still DO have a landline! :)

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Friday, June 6, 2025

Unplug and Listen

A Garden After Rain, June 6, 2025

Photo by Amy LV

Students - It rained all last night here, and oh did I love it! The sound of rain is one of my favorite sounds (along with crunching leaves and the bump of a rock kicked down the road). Right before dinner yesterday, I planted a few more plants, hoping that Mother Rain would swoop in overnight...tucking each basil and pea and nasturtium plant into their big earthen bed. And she did! In fact, it is still raining now in the morning as I write on the front porch. It sounds just like a lullaby.

Today's poem is a small one, yet I wrote many notebook pages about rain before I arrived here. Somehow the simplicity of the rain, the purity of the water droplets, the gentle drumming felt so...so...so...opposite of much of the online world. This opposite place is important for my humanity. For all of our humanity.

The few lines above are a list poem, beginning with a list of the things NOT happening, and twisting at the end to the one thing that IS happening. List poems are not difficult to write, and they can allow us to contrast two things.

This week - this summer - this life - I encourage you to unplug from everything and allow thoughts to arrive in your mind in the quiet. Allow non-tech sounds to tap on your heart. Write with no devices nearby. If you make this a practice, such times will become a good, solid friend to you. This is one of my own summer goals, and should you join me, I would love to hear about it.

I would like to extend my respect and gratitude to the fourth, fifth, and sixth grade members of the TRA (Tioughnioga Riverside Academy) Writing Club in Whitney Point, NY for our time together this week. I so appreciated joining your club virtually for one day and admire how you meet weekly and explore different writing topics and techniques in community. I wish you all a beautiful writing summer. Thank you, too, to your teacher leaders including Laura Farwell who connected us, who have built this important place for thinking and creation.

Buffy is hosting this week's Poetry Friday roundup over at Buffy Silverman with a spotlight on two new lyrical STEM picture books. Each Friday, all are invited to share poems, poem books, poetry ideas, and friendship in this open and welcoming poetry community.

May you be soothed by raindrops and other nature goodnesses.

xo,

Amy

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Thursday, April 10, 2025

HELLO MY NAME IS - Day 11

Happy National Poetry Month!

(Feel free to search for poems in the sidebar or watch videos in the tab above.)

Hello, Poetry Friends! This month I am sharing poems written in the voice of Little Red Riding Hood, and I invite you to join me in writing in the voice of someone else too. You might choose a fairy tale character or a book character or a person from history or anyone else real or imagined. These are your poems, so you make the decisions. Each April day, I will share my poem and a little bit about writing poetry. Mostly, we’ll just be writing in short lines with good words and not worrying about rhyming. Meaning first. Our focus this month will be adopting the perspective of another…for 30 days. I invite you to join me in this project! To do so, simply:

1. Choose a character from fiction or history or somewhere else in the world of space and time, and commit to writing a daily poem in this person's voice for the 30 days of April 2025. You might even choose an animal.

2. Write a new poem for each day of April. Feel free to print and find inspiration from this idea sheet that I will be writing from all month long.

Teachers, if you wish to share any HELLO MY NAME IS... subjects or poems, please email them to me at the contact button above. I would love to read what your students write and learn from how they approach their own projects.

LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD'S POEMS SO FAR

April 5 - The Big Bad Wolf Had Been a Stray

April 6 - 8am on a Sunday

April 7 - Her Real Name is Orla Lola Bruin

April 8 - My Neighborhood

April 9 - Mushroom Hunters

April 10 - From Coat to Cloak

And now for today!

Students - Today's poem is a short list poem packed with wordplay-rhyme. A brief description of something glorious - wolf fur!

If you have ever buried your face in the fur of a well-loved pet, then you know how Lou is feeling here about her wolfdog's fur. She is so excited that she even revises her poem and keeps the revision visible. I've never done this before - crossed out a line just to keep it - but today, for me, it works. I had to think about how to read it aloud, and when it's necessary to think about something, learning happens. So, even if I change this around someday, it was still interesting and right to try something new today. I read somewhere recently that no one making art ever says, I wish I'd been less weird when I made that art, and I agree.

Writing tip for the day: try something you have never done before in your writing. Even a little something. Even if you don't keep the writing, your writing self will grow.

Today over at Robyn Hold Black's blog Artsyletters, please find a couple of poems - including mine - from Matt Forrest Esenwine's new book A UNIVERSE OF RAINBOWS: MULTICOLORED POEMS FOR A MULTICOLORED WORLD. Thank you, Robyn!

