Hi! - A Greeting from a Wolf Spiderling

One Little Voice

by Amy LV

Students - Earlier one evening this week, my husband called me outside to see a mother wolf spider covered in babies.  I had never seen this before, and I find myself thinking about it over and over.  When I saw her, I half wanted to run away and half wanted to pick her up.  So I compromised,  bent down, and looked closely.  I was unable to get a photograph in time, but I have one in my head that I can go back and revisit when I'm feeling wolf spidery.

Of course this led me to want to read more about wolf spiders, and I found myself amazed by their eight eyes and by the mothers' devotion to their babies.  When I sat to write, it makes complete sense that this is what I wrote.  I can't stop thinking about it?

It is important to look at fascinating things when people invite you to do so. Even if you're not in the mood.  Get up.  Go look.  Store away what you see in your mind.  You might write about it someday.

If you would like read a little bit more about wolf spiders and see a photograph of a wolf spider mom with her babies, visit KidZone, and if you'd like to see even more photographs, there are many at Google Images.

Diane is hosting today's Poetry Friday party of summer here at Random Noodling. All are always welcome to this weekly celebration of poems and poets and words and friendship!

Please share a comment below if you wish.

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

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

Wallow in Wonder Day 25 - Mama Kangaroo's Poem

Welcome to Day 25 of Wallow in Wonder!  For my 2016 National Poetry Month project, I will celebrate learning and writing from learning, writing poems from each daily Wonder at Wonderopolis.  As I did with my Dictionary Hike in 2012, I am looking to surprise myself with new inspiration daily.  This year, such inspiration will show up in my inbox each morning.  I will print it and carry each Wonderopolis Wonder around all day...and in the afternoon or evening, I will write and post the poem for the next day.  

I invite anyone who wishes to take this challenge too.  Just read today's wonder over at Wonderopolis, and write a poem inspired by it for tomorrow.  Share it tomorrow at your own site, and if you wish to link in my comments for others to find (or share your poem there), please feel free to do so tomorrow, the day after the Wonder is published at Wonderopolis.  If you would like to share any ways you have used Wallow in Wonder or your own site (safe for children only please), please feel free to do so in the comments.

My April Poems Thus Far

April 1 - So Suddenly - a poem inspired by Wonder #1659 

April 2 - Thankful Journal - a poem inspired by Wonder #1660

April 3 - The Storm Chaser - a poem inspired by Wonder #779

April 4 - A Jar of Glitter - a poem inspired by Wonder #641

April 5 - To Make Compost - a poem inspired by Wonder #1661

April 6 - Deciding Now - a poem inspired by Wonder #1662

April 7 - Hummingbird's Secret - a poem inspired by Wonder #1663

April 8 - Limits - a poem inspired by Wonder #1664

April 9 - Sundogs - a poem inspired by Wonder #1665

April 10 - Perspective - a poem inspired by Wonder #128

April 11 - At the History Museum - a poem inspired by Wonder #115

April 12 - Seventy-Five Years Ago Today - a poem inspired by Wonder #1666

April 13 - Homer's Poem - a poem inspired by Wonder #1667

April 14 - The Right - a poem inspired by Wonder #1668

April 15 - 5:00 am - a poem inspired by Wonder #1669

April 16 - Writing - a poem inspired by Wonder #1670

April 17 - Sometimes - a poem inspired by Wonder #194

April 18 - Once - a poem inspired by Wonder #192

April 19 - Eat It - a poem inspired by Wonder #1671

April 20 - Chatty Green Tomato - a poem inspired by Wonder #1672

April 21 - This Argument We're Having - a poem inspired by Wonder #1673

April 22 - After a Week in Foster Care - a poem inspired by Wonder #1674

April 23 - Pay Attention - a (recycled) poem inspired by Wonder #1675

April 24 - Please Don't Ask - a poem inspired by Wonder #201

And now for Day 24!

Wonder #447 - from April 24, 2016

Poems Come in All Shapes

by Amy LV

Students - This is my third animal mask - or persona - poem so far of Wallow in Wonder.  On April 7, I shared Hummingbird's Secret, and on April 13, I shared Homer's Poem.  I very much like writing in the voices of others: animals, plants, and objects.  It is fun for me to try on different lives and write poetry from these lives!

Today's poem grew from yesterday's kangaroo-pocket wonder and also from the fact that last Thursday, April 21, 2016, was Poem in Your Pocket Day.  It is interesting to me to explore which things in my life fold in and weave in and blend in together to make a poem.  A kangaroo and Poem in Your Pocket Day...of course!

And once again, there is a connection between yesterday's poem and today's poem.  Can you discover what it is?  Go back to yesterday's poem and see if you can figure it out.  Did you notice something about the structure of these two poems? Is it something you can imagine yourself trying in a poem yourself?

I have a very special Poetry Peek up at The Poem Farm this week.  Teacher Emily Callahan and her fourth grade poets from Kansas City have shared a beautiful post all about the many ways they celebrate poetry together.  You can read the post and enter the giveaway, running through April 30, HERE.

Too, if you have not yet seen the post by teacher and librarian Stefanie Cole and her students from Ontario, Canada at Sharing Our Notebooks this month, please stop by. This is a fantastic post full of notebook inspiration, a video clip, and a great book giveaway from Stefanie. Please check it out, and leave a comment over there to be entered into the giveaway.

