listen - day 21

    

As I strive to become a better listener and to connect more with my sense of hearing, National Poetry Month 2026 finds me writing daily, handwritten, index card poems inspired by sounds and listening.. I have begun a new notebook to collect the sounds I notice throughout the month, and I will reflect on them in short poems. My ears - and my heart - are open wide. 

 

I invite you to join me in this project, on any of my projects from the past 16 years, or on a project of your very own. To do so, simply write a poem each day of April in any way you wish. Share or don't share, as you wish. Your poems are your poems. Your projects are your projects. And if you wish learn a bit more about writing poetry, I welcome you to the short lessons in the tab above: COAXING POEMS VIDEOS - 2024.

 

National Poetry Month 2026 Poems 

April 1 - listening, listening

April 2 - clicking kitty

April 3 - spring morning 

April 4 - tea

April 5 - team

April 6 - from far away 

April 7 - on a day of April snows 

April 8 - breakfast

April 9 - beep beep beep 

April 10 - now

April 11 - but why?

April 12 - winter warmies

April 13 - better than a touch screen  

April 14 - swish of the brush 

April 15 - heartbeat 

April 16 - robin? sparrow? 

April 17 - a good meal 

April 18 - their notes 

April 19 - the show 

April 20 - performance 

 

Here is poem 21 - 

 

  

Students - I do not have a grandfather clock where I live now, but in my childhood home, we had a grandfather clock that ticked and chimed every quarter hour. I found those chimes comforting, and so even though I did not plan to write about a grandfather clock but just a clock today, that old friend from my past returned to bring a bit of personification to my poem. For, you see, grandfather clocks do not really counsel humans. But writers can make them do so!

 

It seems that here in the middle of the month, I continue to happily slide into rhyme. I am not doing this on purpose, but the rhymes are, indeed, finding their way into the lines. We'll see if this happens tomorrow.

 

I do like the idea of today's sound teaching me a life tip, helping me live differently because I am listening carefully. Perhaps there is a sound in your life that counsels or teaches you in some way. What might it be? What can you learn from a sound in your life?

 

To learn about many of the wonderful National Poetry Month projects happening online this April, visit the generous Jama Rattigan at Jama's Alphabet Soup. 

 

Tick-tock. Tick-tock. Tick-tock. 

 

xo,

a. 

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listen - day 20

    

As I strive to become a better listener and to connect more with my sense of hearing, National Poetry Month 2026 finds me writing daily, handwritten, index card poems inspired by sounds and listening.. I have begun a new notebook to collect the sounds I notice throughout the month, and I will reflect on them in short poems. My ears - and my heart - are open wide. 

 

I invite you to join me in this project, on any of my projects from the past 16 years, or on a project of your very own. To do so, simply write a poem each day of April in any way you wish. Share or don't share, as you wish. Your poems are your poems. Your projects are your projects. And if you wish learn a bit more about writing poetry, I welcome you to the short lessons in the tab above: COAXING POEMS VIDEOS - 2024.

 

National Poetry Month 2026 Poems 

April 1 - listening, listening

April 2 - clicking kitty

April 3 - spring morning 

April 4 - tea

April 5 - team

April 6 - from far away 

April 7 - on a day of April snows 

April 8 - breakfast

April 9 - beep beep beep 

April 10 - now

April 11 - but why?

April 12 - winter warmies

April 13 - better than a touch screen  

April 14 - swish of the brush 

April 15 - heartbeat 

April 16 - robin? sparrow? 

April 17 - a good meal 

April 18 - their notes 

April 19 - the show 

 

Here is poem 20 - 

Students - One thing I always find interesting during a National Poetry Month project is that as the month goes on, I find myself wanting to use words that I know have appeared in other poems, words that I do not wish to repeat. This month, when this has happened, I flip through my deck of listen poem cards and check, "Did I already use this word?" If so, I find a new one. Today I considered and rejected these: secret, whisper, soft, sing. You can see lots of scribbling out in the draft above!

 

I have mentioned many different things to notice about poems this month and am wondering what you notice I tried as a writer in today's short verse. What do you notice about the sounds? The way the words lay on the page? The title? Thinking about another's poem, whether you like the poem or not, can give a person ideas for their own writing.

 

Hmm. I am realizing that both yesterday's poem and today's poem are about performances...the brain is, indeed, a curious place! 

 

To learn about many of the wonderful National Poetry Month projects happening online this April, visit the generous Jama Rattigan at Jama's Alphabet Soup. 

May you find the secrets that live inside of you!

xo,

a. 

