Friday, August 30, 2013

Spreading Myself Out


Thank you Tara from A Teaching Life for hosting Poetry Friday!

Please, please, please go to Two Writing Teachers blog today to read my guest post on "Where is Poetry? It's Everywhere." I share some personal early on experiences with poetry and talk about the importance it has in the classroom....everyday. 


Here is my PF offering of the day.

I spread over water
I spread over land
If love is the lake
My heart is the sand.

I spread over head
I spread over trees
If love is the sky
My heart is the breeze.

I spread over grass
I spread over flowers
If love is the clouds
My heart is the showers.

I spread over two
I spread over one
If all this is love
My heart is the sun

Friday, August 23, 2013

Poetry Friday is Here!


You found it! I am excited to be hosting Poetry Friday once again, but from my newer blog...my toddler, one might say! I have been working on other writing projects about poetry instead of writing poems lately. But, as I sat here this week pondering a poem, a rhyme, anything really I realized all I can think about is summer slipping away. How it comes and then it goes and we all move through to the next season.


I hope you will all join me for Chalk-A-Bration on Saturday August, 31st! I hope to keep the Chalk-A-Bration going all year long this time so be sure to join in and check out all the chalkers next week!

And now onto my offerings of the day...


summer
stands
still

sending
sweet
scents

sun
sings
so-long

sweet
summer
song



And then.....I saw a bee! I am so easily distracted. But, had to write about it, because it was a bee buzzing really close to me on my hydrangea bush. Don't worry, the bee was unharmed.


Pollen parcels
packed for flight.
From petal to petal
your dance, a sight

I watch you
captured in the web.
As petals cradle
your little head.

Photo by Shawn Hubbard

And so begins the roundup.....drum roll......

Go catch some fish with Charles Ghigna over at Father Goose!

Check it Out with Jone where she shares a collaborative poem with Mary Lee and information on the Cybils.

Linda, from Teacherdance, wrote a poem back in April using a prompt idea shared by Mary Lee! Linda shares this poem as well as some thoughts about beginning the new school year.

April has guest Sonya Sones who offers teaching tips and a big poetry reveal at Teaching Authors. But that's not all...there's a book giveaway!

Join BJ Lee over at Blue Window for an original ballad.

Myra at Gathering Books shares a wreath of words and a heroic crown of sonnets.

This week at The Drift Record, Julie posts several double dactyls and challenges readers to write one as a way to honor the late poet John Hollander.

Michelle shares an original mask poem titled "Sky Calling" at Today's Little Ditty.

Tabatha at The Opposite of Indifference has a cleave poem.

Mary Lee shares two poetry book reviews as she begins a busy school year. Go see the reviews at A Year of Reading.

At Carol's Corner you will find a poem celebrating the unknowns of  "The First Day of School" by Judith Viorst.

Margaret has an exercise she did with her kids this week at Reflection on the Teche.

At The Late Bloomer's Book Blog Gigi has some entertaining animal poetry.

Irene Latham has Valerie Worth poems about farm animals this Poetry Friday at Live Your Poem.

Jama is back from a blogging break and is featuring Kate Lebo, Seattle's Pie Poet. Go check it out at Jama's Alphabet Soup.

Join Author Amok in Gettysburg while her family tours the battlefields ans she shares a poem by a Confederate veteran, describing (some think) the doomed and famous Pickett's Charge.

Stefanie from Morning Musing comes with an ode to one of her favorite summer activities.

Want to read an original poem from the garden? Join Liz Steinglass at her blog for some Fuzzy Tails.

Diane swoops in with a summer poem at Random Noodling and of course KK's Kwotes joins us too!

Check out some Poetry Resources from Penny at a penny and her jots.

Jeannine wrote about deepening poems at Views from a Window Seat.

Ruth has Christina Ressetti's "In an Artist's Studio," at There is no such thing as a God-forsaken town.

At Poet! Poet! Anastasia shares a "Why Haiku" that she wrote for Michelle's Haiku garden.

Keri joins us with her last poem swap at Keri Recommends.

Ready for a double haiku about an emu? Go get it with Becky at Tapestry of Words.

Matt joins in with a poem called "To the Newborn," at Radio, Rhythm & Rhyme. You must stop here to see this precious new baby.

Little Willow joins in with Universal by Walt Whitman.

At i.droo.it has five new poems and 15 lunchbox doodle cartons as a result of taking suggestions from twitter and Facebook for challenging poem vocabulary. Check out the tricky words with Samuel.

The Drawer of M.M. Socks brings us an original poem about Mr. Knuckles!

Find an original poem and a writing exercise with Joy at Poetry for Kids Joy.

JoAnn has an original poem in The Fib form, check out her blog to learn more!

In this week with Billy Collins and Aimless Love is Karen.

With a poem called Surrender Dia joins the party.

Robin joins us from Teaching Tomorrow's Leaders with a new and improved revised version of a poem called The Summer Bathtub.

Liana joins us from Commas Have Wings, she is a poetry advocate (love her already). Go read her poetic share!

Doraine's post from Dori Reads was inspired by Little Dog, Lost by Marion Dane Bauer.

Jen from Teach Mentor Texts brings us two poems from the book Falling Hard, 100 Love Poems by Teenagers by Betsy Franco.

Bridget Magee brings a poem about three little...but big on importance words. Find her at wee words for wee ones.

Amy from The Poem Farm is in late but joins us with a post including some cats and life in New York City.

Roundup complete now onto reading all of you! Happy weekend poetry friends.

Friday, August 9, 2013

A Hunch

Little hunches
Stir in bunches
Wishes from
A well of punches

Hunches grab
They grow and swell
Up the wall
Into your well

Then suddenly
They become clear
Reality to you
But you must steer

Away from it
For it will spec-
you-late away
all truths and traits

Your wishes
Let them wash you
dear,
don’t doubt your truth
let that be clear.

Hostess Renee at No Water River will have the roundup!