Triolet for a Stone

A Stone I Love

Photo by Amy LV

Students - I love holding a smooth stone in my hand, feeling sun and earth and the whole natural world in my small palm.  When I do this, my human cares melt away.  Our lives are full of objects that require batteries, electricity, and charging, and so I find it nourishing to hold one small stone or feather or leaf in my hand.  Doing so, I am renewed.  You might wish to place a shell or stone or other small natural object on your desk or in your pocket.  When you feel adrift, hold this object in your hand.  Allow it to ground you.

This poem is a triolet.  You may read another triolet here at The Poem Farm from back during my April 2012 Dictionary Hike - Restore.  The fourth post ever at The Poem Farm also featured a triolet, a triolet about my Grandpa Norman's bango.

Last week I was lucky enough to write ekphrastic poems with the second graders of Harris Hill Elementary in Penfield, NY and to spend two days with the students of York Elementary School in York, NY.  Twenty-seven years ago, I was a student teacher in fifth grade at York Elementary, and it was a joy to return.  This past week I visited Warsaw Elementary, Avon Elementary, and Geneseo Elementary, all in Western New York, and next week I am off to work with middle school writers in Harrington Park, NJ. Thank you, teachers and students, for your kindness and hospitality.

Dani is hosting today's Poetry Friday roundup at Doing the Work that Matters with a wise and loving golden shovel poem about grief. Today Dani's blog is home to all links of this week's Kidlitosphere poetry happenings ...we gather together each Friday, and all are welcome.  

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.

Poems of Humblelovely

Three Stones on My Desk
Photo by Amy LV

Students - This week, notebooked about these three stones on my desk.  They have been living on my desk for some time, but this week I made them into a little stone pile.  Stacking them and unstacking them is a simple pleasure as I have always loved the feel and sound of stones quietly clicking against each other.

Notebook Snip

Photo by Amy LV

More and more, I find myself paying attention to good and simple objects and moments.  Life can be very busy, and paying attention to such objects and moments helps me to slow down.

Today's poem lists and describes something (three somethings, actually) in my life, and the title poses a question.  See, I most always write titles after I write poems.  If I wrote the title first, I might have just written Three Stones.  But while writing, I began to wonder which objects other people keep in their lives, and so selected the title What Do You Keep?

You might consider writing your title after you write a poem too.  You might consider a question title. You might consider writing about an object that brings you a sense of wholeness.  Or you might not.  You are full of your own ideas and strategies!  Please do share these with others...this is how we learn.

Over at my other blog, Sharing Our Notebooks, you will find an inspiring post by Dr. Shari Daniels. Her post is filled with notebooking ideas, great photographs, and everything that makes me want to dive right into my own notebook.  And yes, there's a book giveaway too!  Please visit and comment if you are able.  I am grateful to Shari.

Thank you to Carol who is hosting today's Poetry Friday over at Carol's Corner, with a lovely spring poem - Daffodils by Ralph Fletcher. Please know that the Poetry Friday community shares poems and poemlove each week, and everyone is invited to visit, comment, and post.  And if you have a blog, we welcome you to link right in with us.

April - fondly known as National Poetry Month - begins Monday!  This means that my National Poetry Month Project begins Monday too, and you are invited to follow along each day as it unfolds.

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.