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listen - day 19

   

As I strive to become a better listener and to connect more with my sense of hearing, National Poetry Month 2026 finds me writing daily, handwritten, index card poems inspired by sounds and listening.. I have begun a new notebook to collect the sounds I notice throughout the month, and I will reflect on them in short poems. My ears - and my heart - are open wide. 

 

I invite you to join me in this project, on any of my projects from the past 16 years, or on a project of your very own. To do so, simply write a poem each day of April in any way you wish. Share or don't share, as you wish. Your poems are your poems. Your projects are your projects. And if you wish learn a bit more about writing poetry, I welcome you to the short lessons in the tab above: COAXING POEMS VIDEOS - 2024.

 

National Poetry Month 2026 Poems 

April 1 - listening, listening

April 2 - clicking kitty

April 3 - spring morning 

April 4 - tea

April 5 - team

April 6 - from far away 

April 7 - on a day of April snows 

April 8 - breakfast

April 9 - beep beep beep 

April 10 - now

April 11 - but why?

April 12 - winter warmies

April 13 - better than a touch screen  

April 14 - swish of the brush 

April 15 - heartbeat 

April 16 - robin? sparrow? 

April 17 - a good meal 

April 18 - their notes 

 

Here is poem 19 - 

 

Students - It is a rainy morning here today, and when I can on rainy mornings, I enjoy staying in bed for a few extra minutes, listening to rainmusic. Any kind of rain sounds soothe me, from a gentle pattering to a wild thunderstorm. There is something very cozy about being an inside listener while the world is being watered.

 

Again, you'll notice some personification as I make the rain do a human act (tap dance) and a snip of unexpected rhyme. 

My small poems this month have all focused on sounds that I like. Yes, there are sounds I do not like, but I have chosen not to write about those - part of this month's practice is to help me become a better listener, and part of this month's practice is to help me become more grateful.

To learn about many of the wonderful National Poetry Month projects happening online this April, visit the generous Jama Rattigan at Jama's Alphabet Soup. 

 

Don't forget your umbrella! 

 

xo,

a. 

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listen - day 18

   

As I strive to become a better listener and to connect more with my sense of hearing, National Poetry Month 2026 finds me writing daily, handwritten, index card poems inspired by sounds and listening.. I have begun a new notebook to collect the sounds I notice throughout the month, and I will reflect on them in short poems. My ears - and my heart - are open wide. 

 

I invite you to join me in this project, on any of my projects from the past 16 years, or on a project of your very own. To do so, simply write a poem each day of April in any way you wish. Share or don't share, as you wish. Your poems are your poems. Your projects are your projects. And if you wish learn a bit more about writing poetry, I welcome you to the short lessons in the tab above: COAXING POEMS VIDEOS - 2024.

 

National Poetry Month 2026 Poems 

April 1 - listening, listening

April 2 - clicking kitty

April 3 - spring morning 

April 4 - tea

April 5 - team

April 6 - from far away 

April 7 - on a day of April snows 

April 8 - breakfast

April 9 - beep beep beep 

April 10 - now

April 11 - but why?

April 12 - winter warmies

April 13 - better than a touch screen  

April 14 - swish of the brush 

April 15 - heartbeat 

April 16 - robin? sparrow? 

April 17 - a good meal 

 

 Here is poem 18 - 

 

 

Students - Today's poem rhymes. I did not intend to write a rhyming poem. In fact, I have been focusing on not rhyming this month. At times, though, a rhyme just sneaks in a poem's side door, and this happened above. I was not thinking about rhyming, but rather about whether to choose the word sings (used already this month, in April 3rd's "spring peepers") or whistles (used in April 4th's "tea") or hums. I was thinking about how I like the word secretly, the idea that someone can give a gift without even knowing it. 

 

This poem is about the sound of a person's voice, my second poem this month including the human voice (the first being yesterday's "a good meal".)  You may remember a poem from this month that included an unseen person - "beep, beep, beep" from April 9.

 

Can you think of a phrase or sound that you like to hear from someone else? Maybe a nickname or a shared secret? This could be a possible door or window into your own poem or story. 

 

To learn about many of the wonderful National Poetry Month projects happening online this April, visit the generous Jama Rattigan at Jama's Alphabet Soup. 

 

Hum on, my friends!

 

xo,

a. 

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listen - day 1

 

 

As I strive to become a better listener and to connect more with my sense of hearing, National Poetry Month 2026 finds me writing daily, handwritten, index card poems inspired by sounds and listening. I have begun a new notebook to collect the sounds I notice throughout the month, and I will reflect on them in short poems. My ears - and my heart - are open wide. 

