Category: Literature

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#VerseLove April 8 – Something You Should Know Poems with Emily Yamasaki

Today at http://www.ethicalela.com, Emily Yamasaki is our host for Day 8 of #VerseLove. She invites us to write Something You Should Know poems in the style of the great Clint Smith. You can read her full prompt and poem here. 

Note to readers:  try this one!  I just rambled. Sometimes I use a Sarah Donovan strategy I learned several years ago: just write for 10 or 15 minutes and see what you get.  Don't worry about editing or word choice or anything - just draft.  That’s what I did today.  Please come write with us!

Something You Should Know 

is that I only moved my lips when Mrs. Flexer
    played Living For Jesus all those Sundays
       in the big group before small group
          because I can’t sing except with 
                my heart

and that I just acquired the old oak secretariat that
    has been in my parents’ home since I was
       a baby in Kentucky along with the old red
          milk can for my porch, but back to the
            secretariat: I love that it shares
               the name with the greatest horse
                 who had to win in Kentucky first
                   to win the Triple Crown

and that as a child I was mesmerized by Harold Monro’s
   poem Overheard on a Salt Marsh 
     from Childcraft Volume 1 Poems and Rhymes
       with the nymph in the green dress
         and it’s framed by my bed today because
           I’m still mesmerized by it

and that I savor Saturdays with morning coffee
    and good conversation
       and that I love plants but can’t grow them
         because they all die except Leafy Jean and 
           Leon Russell, who are thriving on the front porch
          
and that I have four bluebird eggs in one birdhouse
    and baby Carolina Wrens in my garage 
       up over the garage door apparatus
         and Brown-Headed Nuthatch hatchlings in another birdhouse
          and fledgling cardinals in my Yellow Jasmine vines
and a nest under the porch eave
            and I saw an eagle a week ago

and that all three of my Schnoodles have literary names
   Boo Radley for obvious reasons
     Fitz because of, you know, the party animal F. Scott
       and Ollie for my favorite poet Mary Oliver

and that I blog daily and call all my writing group  
    people my friends
      including you.
Ollie, all tucked in while camping
Fitz, a true party animal
Boo Radley, who recently lost his beard for running through the pasture and getting matted with field spurs
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#VerseLove April 7 – with Denise Krebs

Denise Krebs of California is our host today for #VerseLove, inspiring to write poems about death. You can read her full prompt here. I think of the death of Jesus on the cross today, the resurrection, and promise of eternal life for believers. For me.

But in my travels on Wednesday up in North Georgia, I saw the strangest thing. And that is what I share today. I can’t get it out of my mind, can’t unsee and unwonder. And so I write. 

Plummeting Chicken Death

three dead chickens lay
on I-75 South
in North Georgia rain

feathers everywhere
chicken carcasses strewn out
like castoff garments

how did this happen?
there were no farmlands nearby
no livestock, no barns

imagination 
kicked into full gear – these hens
(I presumed) died fast

all the better, really
maybe a poultry truck door 
swung open, flinging

these ladies groundward
to the hard concrete below
…or maybe they jumped 

thought they could still fly
then realized the truth too late
as cars tried to swerve

most not successful
they’re all three dead, either way
these interstate hens
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#VerseLove April 5 – Poetic Drive-Bys with Bryan Ripley Crandall

Bryan Ripley Crandall is our host at http://www.ethicalela.com for #VerseLove. You can read his prompt and the poems he inspires here. Today, he challenges us to write Poetic Drive-Bys.

He explains: “Every April, during a six-week unit on poetry in Kentucky, I’d assign students to think of a person, place, or thing worthy of a poem, and write it  as if you are gifting  random thoughts/ideas/verse or  insight for another. We began calling these ‘poetic drive-bys’. Students loved this, often chalking poems on a neighbor’s  driveway or creating one to hand  to strangers at  the mall (a few even ‘tagged’ abandoned buildings with their writing and one young man drove around handing what  he wrote to  fast food employees working in drive-thru windows). Write a poem for the  boy who bags your groceries, or the sidewalk where you walk, or for the stranger you see in the park.. The goal is to craft  a poem that you can leave for another to find (maybe  a specific someone or maybe not  — make it a poem  to be discovered or gifted.”

