The Kidlit Progressive Poem was started in 2012 by Irene Latham. In 2020, my first year of participation, Margaret Simon took over as organizer. Every year is a mystery as to what the subject will be and how the poem will unfold, but it’s always fun to share thoughts and ideas with fellow poets.
Patricia Franz started us off this year with a lovely couplet, and everyone has followed that lead. The couplets are now organized by quatrains, so I kept that format. So far we are traveling with two brave children on an escape route. So many questions remain unanswered, but it is filled with emotion and I love how there are clues left along the way to fill in some of the gaps. Carol’s lines from yesterday helped me feel the worries that this enormous responsibility has put on our narrator. I decided to stay there for a bit longer. Here is what we have so far with my lines added in bold.
cradled in stars, our planet sleeps,
clinging to tender dreams of peace
sister moon watches from afar,
singing lunar lullabies of hope.
almost dawn, I walk with others,
keeping close, my little brother.
hand in hand, we carry courage
escaping closer to the border
My feet are lightning;
My heart is thunder.
Our pace draws us closer
to a new land of wonder.
I bristle against rough brush—
poppies ahead brighten the browns.
Morning light won’t stay away—
hearts jump at every sound.
I hum my own little song
like ripples in a stream
Humming Mami’s lullaby
reminds me I have her letter
My fingers linger on well-worn creases,
shielding an address, a name, a promise–
Sister Moon will find always us
surrounding us with beams of kindness
But last night as we rested in the dusty field,
worries crept in about matters back home.
I huddled close to my brother. Tears revealed
the no-choice need to escape. I feel grown.
Leaving all I’ve ever known
the tender, heavy, harsh of home.
Next up is Sarah Grace Tuttle. Looking forward to seeing how things move forward. If you want to follow along, here is a list of contributors:
April 1 Patricia Franz at Reverie
April 2 Jone MacCulloch
April 3 Janice Scully at Salt City Verse
April 4 Leigh Anne Eck at A Day in the Life
April 5 Irene at Live Your Poem
April 6 Margaret at Reflections on the Teche
April 7 Marcie Atkins
April 8 Ruth at There is No Such Thing as a God Forsaken Town
April 9 Karen Eastlund
April 10 Linda Baie at Teacher Dance
April 11 Buffy Silverman
April 12 Linda Mitchell at A Word Edgewise
April 13 Denise Krebs at Dare to Care
April 14 Carol Varsalona at Beyond Literacy Link
April 15 Rose Cappelli at Imagine the Possibilities
April 16 Sarah Grace Tuttle
April 17 Heidi Mordhorst at my juicy little universe
April 18 Tabatha at Opposite of Indifference
April 19 Catherine Flynn at Reading to the Core
April 20 Tricia Stohr-Hunt at The Miss Rumphius Effect
April 21 Janet, hosted here at Reflections on the Teche
April 22 Mary Lee Hahn at A(nother) Year of Reading
April 23 Tanita Davis at (fiction, instead of lies)
April 24 Molly Hogan at Nix the Comfort Zone
April 25 Joanne Emery at Word Dancer
April 26 Karin Fisher-Golton at Still in Awe
April 27 Donna Smith at Mainely Write
April 28 Dave at Leap of Dave
April 29 Robyn Hood Black at Life on the Deckle Edge
April 30 Michelle Kogan at More Art for All
Imagine the Possibilities 
I don’t think we will ever know where home is, but you’ve given us an image of tenderness (Mami’s letter) and the harsh and heavy thing that must’ve driven them away. We are halfway there. Thanks for participating.
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This is stunning, Rose. Every line is haunting. It’s amazing how the story evolves so effectively writer after writer.
Carol
Carol F. Doeringer 616-403-7950
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Rose, your words are representative of every child and adult I know that were put in the position of fleeing their land. Leaving home no matter how awful the conditions is extremely difficult – Leaving all I’ve ever known. The next line examines the weight of responsibility the child feels the sequence tender, heavy, harsh. Thank you for sharing the weight of sadness and loss.
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We continue to deepen our empathy with the character in our story…Thank you.
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I am glad you’ve added more of the sorrow felt when leaving the place that has always been theirs, Rose. Your lines fill us readers with sadness, too, imagining this plight, and that is what poetry does, touch the heart.
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I love where you’re taking us, Rose — with a wariness but also a lingering feeling. I feel their need to go and their desire to stay.
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Love the contrast of tender and harsh–how that deepens our understanding of where our narrator is fleeing.
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The bitter-sweetness of your line has such a lovely rhythm!
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Rose, this is perfect. “tender, heavy, harsh of home” is so strong. The mixed emotions so clear.
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Agreeing with all above, Rose – a beautiful, piercing addition.
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So much tension and conflict in “the tender, heavy, harsh of home.” Perfect.
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This brings me into this person’s heart. So much in leaving, striving, hoping……I agree with Heidi. Janet Clare F.
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