Please share a comment below if you wish.

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

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

Wallow in Wonder Day 7 - How Sweet is Honeysuckle?

Welcome to Day 7 of Wallow in Wonder!  For my 2016 National Poetry Month project, I will celebrate learning and writing from learning, writing poems from each daily Wonder at Wonderopolis.  As I did with my Dictionary Hike in 2012, I am looking to surprise myself with new inspiration daily.  This year, such inspiration will show up in my inbox each morning.  I will print it and carry each Wonderopolis Wonder around all day...and in the afternoon or evening, I will write and post the poem for the next day.  

I invite anyone who wishes to take this challenge too.  Just read today's wonder over at Wonderopolis, and write a poem inspired by it for tomorrow.  Share it tomorrow at your own site, and if you wish to link in my comments for others to find (or share your poem there), please feel free to do so tomorrow, the day after the Wonder is published at Wonderopolis.  If you would like to share any ways you have used Wallow in Wonder or your own site (safe for children only please), please link to the #WallowInWonder padlet.

My April Poems Thus Far

April 1 - So Suddenly - a poem inspired by Wonder #1659 

April 2 - Thankful Journal - a poem inspired by Wonder #1660

April 3 - The Storm Chaser - a poem inspired by Wonder #779

April 4 - A Jar of Glitter - a poem inspired by Wonder #641

April 5 - To Make Compost - a poem inspired by Wonder #1661

April 6 - Deciding Now - a poem inspired by Wonder #1662

And now for Day 7!

Wonder #1663 - from April 6, 2016

Little Sipper

by Amy LV

Students - I actually wrote two poems for today.  I worked on the first one, titled "Open Window," for some time.  And it was fine. It rhymed.  It talked about honeysuckle and spring and it featured a hummingbird too.  But it just didn't feel quite right somehow.  It was fine, but it was only fine.  And fine did not feel good enough.  I felt that I needed not to work more on that poem...but to write another poem altogether.

I have been asked how I "know when something is ready to share."  And this is an excellent question.  Honestly, though, I am not sure.  Certainly there are times when I do share and others may wonder, "Why did she share that anyway?"  And then there are times when I do not know what I think about a piece, times when I need to let a poem sit.  

But usually, when I work on something for a while, I get a feeling.  I read the words to myself over and over again and I keep writing and rewriting until I get an "I like this!" feeling.  I have learned to trust this feeling.  Usually.  Sometimes, though, this feeling is way off!  But we makers must be able to laugh at ourselves and just move on.

Today's poem makes me happy.  I like to pretend that I am other things, and I am very happy right now to be a mother hummingbird, so proud of my wee eggs.  I like the sounds of the words in this poem and the way the last two lines funnel readers to the proud ending.  I like the word secret and the line in the white pine by the water and all of those -ing words.  I like the bit of bossiness in this tiny tiny bird.  Who knows how I will feel about these words tomorrow, but right now, I like them.

Best of all, researching and writing this poem made me fall in love with hummingbirds.  Hard.  Writing about an enchanting subject can do that to a person.

Writing today's poem has inspired my whole summer garden plan.  In addition to the rugosa roses I'll be putting in by the road, all I care about now are some grand plantings for hummingbirds, everything from lambs ear and milkweed (for nesting material) to native trumpet honeysuckle.

If you would like to learn more about hummingbirds, particularly ruby throated hummingbirds, you can do so here at All About Birds or at Operation Ruby Throat.  There are different types of hummingbirds, so you may wish to find out which type lives near to you and learn about that one first.

You can read another poem inspired by Wonder #1663 if you visit Wonder Lead Ambassador, literacy advocate, teacher, and writer Paul Hankins at his Wonder Ground blog where he, too, is writing daily poems from Wonderopolis wonders.  He and I are in this together daily and some other writers are joining in on the fun sometimes too. All are welcome to wonder through poems with us.

I am so happy to be hosting middle school teacher and librarian Stefanie Cole and her students from Ontario, Canada to Sharing Our Notebooks this month.  Do not miss this post; it is full of notebook inspiration, a video clip, and a great book giveaway from Stefanie!

Happy Day 7 of National Poetry Month 2016!

Please share a comment below if you wish.

What do the Fish Think?

Fish Tank

by Georgia LV

 

Click the arrow to hear me read this poem to you.

Students - Waiting in the doctor's waiting room the other day, I kept looking at the aquarium.  It was late at night, but their tank light made it seem bright as day underwater.  I could not help wondering what the fish were thinking, wondering if they were looking at me.  I am actually still wondering about this.

You will notice that this poem does not rhyme.  It's just a little collection of thoughts in three stanzas, from the point of view of fishes. Poets call this kind of poem a mask poem, or persona poem, because when I wrote it, it was as if I was wearing the mask of fish and speaking as I imagine they might speak.  You can find many more mask poems like this one (several rhyme) under the tab above, POEMS BY TECHNIQUE.  Just look under "mask poems."

When you walk around and do the normal things of your life, try wondering what different animals and objects may be thinking.  Do we know the real thoughts of hawks and spoons?  Of course not! But we can imagine all we wish....

I plan to return to a more regular schedule here soon, hopefully next week!

Please share a comment below if you wish.

To find a poem by topic, click here. To find a poem by technique, click here.

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