In my county in middle Georgia. I’m leaving QR Codes with poetry videos throughout the square. Below is an example of one. I’m reading here with Ethan Jacobs, whose book Dust will be available on Amazon this spring. This is for YOU, dear reader:

Poetry for others to find in a framed QR Code
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#VerseLove April 4 – Grammatically Ungrammatical with Jennifer Guyor Jowett

Our host today at http://www.ethicalela.com for Day 4 of #VerseLove is Jennifer Guyor Jowett of Michigan, who invites us to write grammatically ungrammatical poems, using mixed up parts of speech in place of others and made up words without regard for rules. You can nounify verbs, verbify adjectives, or whatever you want to do to write this type of poem. Come meet Jennifer and read her poem and prompt here!

A daughter of mine on a desert hike with a peace sign 
Birkenstock Peaced-Up Pipe Dreams

when we wander Birkenstocks
corkbed frolic nope to socks
camouflagely sherpa’d arch
hippiescuffle guitar’d march
bellishbottomed denimly jeans
knowexactly peaced-up means
leatherfringe’d-up gauchovest
showsly braless halter’d chest
macramae’d-up shoulderbag
carefree pet rock tail-she-wag
daisychainedup tousled locks
when we wander Birkenstocks
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#VerseLove April 3 – with Stacey Joy

Stacey Joy of California challenges us with a fabulous prompt on this first Monday of April, when we can feel all the promise of spring and the budding words, when shimmers of dew sparkle on the morning grass. This is a lovely way to start the day at www.ethicalela.com for the third day of #VerseLove.  Her mentor Haiku Sonnet abounds with all hope and promise, restoring my morning of a sleepless night. I took her second line ~ Ancestors’ prayers and dreams ~ and meditated on this as I considered the quality of sleep that plagues me for weeks on end after the spring time change, last night especially. I also added one extra Haiku to the mix because I can’t ever count, so my Haiku Sonnet might actually be a Haiku Syllable Sonnet since there are 17 lines. 

Life at Times

sleeping country nights
overhead ceiling fan whirs
windows open wide

blurred nightmare airing
my life hangs in layers on
laundry line in dreams

night fog, striated slices
dense as fear, tense as monsters
past, present, future

random rumblings
REM: impossible journey
uncertain murmurs

billowing slumber
sheets dancing, ghostly breezes
whipping, wrestling, wavering

woeful, restless angst 
real nightmares play out
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#VerseLove April 2 – Weekend Coffee Share Poems

I’m hosting #VerseLove today at http://www.ethicalela.com, where we write in verse everyday throughout the month of April to celebrate National Poetry Month. You can read the prompt and the poems shared by others here, or simply see the prompt below:

Inspiration 

One of the most uplifting parts of a writing community is getting to know other writers, feeling a connection, and developing a sense of belonging as others welcome you to the group and encourage you in your writing journey. This is my fifth year writing with #VerseLove after meeting Dr. Sarah Donovan at NCTE.  Today, let’s introduce ourselves through a Weekend Coffee Share poem, which can take the form of a list poem or a prose poem – or any other structure that you choose. Pour a cup of coffee and come sit down.  You may have seen other bloggers writing as part of the Weekend Coffee Share, a powerful weekend writing topic developed by a blogger whose idea inspired this prompt.  Raising a mug to Natalie! 

Process

Pour yourself a cup of coffee or tea, and imagine being in a small coffee shop among friends.  We’ve all strolled in from the cold, damp drizzle and are eager to meet you for the first time – or to catch up with you since last time.  Pour us a cup, too, and share something about yourself with us.  Invite us into your world, friend!  Let your first line be If we were having coffee (or tea, or wine…)….

Oh – and share a picture of yourself with your cup in the comments if you wish!  

Kim’s Poem

If We Were Having Coffee 

If we were having coffee, 

  I’d tell you that #VerseLove changed my life

     because of you.  

Here, come closer and lean in.  

    Do you like light roast or bold?  

        Let me pour you a cup.  Cream? Sugar?

