Day 4 - National Poetry Month 2015 - Sing That Poem!

Happy National Poetry Month!

Welcome to Day 4 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 At Night.  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.

Friends Share Everything

by Amy LV

Students - So far, this month's project has me thinking in a whole different way than usual: meter first and then content second.  So as you can see today, sometimes the content is a bit wacky!  Revision is pretty easy, and probably funny to listen to - revision sounds like me humming away.

It took me quite a while to write today's silly verse, and it is silly...and untrue...mostly. I do not have two cockroaches in my shoe.  However, cockroaches are more friendly than most folks realize.  You can read a little bit about that below, or click over to the BBC Nature article for even more on this subject.

from Why Cockroaches Need Their Friends

by Matt Walker, BBC Nature

Yesterday I hosted Poetry Friday here, and there are all kinds of wonderful poetry links to explore.  And don't forget - over at Jama's Alphabet Soup, Jama is keeping a list of poetry projects 'round the Kidlitosphere all month long.  So much poetry happiness!

Please share a comment below if you wish.

A Box of Snow - Wish Poems

Present for a Faraway Friend

Photo by Amy LV

Students - We have snow again!  Here south of Buffalo, NY where I live, it has been a snow-free couple of weeks.  And now the snow is back.  Today I am thinking about all of you who live in snow-free places, wishing I could send you some snow (but not too much) to play with.

Do you have a wish for someone else?  Is there something you have that you would like to share with others?  If yes, then you might enjoy writing about it.  What better way to begin the new year than with a wish for a friend?

Today's poem does have a bit of rhyme and a bit of meter.  What do you notice about the syllables in this poem?  What do you notice about the rhyme?  If you ever feel stuck getting started with your own writing, you might find a poem with a simple rhyme and syllable count - such as this one - and try writing with the same number of syllables per line or with the same rhyme scheme.

Teachers and Adult Readers - For those of you who might not know, I also keep a Poem Farm Facebook Page.  This page is full of regular links to poems I love as well as poetry news I find.  If you choose to "like" it, please click on the arrow to "get notifications" if you would like to see the posts in your feed.

In publishing news, I am excited to share that I have signed a contract with Crown/Random House for a picture book currently titled ALL I KNOW. No date yet, but lots of happiness over here!

At this time of year, we have the fun of peeking at some 2014 favorites lists.  Don't miss the 2014 Nerdy Awards for Poetry and Novels and Verse and the 2014 Cybils Poetry Finalists.  Many congratulations to one and all.

Tricia is hosting this first Poetry Friday of 2015 over at The Miss Rumphius Effect.  Stop by and gobble up all of the wonderful offerings from poetry friends near and far.

Happy 2015 to you and yours!  Many wishes for a year full of poems and favorite new words!

Please share a comment below if you wish.

Dog & Cat Snuggle in Poem #291

Cali the Dog & Mini the Cat

Photo by Hope LV

This picture is one of the cutest scenes from our home this week.  Mini has been sleeping on Cali's bed for some time, and a couple of days ago, we found them together.  Cali looked a bit uncertain at first, but after a bit they just looked cozy.

Students - it's fun to take a picture of something adorable, gorgeous, strange, interesting...and then write from it.  Today, Hope saw this scene and snapped it.  I'm so glad!

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