Why Me? - MyPoWriYe #98

Mosquito Bowl

Photo by Amy LV

The pattern on my favorite Polish pottery cookie dough bowl is called "Mosquito".  When my mother gave me the bowl and told me this fact, I admit to having the willies at first.  I mean, who wants to use a bowl that's covered with mosquito bites?  But as soon as I learned to block out about what those little dots symbolize, the yucky-factor went away.  It's a grand bowl!

Today's poem idea came from this month's "Word of the Month" invitation at David L. Harrison's blog.  Every month, David chooses a poem-springboard-word, and child and adult poets are invited to share their poems inspired by this monthly word.  July's word is ITCH.  You can read other itchy poems at David's blog.

Students - David's monthly challenge is one we can give ourselves or give to our friends.  Just ask someone else to choose an interesting word for you, and write straight from that word.  No, you won't know what you'll get.  But that is the fun of it...surprise.  Try having several people write off of the same word, and you will amaze yourselves with the different ways people approach the very same set of letters!

In our family, it's Georgia that mosquitoes love.  Yes, she is the one who gets hiccups too.

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My Poem Writing Year #97 - Don't Tell

 

Where do poem ideas come from?  It's a big mish-mash, I think.  This poem grew from our hot days, just watching everyone at the town pool.  It also grew from an image which you can see here at ripple sketches, an inspirational site where Kelly Light found an artistic way for people to help clean oiled birds in the Gulf.  I didn't purposely think about this image while writing, but after writing I realized that it must have crept into my subconscious mind.

Students - A person doesn't always have to know how s/he is going to find a writing idea.  But sometimes it is interesting to look at a poem (or anything else) after writing and ask, "Where did this come from?"  What we discover is that just like our dreams, our writings are crazy quilts stitched from daily impressions.  When we reread and think about our ideas, we also discover what matters to us, what sticks with us, and what makes us tick and tock and put pen to paper.

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MyPoWriYe #96 - Hope

Sky Afire

Photo by Mark LV

Today is the day after July 4, but fireworks are still bursting in my mind.  Hence, another fireworks poem!  I hope that you had a glorious day of food, festivity, and freedom.

If you would like to read poetry that celebrates our independence, Becca Klaver has compiled a fantastic list over at the Poetry Foundation.

If you would like to learn more about fireflies than you could ever imagine possible, you can do so at firefly.org.

And if you are interested in a classic writing workshop book to help your students or your own children learn how to write focused narratives, you will enjoy FIREFLIES! by Julie Brinckloe.

Shop Indie Bookstores

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Happy Fourth of July! - Poem #95 - Tonight

Raining Fireworks

Photo by Mark LV

Last night, watching the sky over Varysburg, NY, I tried to let each firestar remind me of a different right we have as American citizens.

Tricia's cento challenge combined with my husband's comment about the word-beauty in THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE gave me the idea to mix my words with the words of our country.  Below you can find the lifted lines.

"When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.  We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness....And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor."

from THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE

We had a good laugh over here about whether it would be legal to copy this much of THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE.  Mark said, "If anything is in the public domain, this is!"

For more information about The Founding Fathers, read here at the United States National Archives. 

Students - history is quite a story-land of poems.  From the people to the places to the small moments in time to our feelings about the past, rich poetry ideas abound.

Happy Fourth of July, wherever you are.  And may freedom touch every part of the world one day.

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Two Hemispheres - MyPoWriYe Poem #94

Thank you to all who visited here for Poetry Friday.  It was festive and fun to host it for the first time.

Yesterday afternoon we went to the local swimming pool.  It's summer here, and our family is dressed in shorts and swimsuits.   On the other side of the world, though, it's winter and time for stocking caps and snowsuits.  Then, in a few months, when we don our snow boots and mittens, our friends across the Earth will be barefoot in sunglasses.  It's so funny and strange how the world spins 'round.  This is a poem for two voices.

Students - what fascinates you about other people in other places?  These fascinations are an endless pool of writing ideas.  Just leaf through books about different countries, and allow yourself to daydream about people, animals, languages...see if you can connect yourself and your life to anyone in your books.

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Poetry Friday is Here & MyPoWriYe # 93

Welcome.  It's a treat to be hosting Poetry Friday today, and I send thoughts of lemonade and gingersnaps to you all!

Yesterday, W. S. Merwin was named the new Poet Laureate of the United States.  From 1937 - 1985, this position was called "Consultant to Poetry for the Library of Congress, but the newer title is "Poetry Laureate Consultant to Poetry for the Library of Congress."  At The Writer's Almanac, you can read many of W.S. Merwin's poems.  For today I recommend "Berryman" and also the notes afterward.  Another soul-stirring Merwin poem is  "For the Anniversary of My Death".  

If you'd like to read up on some of the past Poets Laureate of the United States, you may do so here.

Today is Day #93 of a-children's-poem-a-day at The Poem Farm, and it's the sixth Poetry Friday featuring a poem about poetry.

This Week's Poetry Friday Smorgasbord

Charles Ghigna is "hitchhiking in" with two posts today: "How to Write a Haiku" at FATHER GOOSE blog and "Be Still in the World" at BALD EGO blog.  (I recommend that you scroll down just a bit from this enchanting poem so as not to miss Charles' poem and picture from 1974!)

Welcome to Theresa, in with her first Poetry Friday post: some thoughts on the end of school and a "sampler platter of poems" at Looking for the Write Words.

