Let Your Heart Be Captured

Small White Pine

Photo by Amy LV

Students - Today I encourage you to find something that captures your heart! This small white pine in our front yard captured my heart yesterday, and so I took its picture as it bravely stood in our first snow of the season.

What to do? First, find something to capture your heart. You can do this by going for a little walk anywhere - inside or outside. What matters is the that you look. Look for something to love. Tuck this loved idea into a pocket of your heart, and bring it to your writing place. Then, think about why one of this captured your heart, and write about it. Somehow, today, the idea of quietly sharing breath with a small tree rose to my heart's surface.

Did you notice that I repeat many words in today's poem: snow, silent, quiet, small... Repeated words can provide comfort to readers. I know they do so for me.

Anastasia is the host of this week's Poetry Friday roundup at Small Poems with a poem about a first snow coinciding with her first poem sale. Each Friday, all are invited to share poems, poem books, poetry ideas, and friendship in this open and welcoming poetry community.

I wish you joy...and many heart-capturings...this December!

xo,

Amy

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Delight & Wonder & Story

Laundry Tree

by Amy LV

Students - Last week I took a long drive, and while passing through a small town, I came across the tree you see above. Honestly, I have not been able to stop thinking about it! There is something delightful in the unexpected, and I did not expect to see an oak tree wearing a rainbow of shirts. I turned my car around, stopped in front of the house, and took the photo. As I drove away, I could see the woman in my rearview mirror, touching the shirts to see if they were dry.

There are many ways to approach a poem when you have a wee idea. With this one, I decided to stand back and keep myself out of the poem. I read something this week about poems that do not use the words I or me and began there.

You might notice a bit of repetition here. First, I repeat the words the woman and the tree over and over here. This was not necessary. I certainly could have given the woman a name or referred to the tree as Oak or it. I didn't do these things because I love the idea of the woman being mysterious and nameless and any woman and the tree too...somehow by not naming them, it feels to me that they could be any one of us.

And did you wonder why that last line is so short? I played with other, longer lines that kept more with the rest of the poem's rhythm, but in the end, I wanted the end to leave the reader with a short statement of truth. The tree knows. By not including as many words in this last line, I hope to create a pause - a slowing down - in the reading.

This week I encourage you to try this. Look for something delightful or unexpected. (These things are everywhere...we just have to look.) Then, wonder about this thing you saw or otherwise sensed. Make up a story about it. Write all of this down, and see where it leads you.

Thank you to The Bookworm and to everyone who made my little book release party for THE SOUND OF KINDNESS so cozy and perfect. I am grateful. Please watch for some giveaways throughout this year of books, speech bubble sticky notes, and special napkins. Kindness parties all around!

Book Release Party for THE SOUND OF KINDNESS

August 15, 2023

Photos by Mark LV and Gretchen Oubre

Linda is hosting this week's Poetry Friday roundup today at TeacherDance with a magical poem about growing up...and play. Each Friday, all are invited to share poems, poem books, poetry ideas, and friendship in this open and welcoming poetry community.

May you find delight and stories in places you least expect!

xo,

Amy

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Outside My Window

Dear Poetry Friends,

For the foreseeable future, I will crosspost on Fridays, here and at Sharing Our Notebooks, where I have been sharing - and will continue to share - a daily notebooking talk. (Today is Day 5.) Instead of writing about my poem in a blog post as is usual on Fridays, I will include that day's video talk from Sharing Our Notebooks.

If you are new to visiting The Poem Farm, I welcome you to poke around. There are all kinds of things to try.

Fridays are for Poetry...in both of my online homes.

Take walks. Be good to yourself. I care about you.

xo, 

Amy

ps - I had a book come out this week. It is titled WRITE! WRITE! WRITE!, and it was edited by the fabulous Rebecca Davis, illustrated by the amazing Ryan O'Rourke, and published by Boyds Mills Kane. You can see the trailer and learn more about it HERE if you wish. Check out my sidebar for an adorable butterfly pencil template made by Ryan.