If we were having coffee,

  I’d ask you about your favorite poets 

    and tell you that as a child, 

      I spent hours, days, weeks, years reading

             Childcraft Volume 1 Poems and Rhymes

and was twice gifted A Child’s Garden of Verses

   for Christmas from relatives ~ in 1971 and 1972 

      and have been hooked on poetry since then.

If we were having coffee,

I’d tell you that I’m a bit of an introvert,

  so I prefer writing over talking,

     and that over the years, I have come to know

        you through our writing ~ so I call you my friend.

I’ll be talking to someone somewhere and you’ll come up.

   You always do.  

When someone tells me they like Thai food, I say,

  No way!  One of my writing friends is in Thailand right now!

And when someone hums a tune from CATS, I say,

  Girl!  One of my writing friends sent me 

       Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats last year.

And when someone says they’re going to the west coast, I say,

    Have fun! I was just there with my writing friends in November.  

If we were having coffee, 

  I’d raise my mug to you and say,

     Cheers to you, friend!  Welcome to #VerseLove 2023!

And I’d snap a picture, like this…

   and invite you to do the same! 

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#Verselove April 1 – with Glenda Funk

Terrific teamwork saved this turtle!

Glenda Funk of Idaho is our host today for the first day of #VerseLove at http://www.ethicalela.com. You can read her full post here. She inspires us to write Haibun poems, which combine prose and Haiku poetry. This one was inspired by my trip to South Carolina yesterday to bring my grandson on a fishing adventure today.

Haibun

Rescue

On a birthday fishing trip with my grandson, we were booking it to get to water when we spotted a turtle in the passenger side tire path of my lane not booking it to water at his dawdling speed, so we swerved to avoid hitting it, BRAKED HARD, pulled onto the shoulder, and put it in reverse there on the roadside to rescue this traveler caught between the land and the water world ~ like us

Haiku

we brake for turtles
caught in the crossroads: roadside
reptile rescuers!

Since we were up early this morning, I asked him to write about the experience too – and here is what he wrote. He said, “I even gave it a title, Nana.” I love his title – – and his last line gives the emotional sigh of high-five satisfaction for terrific turtle teamwork.

Aidan’s writing ~ On Turtle Road
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Slice of Life Challenge – March 31 – National Poetry Month on the Zebulon, Georgia Courthouse Square

With special thanks to Two Writing Teachers for hosting the Slice of Life Story Challenge for writers!

Earlier in the month, I mentioned that I would be planning a celebration of National Poetry Month throughout my community. As the District Literacy Specialist in my school system, I am able to tap into Literacy grant funds through my state to be able to bring interactive Literacy events to our county. Denise Krebs asked, “Will you blog it?” I assured her that I would. And I thank her for the inspiration for this post!

We kick off on April 1 with our big celebration. I sought a poet to write a poem on the theme of Bloom! Clayton Moon was my choice, because he has a true gift of writing about place. The rural countryside of Pike County, Georgia is his jam. He calls himself a dirt road mystic.

And he is. Not only did he write our featured poem, The Kiss of a Flutter’s Eye, he also added to the collection and published a book of poems about our county and its rural setting.

We sectioned his poem onto twelve pages, and I asked a recent Pike County graduate who was on Spring Break from ABAC College to illustrate the poem. She drew amazing blooms to match the words in the poem. I purchased 12 poster stands and asked 12 businesses on our courthouse square if they would allow us to place a stand with a stanza outside their door. They agreed, and merchants will add flowers at the base of the stands (Bloom!). On Friday (today as you read this), we will take these to the square and put them out for folks to come and take a progressive poetry walk, beginning at our Chamber of Commerce on the west side of the square and ending at Prosperity Real Estate on the south side of the square.

Progressive Poetry Walk Stands

On each stanza, there is a QR Code to give L4GA credit for funding the project and to let readers know which numbered stanza it is, in case they begin reading in the middle (they’ll know to go back to the Chamber to start with Stanza 1).

One of our libraries will host a paint chip poetry writing workshop. Come join me as we write!

We are also having pop-up poetry writing opportunities in several businesses, along with writing workshops. I’ll lead those in our libraries, but I prepared magnetic boards and baskets with instructional videos to help folks understand what to do in each station if they want to write poems before or after the workshops. They can scan the QR Code to watch a short How To video. I also created a Community Padlet for each poet to upload their poetry if they’d like.