 

I invite you to join me in this project, on any of my projects from the past 16 years, or on a project of your very own. To do so, simply write a poem each day of April in any way you wish. Share or don't share, as you wish. Your poems are your poems. Your projects are your projects. And if you wish learn a bit more about writing poetry, I welcome you to the short lessons in the tab above: COAXING POEMS VIDEOS - 2024.

 

Here is poem 1:

 

 

Students - Today's card poem is simply me thinking about why I chose listening and sounds as the theme of my National Poetry Month project this year. I do have many favorite sounds, and I do recognize that I can become a much better listener. Many of the best listeners I know...are the wisest people I know. It is interesting to think about listening - and writing - as paths to becoming more thoughtful.

 

I did make a couple of lists of rhyming words (with the help of a favorite tool, RhymeZone) to help me write this poem. And I have a feeling that I will enjoy the challenge of the size-limit of an index card.

 

To learn about many of the wonderful National Poetry Month projects happening online this April, visit the generous Jama Rattigan at Jama's Alphabet Soup. Enjoy the gifts that float into your ears....

 

xo,

a. 

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Celebrate Something!

 

My Feet in the Garden This Morning

Photo by Amy LV

 

Students - Happy First Day of Spring! I am celebrating! Here in Western New York, we are alternating daily between warm sunny days and cold snowy days, but happily, spring bulb flowers are strong and can weather storms. Above you can see some little grape hyacinths and daffodils sprouting up in the garden outside my writing shed, Gratitude. We, too, can weather storms.

Today's poem is a poem of celebration. I have been visiting the gardens every day, walking around and welcoming each new sprout.  They feel like old friends coming back after a long trip to the Land of Winter. Today's poem also follows a particular form - the pantoum. I could only find one pantoum that I've written here at The Poem Farm....a poem about wearing masks, posted on July 3, 2020.

 The pantoum form is interesting in that it follows a particular repetition scheme but not a special meter. I was reminded of it by reading Stephen Dunning and William Stafford's book GETTING THE KNACK: 20 POETRY WRITING EXERCISES. You will notice in my spring pantoum that each stanza includes four lines, and in each stanza, the second and fourth lines repeat the first and third lines of the following stanza.

I love seeing messy drafts, so below you'll find mine from this morning. The numbers in parenthesis are a reminder to me that this line should repeat the line that is numbered in the parenthesis. I used a poem in Dunning and Stafford's book as a mentor for my rhyme and meter.

 

Pantoum Draft with Many Crossouts

Photo by Amy LV 

 

If you are ever unsure of what to write about on any given day, try walking around a part of your day and finding something to celebrate. Not only will you have a new bit of writing, you will lift your spirits too. 

Tanita is hosting today's Poetry Friday roundup over at Tanita S. Davis with wise words about how poems are songs and how songs can give us strength. 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 warmth where you live this week, outside in the weather and inside of your heart. Remember that the way you act in the world can provide warmth and goodness for others too. Peace.

 xo,

Amy 

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Celebrate a Gift from a Loved One

Fairy Mouse

Stitched and Photographed by Silvia Saenz

Students - So many thank yous to embroidery artist and dear Instagram friend Silvia Saenz, a mender and sewist I admire. Silvia sews to repair garments and also to create joy...as you can see with this cuddly mouse. While the mouse was a gift for a different family member, Silvia often sews and mends for her granddaughter, so I chose to write today's poem in Silvia's granddaughter's voice. I am grateful to Silvia for allowing me to share this photo she took of her work.

When you hear a story or learn something about another person, you might choose to pretend that you are that person and write as if you ARE that person. In this way, the world of writing opens up beyond our own worlds. Of course, when doing this, it is important to consider when it might be necessary to research a particular life experience and when it might be wiser to respect that the experience is so wide and deep that it best be left in the voice of the true experiencer. Because people have given me homemade gifts, today I drew on my own, very similar, experience to write in this granddaughter's voice. If someone has ever made something for your or repaired something for you, perhaps you, too, might wish to explore this topic in your writing.

Did you notice that while this poem rhymes, the ending does not rhyme? This is one way of ending a poem...breaking a pattern. Today's pattern is broken by breaking the rhyme. In a way, this slows the poem down and brings a reader's attention to the warm meaning of those last few words.

Heidi is hosting this week's Poetry Friday roundup over at my juicy little universe with a celebration of looking closely at our world. Each Friday, all are invited to share poems, poem books, poetry ideas, and friendship in this open and welcoming poetry community.

xo,

Amy

ps - Claude has become quite cuddly in the mornings. He raises his paw into the air as if he is in school, and I must pick him up for a snuggle. This morning, he thought he'd keep my notebook warm as I typed.