Betsy the Writing Camper

Photo by Amy LV

Michelle is hosting this week's Poetry Friday roundup at Michelle Kogan with some bright poems about spring. 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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If you are under 13 years old, please comment only with a parent 

or as part of a group with your teacher and class.

October - Writing When Your Breath Has Been Taken Away

Our Barn on October 20, 2016

Photo by Georgia VanDerwater

Students - Yesterday, driving to our home with my children, my daughter said, "Look at the hill!  It's breathtaking.  Really, my breath is taken away."

The Hill from the Road

Photo by Amy LV

Later, she took the photo atop this post.  This time of year in Western NY always takes my breath away, and today's post is simply a celebration of fall.  And, well, I suppose it's a celebration of repetition too.  Did you notice the rolling repetition in this poem?

Look for beauty.  It's here.  Even on a down day, it's here.

Through tomorrow, if you are a bilingual primary teacher (English/Spanish), you may enter my giveaway on Twitter.  You can see the information below, and primary teachers of bilingual classrooms may retweet to enter.  Teachers - you can find me on Twitter at @amylvpoemfarm.  If you are not on Twitter, please just comment with the bilingual grade you teach, and I will enter you! 

Tricia is hosting today's Poetry Friday party over at The Miss Rumphius Effect. Please know that everyone is always welcome to Poetry Friday: to read, to celebrate, to share.  Happy PF!  xo, a.

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Wallow in Wonder Day 18 (Poems Can Be Sad) - Once

Welcome to Day 18 of Wallow in Wonder!  For my 2016 National Poetry Month project, I will celebrate learning and writing from learning, writing poems from each daily Wonder at Wonderopolis.  As I did with my Dictionary Hike in 2012, I am looking to surprise myself with new inspiration daily.  This year, such inspiration will show up in my inbox each morning.  I will print it and carry each Wonderopolis Wonder around all day...and in the afternoon or evening, I will write and post the poem for the next day.  

I invite anyone who wishes to take this challenge too.  Just read today's wonder over at Wonderopolis, and write a poem inspired by it for tomorrow.  Share it tomorrow at your own site, and if you wish to link in my comments for others to find (or share your poem there), please feel free to do so tomorrow, the day after the Wonder is published at Wonderopolis.  If you would like to share any ways you have used Wallow in Wonder or your own site (safe for children only please), please link to the #WallowInWonder padlet.

My April Poems Thus Far

April 1 - So Suddenly - a poem inspired by Wonder #1659 

April 2 - Thankful Journal - a poem inspired by Wonder #1660

April 3 - The Storm Chaser - a poem inspired by Wonder #779

April 4 - A Jar of Glitter - a poem inspired by Wonder #641

April 5 - To Make Compost - a poem inspired by Wonder #1661

April 6 - Deciding Now - a poem inspired by Wonder #1662

April 7 - Hummingbird's Secret - a poem inspired by Wonder #1663

April 8 - Limits - a poem inspired by Wonder #1664

April 9 - Sundogs - a poem inspired by Wonder #1665

April 10 - Perspective - a poem inspired by Wonder #128

April 11 - At the History Museum - a poem inspired by Wonder #115

April 12 - Seventy-Five Years Ago Today - a poem inspired by Wonder #1666

April 13 - Homer's Poem - a poem inspired by Wonder #1667

April 14 - The Right - a poem inspired by Wonder #1668

April 15 - 5:00 am - a poem inspired by Wonder #1669

April 16 - Writing - a poem inspired by Wonder #1670

April 17 - Sometimes - a poem inspired by Wonder #194

And now for Day 18!

Wonder #192 - from April 17, 2016

Birthday Tree

by Amy LV

Students - Last week on a school visit, a young boy shared his poem with me.  It was a poem about when his family had to sell the dog  he loved very much because they were no longer able care for it.  The poets' words made very clear how much he missed this dog, and I began thinking about the value of sharing our stories, the sad ones as well as the happy ones.