Thank you for joining me on this eleventh day of HELLO MY NAME IS...

And many thank yous to Irene for hosting this week's Poetry Friday roundup over at Live Your Poem. Each Friday, all are invited to share poems, poem books, poetry ideas, and friendship in this open and welcoming poetry community.

To learn about more National Poetry Month projects and all kinds of April goodness, visit Jama's Alphabet Soup where Jama has generously gathered this coming month's Kidlitosphere poetry happenings. And if you are interested in learning about or writing from any of my previous 14 National Poetry Month projects, you can find them here. Happy National Poetry Month!

xo,

Amy

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Tuesday, April 8, 2025

HELLO MY NAME IS - Day 8

Happy National Poetry Month!

(Feel free to search for poems in the sidebar or watch videos in the tab above.)

2. Write a new poem for each day of April. Feel free to print and find inspiration from this idea sheet that I will be writing from all month long.

LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD'S POEMS SO FAR

April 5 - The Big Bad Wolf Had Been a Stray

April 6 - 8am on a Sunday

April 7 - Her Real Name is Orla Lola Bruin

And now for today!

Students - Today we learn a little bit about where Lou lives. I do not think that in a month's time we'll be able to meet everyone and learn their actual names or much about them, but at least we have a sense of Little Red Riding Hood's neighborhood. Did you know that all of these folks live near each other?

Today's verse leans very heavily on the double dactyl form. I do not follow all of the rules for a double dactyl today, only the meter...and it helped me! I adore playing with meters of different songs and poems, and writing in different rhythms and beats presses me into writing with different words and ideas.

Playing with meter today also made me very picky about which of Lou's neighbors to name today. Their names had to fit the double dactyl meter. I visited this His and Hers Bookclub blog post that lists nineteen fairy tale characters and chose from there.

Thank you for joining me on this eighth day of HELLO MY NAME IS...

xo,

Amy

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Sunday, April 6, 2025

HELLO MY NAME IS - Day 6

Happy National Poetry Month!

(Feel free to search for poems in the sidebar or watch videos in the tab above.)

2. Write a new poem for each day of April. Feel free to print and find inspiration from this idea sheet that I will be writing from all month long.

LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD'S POEMS SO FAR

April 5 - The Big Bad Wolf Had Been a Stray

And now for today!

Students - Today's poem is simply a description poem of now, of something Lou is doing in the moment. It is written in the present tense, as if she is describing the scene around her, its colors and smells and sounds. In a way, it is a small moment poem and a list poem, and I like imagining this peaceful scene of LRRH surrounded by some of her favorite things.

If you are writing in the voice of another this month, or writing in your own voice, consider trying this. Write in the now. Where are you? What do you see, hear, smell, feel, taste in the air? Make a list and turn the list into a poem. Turn it into a different poem. Which do you prefer? If you like, combine them!

Notice - today's poem does not rhyme or follow a special meter/beat, but it does end with a short line. This is one way to bring a poem to a close. The short line feels like a punctuation mark indicating - This poem is over now.

Yesterday was such a fun Family Day at the Burchfield Penney Art Center. Several authors read to children, and the museum staff and volunteers made crafts with the children. For my book, WITH MY HANDS, POEMS ABOUT MAKING THINGS, children had the opportunity to make sock puppets or fingerprint pictures! Thank you to everyone at the Burchfield Penney for putting together such a wonderful day for families and authors too.

Sock Puppet Materials
Photo by Amy LV

Fingerprint Picture Materials

Photo by Amy LV

Thank you for joining me on this sixth day of HELLO MY NAME IS...

xo,

Amy

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Thursday, April 3, 2025

HELLO MY NAME IS - Day 3

Happy National Poetry Month!

(Feel free to search for poems in the sidebar or watch videos in the tab above.)

2. Write a new poem for each day of April. Feel free to print and find inspiration from this idea sheet that I will be writing from all month long.

LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD'S POEMS SO FAR

April 1 - First Poem

April 2 - My Name

And now for today!

Students - I am very much enjoying pretending to be Little Red Riding Hood so far. It feels as if each day I learn a little new about the LRRH (Lou) inside of me. To choose the poem topic for each day, I try to find a hint in the poem from the day before. If I do, I allow that hint to lead me into the next poem. Yesterday Lou wrote "But yes it's true, I do love red." This made me think about all of the red things she might adore. And somehow, I got to the tune of "My Favorite Things," the famous song from the movie THE SOUND OF MUSIC.