Claude: Writing Partner

Photo by Amy LV

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ONE MORE OR LESS LINE CROW 16

 Happy National Poetry Month!

(For new poetry writing videos, see the COAXING POEMS tab above.)

Hello Poetry Friends! If you visited earlier this month, you may have noticed a change my National Poetry Month project title. For my National Poetry Month Project this year, I had originally planned to study crows and share a new crow poem each day of April with the number lines in each poem corresponding to the date. The plan was to write 1-line poem on April 1...and go all the way up to a 30-line poem on April 30. Now, for a variety of personal and poetic reasons, I have changed the project. The poems have lengthened to 15 lines...and now will decrease from 15 back down to 1. Hence the new name: ONE MORE OR LESS LINE CROW. We are still on the MORE part, but beginning on April 16, we go back down in line numbers. Yes, the logo and the crow pics will change too!

Sometimes life surprises us, and we can change our plans to match the needs at the time. I chose to change course rather than abandon this project, and after some good thinking last night, I feel happy about this decision.

If you'd like to play along, simply choose a topic that you'd like to explore for many days. It might be a subject that you already know a lot about or perhaps you'll explore something new.

I invite you to join me in this project! 

To do so, simply:

1. Choose a subject that you would like to stick with for many days. You might choose something you know lots about...or like me, you might choose something you will read and learn about throughout April.

3. Write a new poem for each day of April 2024 and decide if you would like to match your line breaks to the date in any way. You might correspond the number of lines in your poem to the date. For example, the poem for April 1 will have 1 line. The poem for April 30 will have 30 lines. You may wish to switch it up as I have, writing increasing-line poems from 1-15 lines for this first half of April and then decreasing-line poems for the second half of the month. OR....invent your own idea! 

4. Teachers and writers, if you wish to share any ONE MORE OR LESS LINE... subjects or poems, please email them to me or tag me @amylvpoemfarm. I would love to see what your students write and to know that we are growing these lines...and our understandings of different subjects...together.

Below you may read the first poems:

April 1 - High in a Pine

April 2 - First Baby Picture

April 3 - Nestling Crow Appreciates

April 4 - Thirty Days Old

April 5 - Young Crow with his Sparkling Blue Eyes

April 6 - Free

April 7 - To Persevere

April 8 - Watch Closely

April 9 - September Sight

April 10 - Black

April 11 - Winter Roost

April 12 - All Food is Good

April 13 - Know Crow

April 14 - A Helper Now

April 15 - Family Tree

And now for today!

Sixteen Crows, Fifteen Lines

Photo by Amy LV

Students - In the second fifteen line poem of this month, I ask you to notice a few things about line breaks:

• The first stanza focuses on our main character Male Crow.
• The second stanza is only one line long. This is because the line illustrates an important moment. The moment of connection.
• The third stana brings the two paired crows together.
• The last line is only two words long. Short lines slow a reader down, and these two words, slowed down, illustrate the fact that not everyone knows: crows mate for life.

When you choose line breaks and stanza breaks, you conduct the silent-and-aloud-voices of your readers. Where would you like them to focus? Make a break right there.

One other thing - what joy I took in all of those -oo words!

Thank you for joining me for ONE MORE OR LESS LINE CROW...

To learn about more National Poetry Month projects and all kinds of April goodness, visit Jama Rattigan at Jama's Alphabet Soup where Jama has generously gathered this coming month's happenings. Happy National Poetry Month!

xo,

Amy

ps - If you are interested in learning about any of my previous 13 National Poetry Month projects, you may do so here.

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Coaxing Poems 9: Time for Rhyme

Well...hello there Poem Friends! Welcome to the ninth of ten poetry video visits here at The Poem Farm. In each of these short clips, I will share a small something about poetry, and you will always be able to find the poem(s) I read below the video. If you wish, you may watch the earlier videos linked below:

COAXING POEMS VISITS:

Visit 1: We Are Libraries

Visit 2: Eat the World

Visit 3: Make & Break a Pattern

Visit 4: Abacadabra!

Visit 5: Tell Us a Story

Visit 6: Give it Space

Visit 7: Choose a View

Visit 8: Tap it Out

And here is Visit 9: Time for Rhyme:

Students - Today we think about rhyme. Rhyme gives poetry a special sound, and many poets enjoy rhyming to create a mood or a feeling of repetition, song, or comfort for readers. I like to rhyme, and when I do, I like to be sure that my rhymes make sense. I do not want anyone to really notice the rhymes at all, actually. If a rhyme doesn't make sense, fit together, or seem to mean anything, like the one below, a reader might shake their head and think, "Well, that's weird." If I tried to write something for the purpose of weirdness, that's good, but otherwise, such weird head shaking is usually not a good sign.

