Happy Poetry Friday!
This year I decided to take on the Sealey Challenge – reading a book of poetry each day in August. I have lots of poetry books in a bin in my basement library that I used quite a bit when I was teaching and working with teachers. So I decided to revisit some of those. As I gathered up a bunch, each one seemed to come with a memory – a student, a lesson, a poem I looked forward to reading again. Some I haven’t read in many years, some I studied more extensively than others, but there is always something new to learn. So far I’ve read:
Comets, Stars, the Moon and Mars, written and illustrated by Douglas Florian. I enjoyed the nonfiction with humor element in these poems.
R is for Rhyme: A Poetry Alphabet by Judy Young with illustrations by Victor Juhasz. Among other things, I learned a few new poetry forms I’d like to try.
Silver Seeds by Paul Paolilli and Dan Brewer with illustrations by Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher with its beautiful metaphors and images.
I don’t know if I’ll read a full book every day, but I’ll do the best I can.
And here’s a monotetra I wrote after taking an early morning walk along the beach and catching the sunrise:
A New Day
Sunrise offers a dazzling sight,
One bright star bids adieu to night,
Sky shifts to purple, pink, and white.
Ribbons of light. Ribbons of light.
Like seabirds dancing in the tide,
Scavenging food, hitching a ride,
On this day I cast my net wide.
Joy as my guide. Joy as my guide.
Draft, Rose Cappelli 2023
Mary Lee has the roundup today at A(nother) Year of Reading. Be sure to stop by for lots of poetry goodness and a look at a piece of Mary Lee’s beautiful embroidery. I’ll be away this weekend babysitting the grands, so I’ll catch up on comments next week.
Imagine the Possibilities 
oooooh that repetition in the last line, ends your poem so well. I love that. Three cheers for poetry books that come with specific memories! I love that too. Cheering you on in the Sealy challenge! I would have loved teaching with you.
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Thanks, Linda! So many memories in the books I own. And it’s so interesting to read them again, years later, from a different perspective.
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Ahh…your monotetra is just perfect! “Joy as my guide” is a fantastic mantra, and deserving of repetition!!
I’m with you, reading mostly children’s poetry books for Sealey this year, but I went the other direction — I’m trying to read as many released in 2023 as possible. Without a classroom, how else to stay current?!? 🙂
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Thanks, Mary Lee!
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Rose! I can’t think of a better guide than joy. Lovely! And yay for all your reading. Thank you for the blurb – super helpful! xo
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Thanks, Irene!
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Wish I had such ambition in August! Best I could do is commit to opening James Crews’ THE PATH OF KINDNESS. Joy is definitely my guide!
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Your monotetra is beautiful! Those repeating four syllables in both stanzas work perfectly as a kind of meditation on beauty and gratitude. I’m trying the Sealey, too, and am reading some books for the first time, but some are old favorites I loved and haven’t read in years.
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Beautifully done monotetra, Rose! I love hearing that some of the books come with memories.
memories. And “joy-filled, I imagine.
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I’d like to have joy by my side as a guide. I wish we could take a walk together and talk poetry. I’m trying the Sealy Challenge and so far, so good.
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Beautiful, Rose! What treasures & inspirations you’ve unearthed in your reading challenge adventure. Thanks for sharing with all of us!
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I really love that you’re revisiting favorite collections from teaching. It’s so true that they each have a memory. And I love your beach monotetra.
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I, too, am trying to read a book a day for the Sealey Challenge too. I have some new books and some revisits like some Naomi Shihab Nye books. I have to look up monotetra and try it. I love the last line.
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Rose, enjoy the Sealey Challenge. I’m trying the daily reading for the first time this year. I usually read a few poetry books in August, trying to take a stab at the challenge, but this year I’m going for it. I love your monotetra about the beach, especially those closing messages: “ribbons of light” and “joy as my guide” Beautiful!
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