A Wish for a Friend - Poemgifts!

Pencil Eraser Stamp

Carving & Photo by Amy LV

Students - Happy New School Year!  Here where I live in Western New York, school is not yet back in session, but I know that many of you have already met your new teachers and classmates, and I have even seen photographs of some of your beautiful new notebooks here online.  The new school year is much like a new notebook, filled with possibility and pages for you to fill with your own curiosity and goodness, observations and dreams.

I wrote today's poem as a gift for Kat Apel, as part of this year's Poetry Friday summer poem swap generously organized by Tabatha Yeatts.  Each year, Tabatha invites us Poetry Friday folks to sign up for their chosen number of poem swaps.  Then she matches us up with each other, and we send each other poems and other surprises in the mail. Most of us have never met in person, so this all feels like having a one time poem pen pal, and it is extremely wonderful of Tabatha to organize this.  Just look at this handmade notebook that I received (along with a magical poem which I will share as soon as I find the notebook I tucked it into!) from Michelle Kogan. I feel so lucky and still have to decide what I will write on these pages.

              

Dream Notebook by Michelle Kogan

Photo by Amy LV

Now I am thinking how wondrous it would be to organize poemswaps between classes of students.  What do you all think about this idea?

My poem, you may have noticed, is a simple list poem of wishes for another writer.  What I would wish for me, I wish for Kat.  It felt good to make wishes for a faraway, nevermet friend, and this is something you might want to try sometime.  You need not write to someone you have never met.  If you prefer, you could write a wish poem for a family member, friend, or even a pet! Poems make fine fine presents.

And just so you know, while I wrote today's poem for Kat earlier this summer, the words hold true for you too.  I wish every one of you every part of this poem...and so much more.

Margaret is hosting this week's Poetry Friday roundup at Reflections on the Teche...with the poem swap poem she received and a zeno of her own too!  Each week we gather together, sharing poems, books, and poetry ideas all at one blog.  All are always welcome to visit, comment, and post.

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.

This morning I saw... - Readreadread and Write!

Small Friend

by Amy LV

Students - This week has found me reading Mary Oliver's book RED BIRD.

Available at Your Local Bookshop

Mary Oliver writes beautiful poems about nature, and as it has been a magical summer here in Western New York, the combination of reading Oliver's poetry and the view from my windows has placed me in a nature-y mood.

I was also reading some of my favorite poems by another of my favorite poets who paints gorgeous pictures of the natural world - Joyce Sidman - including her sweet and true Dog in Bed.

Too, I read the poem "Samuel" by Bobbi Katz several times, a poem about keeping a salamander as a pet and feeling badly about its death.

All of these things came together to make today's poem.  Mary and Joyce unknowingly offered me their nature spirits, and I borrowed Joyce's indented "I wonder" line too.  Bobbi got me thinking about salamanders.  Ellen Bass made me think about being the first or last person to do something with her poem If You Knew.  And without realizing it, Marjorie Saiser, poet of she gives me the watch off her arm, inspired me to write a poem in which the title runs straight into the first line, where the title really IS the first line.

My suggestion for today, young friends, is this - read many many poems.  The more you read, the more ideas you will have, for topic and for fashioning the shape and sound of your poems.  Get those sounds inside of you...and they will come back out!

Want to hear a funny and true salamander story?  When we were looking at houses twelve years ago, my husband Mark decided that he must live in a home with salamanders on the property.  So this became one of the necessary attributes of any home we would buy - it would have salamanders.  And we do!

This week I would like to send a big thank you hug to Donna Smith of Mainely Write, my poetry partner for this year's Summer Poem Swap generously organized by Tabatha Yeatts.  Donna wrote a word-celebrationi poem and had it printed on a tote bag (which I have been happily using to carry my lunch) along with one of my own watercolor paintings.  The joy of words in this poem makes me so happy, and I adore the structure too.  It is one I will want to play with.  So thank you, Donna - for your words, for this bag, and for a writing inspiration!  And thank you, Tabatha, for putting the two of us together.

Here is Donna's poem:

Humble Jumble

Write to fly-

Words rumbling

Lift to sky;

Fly to soar -

Words mumbling

Set to roar;

Soar to wake -

Words stumbling

Till they snake;

Wake to see -

Words tumbling

From a tree;

See to write -

Words scumbling

Rays of light.

by Donna JT Smith

And here is my new bag!

Wonderful Gift from Donna

Photo by Amy LV

I sent Donna a wish poem for her new life as a motorcyclist, and some little goodies from Spain.  Such fun to share...

Speaking of sharing, I am delighted to host Alexandra Zurbrick at my other blog, Sharing Our Notebooks, this month.  I invite you to drop by, peek into Ally's notebooks, and leave her a comment.  You may just win one of her favorite writing books!

Birthday Girl Julianne is hosting today's Poetry Friday party this week over at To Read To Write To Be. Please feel free to drop by her place, wish her a happy birthday, and begin your journey through this week's poetry offerings.

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.