Little Bits

Love.

A heart’s longing.

Life.

A day dawning.

Song.

A poem’s calling.

Never Stop

Legs bent in a diagonal
I sit on my feet
head leaning on the wall
watching you run
run the circle in our house
"NO running in the house,"
expired long ago
as you got faster
laughed harder, who could stop you
I watch you chase her
grabbing the wall
swinging around the curve
you run
run out of breath and have to stop
bending down for breath
smile blazing
sister tags and you're off
I watch you run around the circle
a little bigger at every turn
when will you stop running
stop to take a breath
a longer breath
and then just stop.
I ask,
you answer
"I'm never going to stop."
I'm good with that.
Never stop.

Jingling Chatter

Robyn at Life on the Deckle Edge has the roundup today.

Coins clatter
pocket chatter
splitting through
the walls of matter
straight in my ears
out through my eyes
a jangling jingle
in disguise.

Yesterday I chalked the first two lines of this poem as part of my Chalk-A-Day for #nerdlution on Twitter. I thought I would expand on it and think more about what I was visualizing when I wrote those first two lines. In the spirit of the season, a jingle bell came into play, but it didn't stay.

Eternal

Poetry Friday is hosted today at Carol's Corner.

I was reading some posts this morning. I stopped by Teacherdance to visit Linda's latest offering and got inspired to write this:

Poetry,

in a state of arrest?

No.

No need for resurrection

or defibrillation.

It lives each day

in a flow of words

from my pitcher.

It fills my cup, brimming

spilling over onto my page.

Poetry is eternal.

 

Poem Song

 Find the roundup at Write.Sketch.Repeat. for a feast of poetry!

A poem song

rose into the red

it bleed on rocks

and flower beds

it flowed on rivers

dark and deep

it flew on surface

mirrored trees

I watched it glide

I went on by

the poem song

sung its lullaby

A Flake in Fall

flakes fall
the first snow
cold on my head
freezing my toes
I stand in the air
I breathe
like a dream
the flakes
like vapor
disappear
dissipate
my discouraged hour
gone
I awake

Join the poetry party at Random Noodling.

Tiny Hands

Visit Cathy for the round-up at Merely Day By Day.

Tiny things...this seems to be on my mind lately. I wrote a post on Two Writing Teachers Thursday and a commenter said it sounded like the start of a poem. I thought, of course, it must be. So I went with it and created a little poem about tiny hands.

Tiny hands

miniature fingers

tipped with limitless stories

tiny hands holding

new beginnings

creating memories

tiny but mighty.

Morning Quiet Song

Take a peek into some poetry at Writing the World for Kids with Laura Purdie Salas. You can also find me over at Amy Ludwig VanDerwater's blog Sharing Our Notebooks.

Here is my Poetry Friday haiku of a morning quiet song.

in morning stillness 

one cricket chirps in the dark

stars turn into sun

Evening of Laughter

Go visit The Poem Farm with Amy Ludwig VanDerwater for the roundup! 

I was lucky this evening to share a dinner table with Mary Lee Hahn, Cathy Mere, Deb Frazier and Marie Nixon. What great company and there was lots of laughter. I kept talking about how I didn't have a poem for today. I kept seeing things on my drive all afternoon that would be great, but got nothing. I had little nuggets and lines but it all sounded so random. So, I decided a random poem was in order. It turned out not so random after all...at least not entirely. :)
I hope you all had a lovely Poetry Friday.

a random

dairy dream

ocean breeze

cool night air

goes up my sleeve

sitting here

watching there

warmth and laughter

everywhere

my hair a net

to capture life

I hold it close

all through the night.

Dark Horses

Visit Tabatha at The Opposite of Indifference for more Poetry Friday Posts! 

Dark horses

Swift through trees

Shadows creep

As they create a breeze

In the leaves

And shape shift in the night

Dark horses fly

Through fields of moonlight

They fear not of fear

They run

They are free

Dark horses flee

from you
To me.

Earthetry Re-Visited with Tagxedo

This week our host is Jen from Teach Mentor Texts!

Haven't done this in a while but remembered when Mary Lee first introduced me to Wordle inspired poems. So, I gave Tagxedo a try this time with an old post titled Earthetry. 

A poetry smile
spreads over my lips
poem inspired
happiness rich.

