Become Something New

 

Hummingbird Feeder in the Morning Garden

Photo by Amy LV 

 

Students -  Today's little poem is a sonnet, a word that comes from the Italian word sonetto, a word that means "little song." And a poem is, indeed, a little song, isn't it? Sonnets generally have 14 lines and a strict rhyme form. Not all lines in the poem above have a matching rhyming line as in many sonnets, but I do take much from the form here. And yes, it is about something that happens often in our garden - a hummingbird flies by, and I think it is a bee.

 

Have you ever wished to become something other than yourself for a day...or just an hour? Have you ever felt that you HAVE been something different than yourself? Here are a few writing paths you might wish to explore this week, or this summer.

 

• Think of something you would like to be for a short bit of time. Write about this imagined life.
• Think of something you feel you have actually been before (maybe you haven't been it, but it FEELS like you have been it). Write your memories. 
• Do something active away from screens. Do this activity a bit each day. You will find that thoughts of the activity will become a part of your thinking and a part of your soul. Each day, I visit my messy gardens and pull some weeds or move a plant, and each day those plants become part of me. I began knowing nothing about gardening, and each day I learn a little bit. Remember that you do not need to know a lot about something to begin. And summer is a perfect time for new learnings.

If you would like to learn more about the sonnet form, visit The Poetry Foundation HERE. 

Buffy is hosting today's Poetry Friday roundup over at Buffy Silverman with some gardening goodness (and hardship) that inspired her gray tree frog poem titled "Queen of the Prairie." Each Poetry Friday, all are invited to share poems, poem books, poetry ideas, and friendship in this open and welcoming poetry community.  

Become something new! Become what you are! You are the only you that ever will be!

xo,

a.

 

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Garden Magic...and a Poetry Peek

Foxgloves

Photo by Amy LV

 

Close Up of Foxgloves

Photo by Amy LV

 

 

Students -  The flowers are taking their turn on the stage of my garden, and two foxgloves are here! Today's poem is a poem I feel I must have written before, I so often daydream about foxes sticking their paws into flowers. I also found this in my baby book this morning. Could it be that this question from a second grade assignment has remained in my mind for all of these years?

 

 

Second Grade Work

Photo by Amy LV 

This week, I encourage you to consider blending a bit of reality with a bit of magic. The natural world offers us many beauties and surprises and wonders, and by stretching our imaginations, we can make up stories that may not be real, but may bring us a lot of joy. And you, like me, might wish to repeat words throughout your poem. Sometimes repetition can bring us comfort.

 

And now...a Poetry Peek! 

 

Today I welcome a young writer named Liav. His grandfather, Gerard Sarnat, wrote to ask if Liav might share his piece here, so we offer you this happy imagined November moment on this day in early June. Liav, too, blends his reality with his imagination in his writing about a turkey.

Thank you to Liav and Gerard for this smile of a piece today.

Mona is hosting today's Poetry Friday roundup over at Mona Voelkel with her poem "Sandcastle" along with some other joyful writing thoughts. Each Poetry Friday, all are invited to share poems, poem books, poetry ideas, and friendship in this open and welcoming poetry community.  

May you find magic in the week ahead....

xo,

a.

 

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If you are under 13 years old, please only comment 

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Make Friends With Your Notebook

A Clearing

Photo by Amy LV

Students - Last night I woke up a few times with a writing idea I had planned to work on this morning. I began that work, but somehow felt it was not the right poem for this day. So I flipped through my notebook and found this draft from April.

April Notebook Draft

Photo by Amy LV

It felt more important to write about magic today, so I decided to type up the above draft to see what would happen. I played around a lot with the sound and read aloud as I worked. And I am happy I did so! 

My tip for today is to make friends with your notebook. Just stuff stuff in there: ideas, wonderings, unusual thoughts, bits and snips of poems, cards, photos, sketches, leaves, ticket stubs, stickers, recipes...anything! See, it is not easy for a writer to do all of the things in one day: think of an idea, draft it, play with the sound and structure, and edit. That's a lot to do! So a notebook can be a trusty friend who holds onto your ideas until you may (or may not) wish to turn then into drafts. I used to keep a whole blog about notebook keeping - Sharing Our Notebooks - and I am considering getting back to this as a central practice in my teaching. Our writing in notebooks helps us know what interests and charms us.

You may have noticed that today's poem does not carry a lot of rhyme. Rather, I focused on the sound, playing with short lines, each one almost contained and holding a bit of rhythm. Reading aloud as I write is one of my most important revision tools. If you don't do this now, I recommend giving it a try. Write a bit...read it aloud...revise what sounds off...keep going.

So consider it - write in a notebook just to see what you get. Revisit the writings in a few weeks to see if one of the bits may wish to grow into a story or a poem or an essay or a letter or something else. Our brains and hearts do a lot of work that we don't even know about, and a notebook can help us hang onto that thinking and love.

This week, Rose is hosting the Poetry Friday roundup over at Imagine the Possibilities with a bit about her "Snippets" log and a poem about imaginings. Each Friday, all are invited to share poems, poem books, poetry ideas, and friendship in this open and welcoming poetry community.

I send you magic and belief in magic...

xo,

Amy

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 

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