Sometimes stories are not all true, though. Sometimes we pieces stories together like quilt fabrics: a little from here, a little from there, and such is the case with today's poem.

This is not a true story for me, though I would say that the poem is true as it weaves true fabrics into one new quilt. Our yard does indeed have a cherry tree, and we have given our children trees for birthdays (though we do not picnic under them). My parents are divorced.  And I know someone whose life was recently broken into a heartbreaking before and after.  So parts of this poem are true...but the story is not exactly true. 

Since yesterday's Wonder at Wonderopolis spoke to the Japanese 1912 gift of Sakura, or cherry trees to the US, I began thinking about trees as gifts. Too, it was a beautiful day outside, and I was right near our own cherry tree...right near our barn.  And I was feeling sad for this person I know who is grieving a loss.  This is the poem that wanted to be written.

Today's poem is free verse, as it has no regular rhyme or meter.  I may come back to tinker with it later.  But for now, it's staying.

You might look at this poem as a kind of before/after poem.  The first stanza tells all about the before-time.  Then there is a line, all by itself, indicating a big change. The third stanza describes all about the after-time.  It reminds me a bit of  the picture book WHEN I WAS FIVE by Arthur Howard, only the change line in this picture book is a happy one.  

Available through IndieBound

Feel free to write a before/after poem yourself.  It can be true, fictional, or hold bits of each.  And you don't have to tell which is which if you do not want to.

Sometimes people assume that my poems all happened to me.  But many lines in my poems come from truths I have observed in others lives, from books I have read, and from scenes I have imagined.

This month I host teacher and librarian Stefanie Cole and her students from Ontario, Canada at Sharing Our Notebooks. This is a fantastic post full of notebook inspiration, a video clip, and a great book giveaway from Stefanie. Please check it out, and leave a comment over there to be entered into the giveaway.

Happy Day 18 of National Poetry Month 2016!  

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If you are under 13 years old, please comment only with a parent 

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That Moment Before Snapping a Photograph

Turkey Tree

Photo by Amy LV

Students - Yesterday I was lucky enough to see nine turkeys in that small empty tree you see above...not the evergreen, but the deciduous tree in front.  I was driving my car along, and when I looked out the window, I could not believe my eyes.  The tree looked to be covered in enormous and strange ornaments.  But they really were turkeys!  This picture is the moment after they all flew away.  Can you still hear their wings flapping?

Today's poem is a free verse poem, no rhyme or regular meter at all.  But I still read it aloud many times to be sure that the rhythms - while not regular - sang each into the next.  When you write a free verse poem, many of the decisions you will make are decisions about line breaks.  Where exactly would you like the reader to pause, even for just a wee bit?  Put your line breaks there.

It is interesting to write from photographs, and if you visit here regularly, you know that I do this often.  Usually, though, I write about the moment in the photograph or something from the photograph that anyone could see.  Today, though, my focus is on a different moment.  You might try this too. Find a photograph or think of one and write about the moment before or the moment after the picture was taken.  The piece you write could be true or it could come from your own wild imagination.  You might write a poem, but you could also write a story, or anything else.  The ways we best find ideas will work for us across all types of writing.

Mary Lee Hahn is the winner of last week's giveaway of LEND A HAND written by John Frank and illustrated by London Ladd.  Mary Lee, please just send me an e-mail and let me know if you would like the book sent to you or to a friend!

If you have not yet visited Olga McLaren's grandmother journals over at my blog Sharing Our Notebooks, I welcome you to do so.  She has written an inspiring post, and there is a giveaway as well.

Linda Baie is hosting this Poetry Friday Palooza over at TeacherDance.  Please head on over there to enjoy the poems, the festivities, and the friendship!

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Getting Dressed - Personification

Trees

by Amy LV

Click the arrow to hear me read this poem to you.