Waiting for summer in Seattle, Julie Larios offers up "Summer Song" by William Carlos Williams.  Check it out at The Drift Record.

From her hotel room, Tabatha Yeatts of The Opposite of Indifference wishes all of us a "Happy Poetry Friday!"

Toby Speed brings us some "scrips and scraps" of poetry insights picked up from the poetry-blogging community and an original poem about water.  They're over at The Writer's Armchair.

Unable to find the right poem for today, Mary Lee wrote a poem about not finding the right poem at A Year of Reading.

Linda Kulp offers up an original poem about summer at The Write Time.

Diane Mayr has three posts for us today.  At Random Noodling, she has an original poem, "Fireworks", Kurious Kitty celebrates W.S. Merwin's appointment with his "From the Start", and at Kurious K's Kwotes, she gives us a Merwin quote.

Laura Purdie Salas has two posts today over at Writing the World for Kids: notes/tips from the Poetry Blast at ALA last weekend and 15 Words or Less Poems.  (It's not too late to play!)

Ruth has poems from Wimbledon at her blog, There is no such thing as a God-forsaken town.

Laura Shovan at Author Amok brings us Jeannine Atkins with a talk about poetry and her book BORROWED NAMES: POEMS ABOUT LAURA INGALLS WILDER, MADAM C.J. WALKER, MARIE CURIE AND THEIR DAUGHTERS.

Jone offers an original abecedarian inspired by her granddaughter's surgery yesterday.  It is at Deo Writer.

Ms. Mac features another Poet Laureate, Ted Kooser over at her blog, Check it Out.

Preparing to accept the Sydney Taylor Gold Medal for Younger Readers for her book NEW YEAR AT THE PIER, April Halprin Wayland shares her poem "Acceptance Speech" over at TeachingAuthors.

The house is dancing over at The Write Sisters blog today.  Check it out here:  The Write Sisters.

Jules is in with CHICKEN SCRATCHES at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast.

  

Elaine Magliaro has an original poem titled "Things to Do If You Are an Orb Spider" at Wild Rose Reader.  She also shares the help and advice she received from Grace Lin and Janet Wong in regard to her new THINGS TO DO poetry collection.  Elaine also has an original book spine poem about friendship dedicated to Grace Lin and Janet Wong over at Blue Rose Girls.

After her fabulous time at the ALA poetry blast, and with a new profile picture taken by Laura Purdie Salas, Andromeda Jazmon brings us a review of Tony Medina's I AND BOB MARLEY over at a wrung sponge.

Jeannine Atkins wrote about SHARING THE SEASONS: A BOOK OF POEMS edited by Lee Bennett Hopkins and illustrated by David Diaz at her blog Views from a Window Seat.  (Note from Amy: I am very grateful to have two poems in this lovely book.) 

The Stenhouse Blog offers Billy Collins' "Introduction to Poetry".

Irene Latham is in with some wise words about how to LIVE YOUR POEM at Live. Love. Explore!

Today Heidi Mordhurst reflects on her visit to the Poetry Blast at ALA and shares a reverso, inspired (as always) by Marilyn Singer.  You can read her post, "blasted poets!" over at My Juicy Little Universe. 

Doraine Bennett joins us with a selection from George MacDonald's book AT THE BACK OF THE NORTH WIND, "The True History of the Cat and the Fiddle" at Dori Reads.

Karen Edmisten is in with Richard Wilbur this week at The Blog with the Shockingly Clever Title.

Home from the ALA Poetry Blast and sporting a new profile photo taken by Laura Purdie Salas, Andromeda Jazmon joins us with a review of Tony Medina's I AND BOB MARLEY over at a wrung sponge.

Janet Squires recommends DOGKU written by Andrew Clements and illustrated by Tim Bowers at her blog All About the Books with Janet Squires.

TeachingBooks.net shares a post on rhythm in poetry and an audio clip of Sharon Creech reading from her book HEARTBEAT.  Find both at TeachingBooks.net.

You!

Please leave a note and link about your Poetry Friday post, and I will update our list throughout the day.  Thank you to my husband Mark for some html hitchhiker work today!

Happy Poetry Friday...

Poem #92 - My First Abecedarian - Gifts

Today marks the three month anniversary of a daily poem here at The Poem Farm...hooray!

Congratulations to Mag, winner of the "Breakfast for Dinner" drawing for Ann Hodgman's funny book One Bite Won't Kill You.  Please send your mailing address to me at amy at amylv dot com, and I will send the book to you.

Thank you again to Tricia at The Miss Rumphius Effect for providing another poem-form inspiration.  This week, she asks to write an abecederian poem, or poem constrained by alphabetical order.  You can read the submissions over at Tricia's Monday Poetry Stretch post.

You will see that the first letters of each line of line up right along with the alphabet.

One enchanting abecedarian is also a picture book - A Shaker Abecedarius:  The Peaceable Kingdom.  You can see the cover and read it if you click and scroll down here at H is for Home Blog.  A friend and fourth grade teacher, Nancy Simmons of Newfane Intermediate School, once encouraged her students to memorize this poem.  The class did, and they performed it for the whole school.  Everyone was astounded and inspired.

I would like to memorize a few poems...

Tomorrow The Poem Farm is tickled to host Poetry Friday, a weekly roundup of  poetry sharing in the blogosphere.  Come by early to leave a note about what's happening in your neck of the woods, and I'll put it up in a post for all to read throughout the day.

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