I like eating sweet cupcakes.

I do not ride bikes in lakes.

In an earthquake, the earth shakes.

Morning Tea

Photo by Amy LV

I do use a few techniques to help me with rhymes:

• Jot the alphabet and make lists of rhyming words from the alphabet (see below).
• Use Rhymezone or a paper rhyming dictionary. Make lists of the sense-making rhymes.
• If I cannot find a strong rhyme for the word I wish to rhyme with, try changing that word to a different word that may have more rhymes. (But don't choose a not-so-good substitute!)
• Read each pair or set of rhymes in my poem to be sure they make sense. I do not want rhymes to draw attention to themselves.
• Ask someone to read my poem aloud and not comment. Listen and see if it needs changes.
• Ask someone to read my poem to see "Am I forcing the rhyme?" 

Below you can see where I have jotted the alphabet and made lists of rhyming words from it. You may also notice that the poem below is written in quatrains (four line stanzas) but that I chose to change to couplets (two line stanzas) when I typed it up. Line breaks (remember Coaxing Poems Visit 6: Give it Space) matter.

When you make your own poems, you will make many decisions and ask yourself many questions. One of these questions may be, "Do I wish to rhyme...or not?" And only you know the answer.

Thank you for joining me for Visit 9 of Coaxing Poems. May your days ahead be full of fine rhyme...

xo,

Amy

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Oh!

One of My Favorite Books

OH, BROTHER! by Nikki Grimes, illustrated by Mike Benny

Students - Today the Poetry Friday Community celebrates Nikki Grimes. I feel fortunate to have had Nikki's books in my life, starting with delightful poetry picture book MEET DANITRA BROWN back when I was a new teacher to her most recent and highly acclaimed memoir ORDINARY HAZARDS.

OH, BROTHER! has been one of my favorite books for years, and I have mentioned it several times in this space. This poetry picture book tells the story of two boys, Chris and Xavier, whose parents marry. It takes a bit of time for them to feel like brothers - not just stepbrothers - and Nikki's wise, honest, visual poems help readers understand how trust takes time. It is difficult to read OH, BROTHER! without tearing up with both sad and beauty-loving tears.

Congatulations, Nikki, on your recent - and numerous - awards. We are grateful for your work and words.

Nikki Grimes

Photo from The Poetry Zone, Nikki's Website

Nikki's poems and books have given much to many, and you can learn more about her writing and her life all over the internet...but here are a few places to begin:

The Poetry Zone, Nikki's Website

The Library of Congress

The Poetry Foundation

No Water River

Today is the final day, Day 72, of my Keeping a Notebook notebooking series for the COVID-19 Spring of 2020. If you joined me for any of these videos, I thank you for journeying along. Should students be home from school come fall, I will think of something to offer. My hat is off to all teachers. May your summer days be restful!

Enjoy this week's Poetry Friday roundup, an everywhere-celebration of Nikki Grimes and her work, hosted by Irene at Live Your Poem. We invite everybody to join in each Friday as we share poems, poem books, poetry ideas, and friendship. Check out my left sidebar to learn where to find this poetry goodness each week of the year.

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7 - Poems Can Rhyme

Welcome to my 2020 National Poetry Month Project
See My Last 10 Poetry Projects HERE

Each day of April 2020, I will share three things:

• A dice roll of three word dice
• A video explaining one poetic technique titled POEMS CAN... You can also find these at Sharing Our Notebooks as part of my ongoing Keeping a Notebook project
• A poem inspired by one or more of the dice words and the technique

Here are All of This Month's Poems:

10 Years of National Poetry Month History at The Poem Farm

April 1 - Poems Can Go Down the Page

April 2 - Poems Can Play With Space
April 3 - Poems Can Tell a Story
April 4 - Poems Can Compare Two Things

April 5 - Poems Can Borrow a Pattern from the World
April 6 - Poems Can Define a Word

And now, for today's words! 

Day 7 Words

Photo by Amy LV

Thank you to Heinemann for giving away a copy of my book POEMS ARE TEACHERS: HOW STUDYING POETRY STRENGTHENS WRITING IN ALL GENRES each week of April. I will draw names from the previous week each Thursday evening at 11:59pm, and I will announce a winner each Friday. Please leave a way to contact you in your comment as if I cannot contact you easily, I will choose a different name.

If you would like to learn more about other National Poetry Month projects happening throughout the Kidlitosphere, Jama has rounded up many NPM happenings over at Jama's Alphabet Soup.  Happy National Poetry Month 2020.

xo,
Amy

Little Mouse Dreams of Tea

Photo by Amy LV

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