Happy Poetry Friday!
Yesterday I had the privilege of watching many Poetry Friday friends on a Facebook Live panel discussion for Nerdy Book Club led by Laura Shovan. It’s well worth watching to find out more about this supportive and poetry-loving community, and to feel all the joys of writing and reading poetry and bringing it to kids.You can access it here.
One of the things discussed by the panelists were the many different poetry projects being conducted in April. On this last Friday of the month, I have a confession to make – I didn’t completely complete my April Poetry Project. My goal was to write poems that might breathe new life into an old picture book manuscript —one poem a day, exploring the characters and feelings that might result in a picture book in verse. I started out fine, but then I let my internal editor convince me that maybe it wasn’t such a great idea. I continued to add to the collection, but not every day. Yesterday, I tricked my internal editor into thinking I was someone else, and I reread all the poems I had written. And guess what? Some were terrible, but some had potential, and new ideas for that picture book came as I read. By focusing on the process instead of the product, I learned more about my characters and what they wanted me to say about them. The story is titled Willow’s Wonders and is about a girl who moves from the country to the city. Here’s a sample.
Goodbye
We’re leaving today,
Mom and me.
Moving to the city.
Grandma says it will be an adventure
full of new wonders—
new school
new friends
new treasures.
My tummy flip-flops
when we pull away.
I hug my treasure box tight.
Draft, 2023RoseCappelli
Heart Shaped Rock
I touch my lucky rock
shaped like a heart
hold it in my hand like I did
the day I got an A in Math
the day I watched bluebirds build their nest
the day I topsy-turvied into my first cartwheel.
I thought its luck ran out
the day Mom said we were moving.
It’s warm in my hand and
something shimmers inside me.
I tuck that rock in my pocket.
Maybe it just needed a rest.
Draft, 2023Rose Cappelli
If you’re celebrating Poem in Your Pocket day this week, be sure to check out Amy Ludwig VanDerwater and Emma J. Virján’s beautiful book honoring the wonders of poetry, animals, and nature.
Ruth has the round-up today here and she’s inviting all of us to pull up a chair and relax on her porch all the way over in Uganda. Be sure to stop by, sit awhile, and soak up all the poetry goodness.
Imagine the Possibilities 
Rose, thanks for sharing about your NPM not going as planned…so often a wrecked plan is the birth of something magical…yay for “process over product.” xo
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Thank you, Irene. I’m off to Highlights again this morning for the Eastern PA SCBWI retreat. I’ll be thinking of you and Charles.
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Rose, wow. I love the snippets you’ve shared.
Sweet image here:
“the day I topsy-turvied into my first cartwheel”
and I’m pulling for Willow (is that her name) and the hope that is left in that heart-shaped rock. Enjoy your time at Highlights!
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Thanks, Denise!
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It sounds like your NPM project went quite well after all, just maybe not in the same way as you’d anticipated. I really liked the ending line in “Heart Shaped Rock” and its embedded optimism.
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Thanks, Molly!
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New look, good news in your mind, Rose! I like the idea & love “Maybe it just needed a rest.” That makes me want to know more! I carried a lucky rock when I was starting high school. It felt like a hug whenever I needed one! Best wishes for more!
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Thanks for the encouragement!
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Rose, I would totally read this book. I love your idea of focusing on the process. Such good advice.
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Thanks for support, Susan!
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Thanks for sharing these excerpts. Like Susan said, you have piqued my interest in this story. Keep going!
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Thanks, Jama.
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Thanks for tricking your internal editor, Rose. And hooray for finding the gems and sparkling possibilities! xo
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Thanks, Laura.
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I am all about process. There is no such thing as failure as long as you learned something new that will move your manuscript forward. And you did. So…SUCCESS! (I declare it so!)
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Thanks for the pat on the back, Mary Lee.
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Setting goals and not quite hitting the mark I make for myself is a fault I’ve come to accept and live with. The verses you shared today are wonderful and inviting. I hope you continue to work on your manuscript. I took a class with Laura Shovan this year that I highly recommend if she offers it again.
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Thanks, Margaret.
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