Our local bookstore is hosting a Cento writing board, where shoppers can read the directions or scan a QR Code to watch an instructional video before writing their poem and sharing it on a community Padlet.
I’ve framed QR Codes with poets reading their poetry so folks can scan them and listen!

I’m also featuring poets reading their poetry in random QR Codes scattered around the square. I’ve hidden them in Easter Eggs, framed them and placed them on shelves in businesses, and even put them on bookmarks and doorknob hanger signs. If you’re interested in sharing a YouTube video of yourself reading a poem that you have written, please let me know in the comments and I’ll share where to send the YouTube link so that you can come virtually to Pike County and read your poetry! When someone scans your QR Code, there you’ll be – reading to us right here. Click here to hear me read Paint Chips, or click here to hear Clayton Moon read The Kiss of a Flutter’s Eye.

One of our local libraries is hosting a Jenga Block poetry basket, a Haikubes basket, a Found and Blackout Poetry basket, and a Paint Chip Poetry board.

We’re looking forward to an amazing celebration of National Poetry Month, and if you’re in the neighborhood, be sure to check out the progressive poetry walk and holler out for me to meet you at the 1828 Coffee Company on the Zebulon square, where we can sip a lavender latte – or my other favorite, a medicine ball tea. We’ll be having an Open Mic Night with Ethan Jacobs and other local poets on April 19th, and Clayton Moon will be signing his book on the sidewalk outside the bookstore earlier that week.

Come join us! And if you can’t make it to Georgia, come join us at #VerseLove at http://www.ethicalela.com, starting April 1. We’ll be writing poetry every day. Glenda Funk will kick off the party on April 1, and I’ll take the reins on April 2 before passing them on to another host on the 3rd. Several of us in the Slice of Life group will be hosting on a day in April – Denise Krebs, Margaret Simon, Barb Edler, and others. Don’t forget Leigh Anne Eck’s new blog group, too, that begins April 1 and focuses on topics of nature.

Thanks for a great month of writing, friends! Now we can all celebrate by wearing our Slice of Life t-shirts. I got the baseball shirt with the black sleeves, because I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about my first post this month, being a lost slicer wandering the streets of Anaheim looking for a meet-up. I’ll be wearing my t-shirt at NCTE this year, so if I look lost, please come help me find my way!

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Slice of Life Challenge – March 17 – Green Glass Beads on St. Patrick’s Day

Water nymph

Throughout my childhood, I was obsessed with one particular book. I spent hours on end reading it – – even took the flashlight into my closet so I could read it in there too and not be bothered while I was mesmerized. I not only fell in love with the words in the book, but also with the pictures – they were enchanting. I studied every detail of the pages in Childcraft Volume 1 – Poems and Rhymes – with the pink band on the gold-numbered spine.

One poem in particular was my favorite among favorites.

Overheard on a Saltmarsh by Harold Monro (14 March 1879 – 16 March 1932).

I lived near salt marshes in those days, on a coastal island in Georgia. I’d never seen any nymphs and goblins in the marshes, but I wondered – – could they really be there? How had I missed them?

Overheard on a Saltmarsh by Harold Monro

I fixated on the goblin and the nymph in the illustration. That’s a water nymph – – they often have plants growing from their heads, I learned. She’s not afraid of that ghastly looking goblin, either. She is confident in herself there in the moonlight, wearing her green gown and green glass beads.

That’s what I’d wanted to be when I grew up – a beautiful nymph with a shapely figure, wearing a flowy gown and green beads, telling my goblins NO.

And so to celebrate this St. Patrick’s Day, I will not sport a shamrock. I won’t wear a green flowy gown or drink a green beer or flash a Kiss Me, I’m Irish t-shirt or paint my face green. Or get a tattoo.

Instead, I have framed my favorite childhood poem and will nymphatically wear these green jasper beads.

Hush, I stole them out of the moon.

A framed childhood favorite poem, with green beads
Special thanks to Two Writing Teachers!

Please join us at http://www.ethicalela.com Saturday through Wednesday for the March Open Write. We’ll be writing poetry for the next 5 days. Come write with us!