Day 24 - National Poetry Month 2015 - Sing That Poem!

Happy National Poetry Month!

Welcome to Day 24 of this Year's Poem Farm Project!

Find the Complete April 2015 Poem and Song List Here

First, I would like to welcome all old and new friends to The Poem Farm this April. Spring is a busy time on all farms, and this one is no exception.  Each April, many poets and bloggers take on special poetry projects, and I'm doing so too.  You can learn all about Sing That Poem! and how to play on my April 1st post, where you will also find the list of the whole month's poems and tunes as I write and share them.  If you'd like to print out a matching game page for yourself, you can find one here, and during April 2015, you'll be able to see the song list right over there in the left hand sidebar.

Yesterday's poem was I Want You to Know This before My Party.  Here is the tune that goes along with it, below. Did you figure it out?

And here, below, is today's poem.  Look at the song list in the sidebar or on your matching form to see if you can puzzle out which tune matches this one.

Snake Love

by Amy LV

Students - So, here is a little hint.  Today's song is has a serious and pretty tune.  At least I think it does. And for most of the serious and pretty tunes of this month, I have wanted to write serious and pretty words. See Blue Soul (Blowin' in the Wind), There is a Poem (You are my Sunshine), Red Kite (This Land is Your Land),and Still (Amazing Grace) if you have not been following along, and you will see what I mean.

Yesterday, though, I chose the tune for today - a serious and pretty tune - and I wanted to write something not serious or pretty to go with it. I just wanted to play with the juxtaposition of serious and silly at the same time.

With my poemsong At Night (On Top of Old Smokey), I did a bit the opposite. On Top of Old Smokey is a silly song, but my poemsong for that day is more on the comtemplative side.  Today's poem has a serious tune, but the words are silly.  It is fun to mix things up in both writing and life, don't you think?

I wrote much of today's poemsong in my car, as I have been doing a lot of driving lately.  I sang and drove and drove and sang, writing nothing until I arrived home - tune and words stuck in my head.  Then it was writing-revising time.  Once again, I needed to do a little bit of research, and that's where National Geographic came in handy.  You might like reading more about rattlesnakes there too.

As we have just one week of Sing That Poem left, I have also posted an extra hint for the remaining poemsongs on Twitter today, for anyone who has not been playing all month.  

In non-rattlesnake news, it is a sincere pleasure to welcome teacher Debbie Feasel and her second grade writers from Plank Road South Elementary in Webster, NY today.  In the slide show below, you will discover how she and her students colorfully play with line breaks and revision as they write their own poems.

Thank you very much to Debbie and her young writers for joining and sharing with us.  I have a feeling that I will be pulling out my colored pencils today for my own writing.

At One Deep Drawer, Kortney Garrision is offering a giveaway this week of my book, FOREST HAS A SONG. Simply leave a comment on today's post by Wednesday, and you will be entered to win.

Today Renée is hosting the Poetry Friday roundup at No Water River!  All are welcome to the weekly Poetry Friday roundups, a place where anyone who loves poetry can gather, see what others are sharing and share a poetry idea or poem too.  And today you are in luck because our host Renée will teach you all about Poetry Friday, just in time for this last Friday of National Poetry Month. We're here celebrating poems all year long, not only in April, and we hope you will visit us and find and offer all manner of poems for pockets and souls.

Please share a comment below if you wish.

Struck by a Tiny Paper Home

Squishy's Paper Home

Home by Alex and Friends

Photo by Amy LV

Students - This past Wednesday, I visited Plank South Elementary School in Webster, NY, and at the end of the day, fourth grader Alex showed me her small toy turtle Squishy (can you see part of his name on that yellow sticky note?), and his neat paper home.  She began with the folded walls and floor, and her friends were helping her build the rest (not exactly in the way my poem says...I made some parts up).  When I saw this paper home, I thought, "If I were Squishy, I'd be happy to have such a cozy place to live!"  

When I was a young girl, I loved making homes for little animals out of boxes and anything I could find.  So, seeing Squishy's home struck something inside of me. Much of writing is about just this - being struck by things. And then notice when you are struck.  What do you find funny or quirky or deeply sad or fascinating? These are the things you should write about.  Taking pictures helps me to remember, but so does my notebook and so does this blog.  Now, because I wrapped my arms and ink and time around this memory, Alex and her friends and Squishy will always have a little piece of real estate in my heart.  Thank you, Alex!

You will notice that there is a rhyme scheme to this poem.  It is almost in squished together quatrains, except for the last lines which stretch out from four to five in order to slow down the ending.

I am so pleased to welcome Natalie S. today!  Earlier this week, I also visited another school - Douglas J. Regan Intermediate in Lockport, NY.  As a part of that visit, I had the opportunity to eat lunch and write with several fourth grade writers, including Natalie from Breann Kolacz's class.  Natalie offered to share this poem with all of us for today's Poetry Friday gathering.

Old Bedroom

by Natalie S.

Come join me 

As you open the door

You will see 

The bright 

Yellow wall

With the 

Butterflies and 

               Flowers                

Everywhere you look

Is a memory I’ll

Treasure for ever

You see the 

Bright sun through

The big window

You can hear 

The birds chirping

As they soar 

Among the clouds

And stars

Don't you feel like you are there?  Thank you so much, Natalie, for this lovely tour of memory and beauty.

Gena has won this month's drawing over at Sharing Our Notebooks.  Gena, if you see this, please drop me a line with your snail mail address and your choice of book. Congratulations!  And to all who notebook or know notebookers, I am looking for new posters over at Sharing Our Notebooks.  Right now I am particularly interested in all kinds of unusual notebooks and also notebooks kept by boys or men.  It would be good to get some guy notebooks up over there, so if you know any notebooker of any age, I would so appreciate it if you would send that person my way.

Heidi is hosting today's Poetry Friday roundup today over at My Juicy Little Universe.  Be sure to CHeck out the CHallenge she has offered for MarCH!

Please share a commnent below if you wish.