Go ahead, sing today's poem to the tune of...

Raindrops on roses, and whiskers on kittens.

Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens.

....

If you don't wish to sing it, you can hear me do so above.

Writing a poem to the tune of a song is one of my favorite writing things to do. The meter (and rhyme scheme if you wish) is offered by the song, and then you just sing along as you write to check if each line matches. Sometimes this requires a lot of crossing out and revision, as you can see below.

Draft of "Red"

(Click to Enlarge)

Photo by Amy LV

I encourage you to try this. Choose a song, perhaps "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" or "Happy Birthday" and go from there. (And don't be surprised if I, as Little Red, lean on a song more than once this month!)

Looking at this draft, you may have noticed that I dated my page March 20, 2025. Because I am on the road a lot this month, I began writing in March so that I am able to travel, teach, and still post even on the busiest days.

Thank you to the students, faculty, administration and Librarian Christopher Gray of St. John's School in Houston Texas. I just spent two days there, sharing poems and writing poetry with all of the students in grades K-5. Much gratitude to retired teacher Olga McLaren, whose vision and generosity left a gift of a visiting poet to the school each year. It was so good to see her and her husband again!

And thank YOU for joining me for Day 3 of HELLO MY NAME IS...

xo,

Amy

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Thursday, March 13, 2025

Notice Something Someone Enjoys

Fiona Settles into a Sunbeam

Photo by Amy LV

Students - Spring is coming to Western New York, and all of us here are turning our faces up to the sun and drinking it into our skin. Last week I watched Fiona settle into a golden sunbeam, and she looked so cute and happy that I had to take her photograph.

As writers, our job is to pay attention to the small and big happenings that fill each day - just normal events such as hearing a teacher read aloud wonderfully, tasting perfect frosting, or cozying up into a sunbeam like Fiona. Our lives are richer when we notice these bits of our world, and so, too, is our writing.

If you are looking for a writing idea this week, pay attention to what makes another person or an animal happy. Perhaps keep a little list of times when others are happy and why they became happy. Then, write a poem or a story or some thoughts from your notes. Maybe you will even wish to write about what makes YOU happy. My poem begins as a list of the many places Kitty finds the sunbeam and then toward the end, the poem keeps the reader in one place to watch Kitty drift off into purry snores. You may have noticed the movement in lines 3-6, each drifting more toward the right. These lines move because...well...sunbeams move!

When we pay attention to happiness, we become happier. Our feelings so often follow our thoughts. And our thoughts grow from our attention. This is why I try to point my attention wisely. We cannot control everything, but we do have some say about what we grow in our own brain gardens.

Below you can see Winnie relaxing on our front porch near my knitting basket this week. Do you think she likes sunshine too?

Solar Powered Winnie

Photo by Amy LV

Thank you to Janice for hosting this week's Poetry Friday roundup over at Salt City Verse with a celebration of Women's History Month. Each Friday, all are invited to share poems, poem books, poetry ideas, and friendship in this open and welcoming poetry community.

I wish you more happiness than you think you could possibly find.

xo,

Amy

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Friday, December 13, 2024

List Your Way

Our Home Nestled in Snow

Photo by Mark LV

Students - Where we live in Western New York can be very snowy, and this week has been especially snowy. So much that there was no school yesterday or today. Sometimes I know what to write about because it surrounds my every moment - and right now snow is absolutely everywhere. Out every window, out each door...we meet poofs of snow. There is almost two feet out there right now, and the snow is over three feet deep in the town where my husband Mark teaches.

Today's poem is a list poem and a celebration poem and a poem written in quatrains, or four-line stanzas. I simply began listing things I love about snowfall and snow days and snowy mornings and then tried to gently rhyme along the way. Below you can see that there was a lot of crossing out along the way, just as there always is. I love writing by hand because the act of crossing out is part of my process.

Drafting in the Snow

Photo by Amy LV

If you are not sure what to write today or this week or anytime, try beginning with a list. Maybe list things you like about something that many people do not like. (Many people do not like snow!) You need not use everything on your list, and you need not know where it will go when you begin. Your writing mind will lead when you trust it. List your way....

Linda is hosting this week's Poetry Friday roundup over at A Word Edgewise with a playful sharing of poem mashing together, such a fun idea! Each Friday, all are invited to share poems, poem books, poetry ideas, and friendship in this open and welcoming poetry community.

This week I wish you interesting weather and interesting thoughts about that same weather.

xo,

Amy

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