Imagining an hour
with rays for trees
the sun as the breeze
eyes crinkled and green.

Reading the words
of pine sweet views
sometimes I think
earth's windows look through.

Words Flow

Poetry Friday is hosted by Author Amok this week. Join in and read some poetry with friends. 

Words flow free

from you to me

and waves of doubt

swirl in and out

but we don’t care,

we stop and stare

in each other’s eyes

no one can hide.

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

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.

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!

Sun Night Light

Poetry Friday is hosted by Sherri at Semicolon.

Sun Night Light

moon
beams
his light
never sleeps
it shines
over me
each night
in the dark
no fire
not burning
but reflecting
his beauty


I think about the sun a lot. It is there everyday, hard not to. But even when I am squinting, or sweating in its heat I appreciate the sun. Even when he goes to shine on others around the corner he still shines for us at night when he kisses the moon. The moon is my sun night light.

Meet up at Teaching Young Writers for a Chalk-A-Bration on July 31st! Chalk a poem or illustrate one, take a photo and link it next Wednesday. Hope to see you there.

Earthetry: Earth Inspired Poetry

More poems inspired by the U.P. of Michigan.

Bright

Sun in my eyes

pupils small

crinkled brow

I strain to smile

the rays are silent

but the growth

thunderously

billows in the grass and

greens as I

walk……..

Smile

I imagine happiness 

smelling like a pine cone,

sweet, earthy, 

real.

Windows

Hills and mountains

topped with trees

rocky islands

lined with leaves

evergreens

piney stems

greenlit views

sun sprinkled in

like little windows

on a birch

the rays more round

my view in search

of little fairies

watching me

I hear them scurry

I hear them flee.

Little Rock Island

Little island

distant land

isolated from

your own sand

your own trees

defy and find

through the cracks

birch and pine

row and tow

the people go

to test your water

with chill dipped toes.

Honeymoon

My children were having a conversation in the car and it lead to this:

J, "What's a honeymoon?"
E, "It's when honey gets on the moon."

My thought..."honey on the moon." Don't you just instantly see that? The fact that it started with the word honeymoon lead me to a love poem. Short and sweet like a drop of honey. Long on meaning if you are struggling with the sticky strings of love.

Love

Like honey on the moon

I fall right back to you

Slow and golden sweet

My heart’s biggest feat.

A Poetic Peek at My Recent Vacation

I was in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan recently. I love it there. The beauty is bountiful. The colors vibrant. The people are happy and removed from tech this and tech that. They have no cell service in many areas still but you can occasionally find a spot of WiFi here and there (a few times I got it right in my tent)! I wrote a lot of lines, descriptions, anticipations of things I would see. I wrote a lot of words while up there. The first poem is one that I wanted to find before I left. I wrote it and then we went in search of it each day. The second poem was inspired by a beautiful sunset on the night of July 4th. It could not have been pinker or more beautiful. 

Before

Wildflowers will abound

With each step

Soft and sound

A water spray 

From falling springs

Toward river flows

And cliffs that bring

The greenery

The scenery

I wonder and I wait

To see what I am longing for

Outside where I escape.

After

Wind carries away

a blissful day

of sun’s sweet air

perfumed with care

encouragement 

of each bud and bloom

she blankets them

with chromatic hues. 

Michelle has the Poetry Friday roundup today at Today's Little Ditty.

Live Today

 

and dVerse Poets

Little Poems of My Day

        1.
You blew in,
no one knew
you knocked down towering trees
yet we could see through
we gawked and we shook
as you boomed and flashed
your transparent drops
began to cloud
and crash
against the glass
as we strained
our eyes burned...
another tree
at each turn
then as quick as you came
you blew away
to us a minute interuption
but to the trees
a forever fallen memory.

          2.
I see small sways
and your drops
come my way
and winds
blow you down
while my dogwood
holds on
to what?
the ground?
to life?
roots straining against you
tight.
While you
get washed,
lay down
won't stop
will grow
even taller
tomorrow
greener, stronger
while my little dogwood
struggles towering over
you, a green carpet below her
she struggles
you look weak
you will get cut
but you will go on
living
easily

     3.
We say
live today
we say
let go
we say
be present
we say
go forward
we say
we say
we say
but when
everyday
is like
today
we stay
stuck
and I
say
go do