Students - I just found this today in a small pile of poems that never made it into my new book, FOREST HAS A SONG. This poem has a different style - a more formal style - than the rest of the book, and it was such fun to find it!  It is pretty strictly metered; you will notice that most lines have 10 syllables, some 9.  And there is a lot of personification here...the trees in this poem get dressed just like people do!

I have been talking a lot here about my new book, and it will be released tomorrow.  Thank you to everyone for all of your support and good wishes!  Here is the trailer that my wonderful husband Mark made for me.

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To find a poem by topic, click here. To find a poem by technique, click here.

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Do They Know? One Sentence Poems

VanDerCamp in the Adirondacks

Photo by Amy LV

 

Click the arrow to hear me read this poem to you.

Students - Today's poem is a concrete poem.  It is in the shape of a short, fat pine tree.  It did not, however, start out as a concrete poem.  For today's post, I rummaged around in my digital files for a poem to share.  (I looked the same way I do when rummaging around the refrigerator for something to eat!)  The poem I found was this one -

Dew

When pines shake out their hair to dry
I wonder if they realize
What a pretty sound it makes
when water falls on tents and lakes.

- ALV

When I retyped the poem, I made two changes.  One change was a line break/shape change.  I started shifting lines around and decided...."Hmmm, maybe this would look cute as a tree!"  I liked it.

Then I reconsidered the title.  I always like imagining trees and rocks and natural things as having thoughts of their own, so I added to the personification of this poem by making the title a question, about trees and their self-knowledge.

This is just a one sentence poem, a shortie.  Could I add more?  Yes.  But for this one, I just want to say one thing, make one small observation and stay right inside of that observation.

Save.  Save.  Save.  That's some of my best advice for writers. Recycling bits of thought and poem allows you to see who you used to be and bump that up against who you now are.  It was a joy for me to find this scrap, to remember trees from my past and to still wonder if they know their own loveliness.

Last week, I shared my collaboration with Diane Mayr in Spark 18 here and here.  This week, over at Diane's blog, Random Noodling, you can see behind the scenes of how she created one of her great layered pieces.  I think it is fascinating to read these process posts, and I feel very grateful to have been paired with Poetry Friday regular Diane on this round!

This week it is a treat to have author Kate Messner visiting Sharing Our Notebooks.  If you are notebook keeper, you will want to visit here to peek inside her notebooks.  If you are a teacher and your class keeps notebooks, this site is growing to be quite full and useful!

Laura Purdie Salas is hosting today's Poetry Friday at Writing the World for Kids!  Head on over to her place for the round up and enjoy the poem-festivities!

About next week...right now I am on the schedule to host.  But I have traded with Betsy Hubbard.  So if you  keep the calendar in your sidebar, please note that change. Poetry Friday on October 12 at Teaching Young Writers with Betsy Hubbard, and I will host here at The Poem Farm on November 30.

Please share a comment below if you wish.

To find a poem by topic, click here. To find a poem by technique, click here.

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Leaf Planes & Writing Places

A New Place to Write

Photo by Amy LV

Today's Notebook Page

Photo by Amy LV

 

Click the arrow to hear me read this poem to you.

Students - Today, instead of sitting on my couch to write, or settling into our breakfast nook or into the big purple chair...I wrote out in the chilly sunshine at the table you see above.  Writing in a new place got me started in a new way...by sketching a leaf that fell onto my table.

I did not plan to write about the leaf or about the sketch, but later...sitting in my car...waiting...I sat and wrote.  I had already sketched, had already read Aaliyah's poem below, had already fallen in love with the colors of our hill on this very day in autumn.  It felt like a good free verse day, and so off I went. One thing led to another, leaves turned to paper airplanes...and here you go.

This is something I plan to do more in the next few weeks: write in different places than usual.  It makes sense that my brain will be open to new ideas in new locations, and I am excited to try this experiment.  You try it too.  Write in a different place.  See what you find.

