Fur Coat - Poem #28 for April 2014 Poetry Project

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Learn about this, my April 2014 Poetry Project, HERE!

Fur Coat

Photo by Amy LV

Students - This was not the first photo I planned to write about today. I was going to write about a cool silver tea set.  But when writing time came (and today writing time was thinking time while driving), I chose this fur coat instead. Why?  I do not know why, but I do know that I tend to follow my gut instinct when it speaks about writing topics.

I tend to write many of my poems with eight syllables per line or four syllables per line, and today I wanted to try something different.  Once again, I advise you to look at the poems you have been writing and mix it up a little here at the end of poetry month.  

If you always write rhyming poems, try some free verse.  If you always write free verse, try some rhyme.  If your lines are generally short, write some long ones.  If your lines are always long, go short.  Experiment!  Try copying the rhyme scheme and meter of a poem exactly.  All of this is good exercise.

Today's poem has a lot of my history in it.  Willa Cather has been quoted as saying, "“Most of the basic material a writer works with is acquired before the age of fifteen," and I think this is true.  Again and again I find bits and scraps of childhood memories woven into my words.

Aunt Kay did have a big brown fur coat.  She did smell like roses.  She did have a big car and a big laugh.  She did tell me stories. But I do not think I ever hid in her coat.  Or maybe I did?

Fur Coat - Draft Page Spread #1

Photo by Amy LV

Most of this verse was written orally, just me talking out loud to myself, trying to remember the lines of the poem as I drove home late in my car.  When I walked in the house, I ran to the couch with my notebook to remember whatever I could.  

Did you notice that for the last few days I have not been writing in the red notebook with the cream pages?  I filled it up this month!

Please share a comment below if you wish.

Skirt - Poem #19 for April 2014 Poetry Project

LIVE!

Learn about this, my April 2014 Poetry Project, HERE!

Skirt
Photo by Amy LV

Students - When I saw this skirt, I knew it wanted to have a poem written in its honor.  And I knew, too, that the poem had to be about twirling.

Before writing this poem last night, I had already decided that it would match some parts of a sonnet - 14 lines with 10 syllables per line.  (In my poem, though, the last line has 11 syllables.) Today's poem does not rhyme each pair of alternate lines, yet it does have much in common with the sonnet form: the iambic pentameter rhythm, the end rhymes at half of the alternate lines, and a rhyming couplet at the end. 

Below, you can see that I first mapped out the lines with bullet points.  You can also see the rhyming words atop my page, and the iambic pentameter syllable beats too.  This helps.

One thing to consider when writing in form.  You do not want your poem to sound forced into an  uncomfortable cage of form.  Keep working and playing until your poemsound is natural, until it sounds like real human speech and not some strange backward-speaking alien.

Originally, I had written 'whirl' where 'swirl' is and 'swirl' where 'whirl' is.  I changed it when reading aloud because of the 's' in 'layers.'  Sometimes reading the same letter at the end of a word and then again at the beginning of the next word is just too strange, so this switch made the reading easier.

Recording poetry is one way to revise as it helps us hear in the real air what works and what does not.  For you know, in our minds we can fool ourselves into believing that it all works.  But in the real air, we hear the truth.

Skirt - Draft Page Spread #1 

Photo by Amy LV

Would you like to see the skirt twirl?  You can...here!

Today, I offer a giveaway of two books here: one copy of THE POETRY FRIDAY ANTHOLOGY FOR SCIENCE compiled by Sylvia Vardell and Janet Wong and one copy of my own FOREST HAS A SONG. Each Saturday of April, I have offered this same giveaway here, for eight books in all.  Thank you to Sylvia and Janet for your generosity.  Please leave a comment below, and I will draw two names next Thursday evening to be announced next Poetry Friday!

For last week's winners, check yesterday's post!

Please share a comment below if you wish.

Poem #287 says, "Listen to Your Shoes!"

My "New" Goodwill Shoes

Photo by Amy LV

Once again, today's poem comes from Tricia's Monday Poetry Stretch over at The Miss Rumphius Effect.  It's fun to see what other writers post given the same nudge.  

Students - Oh, what fun it is to make inanimate objects talk!  To me it does seem as if every thing in the world has feelings and secrets, and my daughter Hope has this same sense.  Yesterday morning I found her hugging our Christmas tree to say goodbye, something I used to (and still) do.

To open yourself to this way of thinking, spend an afternoon asking yourself, "Hmmm...what would that clock say?  I wonder what my pencil is thinking..." and on and on.  You may discover a secret door into an interesting poem or story.

Somewhere during the past few weeks, I read a poem about how shoes have many body part names: eye, heel, sole, tongue.  Unfortunately, I cannot remember the poem, but surely it also provided inspiration for today's poem.  If you know which poem I'm talking about, please leave its title in the comments.

Today I am tickled to announce the illustrator of my forthcoming poetry book with Clarion Books.  It is talented watercolorist Robbin Gourley, full of whimsical joy and realism too.  I could not feel luckier.

Today is also my first interview ever.  Toby Speed, of The Writer's Armchair, graciously invited me to her blog for tea and a chat about The Poem Farm.  If you're interested in learning the history of this craziness, please visit.

If you did not see yesterday's ALA winners, here they are at The American Libraries magazine.  Congratulations to all!  Please note that Joyce Sidman's poetry book, THE DARK EMPEROR, won a Newbery Honor.

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Today's date is 1/1/11.  By day's end, Charles Ghigna and I hope to post the collaborative poem contributed to by so many - "1/11/11."  Happy one one one one one day!

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Garage Sale Jeans - MyPoWriYe #190

Wondering

by Amy LV

Our family has been very lucky in the hand-me-down department lately.  Many bags of beautiful clothes have rolled in from good friends with children just a wee bit older and bigger than ours.  I, too, have been enjoying the land of used clothing, frequenting Goodwill and coming home with funky shoes at $2.99 a pair.  I love the deals, and even more...the secret stories.

Students - as we've talked about before, objects are full of stories.  Some objects hold stories we know.  Some hold stories we don't know.  And some hold both!  With our world becoming more and more connected each day, I am fascinated by stickybits, small barcode stickers you can attach to real world objects and link to your own digital stories, photos, videos and music.  You can read more about this idea here at TechCrunch, and I'll be back to report as I just ordered some stickybits for myself on amazon.  Hmmm... this will be fun!

If you like poems about clothing, here is one about dirty socks, one about a favorite shirt, one about who makes our clothing, and a more recent poem about overcoats and underwear.

(Please click on COMMENTS below to share a thought.)