I am very grateful to again welcome Mrs. Laurie Luft's poets from Spencerport, NY.  Last week, Trevor shared a poem suggesting a clever use for swimming goggles, and this week he is back with a beautiful love poem.  Aaliyah joins us with a joyful celebration of fall, singing to colors that I was just noticing today!  How lucky we are to have these second grade poets here with us on this Poetry Friday.


Drake

Drake my true treasure.
The one that always puts a smile on my face.
He the, the angel that always watches over me.

by Trevor



Fall

Leaves falling in the fall.
Blue jays singing through the fall leaves.
They’re calling me.
Turning colors in the fall.
There are people raking Leaves.

by Aaliyah


Thank you Trevor, Aaliyah, and Mrs. Luft, for spending time and space with us today.  And a big "Hello!" to everyone else in your class.  Where will you write today?

This week over at my other blog, Sharing Our Notebooks, Barry Lane shares his notebooks as well as a generous giveaway of two books and a CD.  The drawing will take place on Sunday. 

Marjorie is hosting today's Poetry Friday party over at Paper Tigers.  Visit here for wordgoodies!

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To find a poem by topic, click here. To find a poem by technique, click here.

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I Was a Tree Before

Me, a Tree

Photo by Amy LV

Click the arrow to hear me read this poem to you.

Students -  Have you ever stretched out on the grass underneath a tree?  I did so yesterday afternoon, and looking up, took this photograph. All evening and maybe even asleep, I thought about this picture.  And then, this morning...I suddenly imagined turning INTO a tree.  At first, I thought that would be grand to be a tree, but upon writing...I realized that it would be scary too.  How strange to not be able to move!

One of my early ideas was to write a poem where the tree and I changed places.  But once that little black pen took off, it decided not to write about the tree being a person, just about me being a tree.  This is something important for us to remember; we do not always know where our pens will go, and sometimes we must follow happily, discovering!

Some of my favorite poems are those which take an imaginary journey.  It can take my mind a while to free itself up enough to travel into unreal places, but when it does...I am always grateful.

You may notice that the last line of this poem also holds the title.  Many times, I title a poem after writing it, just letting the title jump out and choose itself.

(Those of you who know my work will notice that favorite rhyme again - bird and word!)

Teachers - For those of you who keep writers notebooks with your class, you will want to check out the new index that I just put up of all of the Sharing Our Notebooks posts so far.  This index will continue to grow as the blog grows, and I invite you and your students to post here if you love your notebooks and have something you would like to share.  (Please stay tuned as I continue to describe each post in the index.)

If you teach in a writing workshop district, you might be interested to know that I have just found some video clips of me teaching demonstration lessons in classrooms in Hilton, NY.  Feel free to check them out here and to use them for your own staff development if you wish.  I will continue to add more as I preview them!

Also, don't forget that you can win a Poetry Friday mini-grant including a copy of THE POETRY FRIDAY ANTHOLOGY as well as a Poetry Friday start-up kit - see here for details with Sylvia Vardell and Janet Wong.

Diane is hosting today's Poetry Friday roundup over at Random Noodling.  Visit there to see what everyone is sharing today in the Kidlitosphere...it's a poetry party, and all are invited!

Please share a comment below if you wish.

To find a poem by topic, click here. To find a poem by technique, click here.

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V is for VULTURE & Very Special Guest

V is for VULTURE

Photo by Amy LV

Well, we're back on track now after our little W/V mix-up.  And what a great word for today!  Today's word, the very last in the V section of my dictionary, led me to the Turkey Vulture Society, some good learning, and a greater appreciation of scavengers.

Today's poem is a villanelle.  I once again turned to that great Paul Janeczko book, A KICK IN THE HEAD, to help me puzzle out form, and the villanelle is a tricky one. You'll see the 5 tercets followed by a quatrain as well as the rhyme scheme: aba, aba, aba, aba, aba, abaa.  You will notice that the first line of the poem repeats as the last line of stanzas 2 and 4 as well as the third line of stanza 6. You will also see that the third line repeats as the last line of stanzas 3 and 5 as well as the final line of the poem.  You may also notice that each line has 10 syllables.

If you are familiar with John Milton's poem On His Blindness, you will know the line - "They also serve who only stand and wait."  That line went through my head as I wrote about vultures.  There is something powerful in waiting, in patience.

When I told my daughter Hope that I was going to write a villanelle about vultures, she said, "Wouldn't it be neat to do a Dictionary Hike where each poem type had to begin with the letter of that day?"  Hmmm... Here we go: Acrostic, Ballad, Cinquain...

And now for our guest poster!

Georgia LV

Photo by Amy LV

Today I am most excited to welcome my eleven-year-old daughter, Georgia, to this space.  She is a frequent photographer of Poem Farm photos, and she has been taking her own Dictionary Hike this month, right through the letters of her name.  So far Georgia has written poems from:

G - GLIMPSE
E - ENTHRALL
O - ONCE

And today, she writes from REDWOOD.  Last night after I came home from a school meeting, Georgia met me at the door with her poem, and I asked right away if she would allow me to share the poem and her process.  I am so grateful that she agreed.  Below you can read Georgia's poem, see her draft, and read her thoughts.

Draft of R IS FOR REDWOOD

By Georgia LV

The first thing I did was to Google REDWOOD tree facts. I didn't know I would write about any particular tree. I found that the largest Redwood tree was 379 feet tall and that it had a name. I became enthralled (my second word) by this tree character and decided to find out all I could about him.

I jotted down any facts that I found interesting and then crossed them out if I changed my mind. I was also very intrigued by the name. What does it mean? Why was he called that?

I looked HYPERION up in the online dictionary and found it was a name for a titan (Greek giant). Then I looked at my facts and added a couple in.

I formed my poem around the facts and not the facts around the poem. This is the first factual poem I have ever done. It was a lot of fun. Try it sometime!

Thank you to Georgia for her openness in sharing her fourth poem of this month and her thinking process too.  Writing ABOUT our thinking helps us understand it even more.

Happy Poem in Your Pocket Day to all!  Today I have a poem in my pocket. The poem is Candles by Carl Dennis.  And since I will not see many people today, I will send in copies to my children's teachers.  Here it is for you!  What poem do you have (or would you like to have) in your pocket today?  Please share in the comments as we're all always looking for more beautiful poemfriends.

In case you are new to The Poem Farm, this month I am walking, letter-by-letter, through the dictionary, (closed-eyed) pointing to a letter each day, and writing from it. You can read poems A-W by checking the sidebar, and you visit Lisa Vihos and read her accompanying daily haiku at, Lisa's Poem of the Week. In today's comments, watch for Lisa's Haiku and also Christophe's haiku.  It is has been grand to poetryhike with new friends.

Do not miss this week's funny and informative post at Sharing Our Notebooks. Author and poet Suz Blackaby is sharing her notebooks as well as a clever writing exercise. Stop by to read her words and to enter the giveaway for her book, NEST, NOOK, & CRANNY.  The winner's name will be drawn TONIGHT!

Remember, tomorrow is Poetry Friday, the last of this year's National Poetry Month.

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To find a poem by topic, click here. To find a poem by technique, click here.

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MyPoWriYe #67 - Locket

Walking in our pasture yesterday, I saw an azure blur right near a bluebird house.  A bluebird!  We knew we'd had bluebirds living here, but we thought they had been chased away by other birds.  It made me happy to see that flash yesterday morning, to know these bluebirds are still our dear tenants.

Looking at that birdhouse nailed on a fencepost, I was immediately reminded of a locket.  A locket holds small secret things close to our hearts, and a birdhouse holds small secret things close to the hearts of trees.

Students - sometimes a few interesting words just cross your mind.  For me, those words were, "A birdhouse is like a locket!"  When this happens, we usually let our words slip away like morning dreams.  But if we are alert and ready to catch them, our words will wait that breath for us, long enough for us to mutter them quietly, long enough for us to write them down. 

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