Happy Poetry Friday!
I’m celebrating a couple of events that are happening today. In addition to being Pi Day, there is a total lunar eclipse occurring in the wee hours of the morning. In a lunar eclipse, the moon passes through Earth’s shadow. Sunlight going through the edge of the atmosphere on either side of Earth gives the moon a reddish glow. This glow is said to be like every sunrise and sunset on the planet being reflected off the moon.
The last time a total lunar eclipse was visible in North America was in 2022. That event inspired me to write a picture book manuscript, “Owl and Moon,” that features a lunar eclipse. In the story, a curious young owl discovers moon and wants to know all about her. He asks lots of questions, but moon only answers in what she shows him. Owl learns that moon sometimes leaves for a time. He wants to know if she misses him when she’s away, and if she will always come back.
“Moon waited for the right moment to answer. One night, full and bright, she shifted into Earth’ s shadow and …
glimmered like gold, deepened to orange, then turned as rosy-red as Cardinal’s wing—
all the colors of sunrise and sunset, all the colors of love.
Snug in her hug, Owl knew Moon would always come back.”
In honor of Pi Day and the lunar eclipse, I’m offering three Pi-ku about the moon event. A Pi-ku is three lines with the syllable count 3-1-4.
full moon glows
red
lunar eclipse
blood worm moon
gleams
like a sunset
earth and moon
dance
through sun’s light beams
Janice has the roundup today at Salt City Verse where she is celebrating Women’s History Month with a tribute to nurses. Be sure to stop by for lots of poetry goodness.
Imagine the Possibilities 
These are fabulous, Rose. I love the brevity of pi-ku. I especially love the surprise of that second line and resolution of the third line in your first one.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks for the clear explanation of a lunar eclipse! So interesting and the pi-ku is a poetry form that would be so accessible and fun to try. Yours are so well done and a perfect topic for this form!
LikeLiked by 1 person
“Owl knew Moon would always come back.” What a comforting message for a child to read. Thanks for sharing your pi-ku. I’m using them to inspire my students to write today.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Rose, I enjoyed your excerpt from your PB MS. I love “glimmered like gold” and hearing all the short /u/ sounds in the last two lines. Such a relatable theme for children. In your Pi-ku I love how you have such beautiful images in such a small number of words. I especially love your last Pi-ku’s personification of
“earth and moon
dance
through sun’s light beams”
Great writing. Thank you for your inspiration.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Enjoyed the pi-ku, Rose — and reading the excerpt from Owl and Moon – sounds like such a sweet story. Thanks for the lunar eclipse info, too!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Rose, I enjoyed your Pi-Kus, especially the last one. The thought of earth and moon dancing is a joyous one. I would love to read your picture book manuscript.
LikeLiked by 1 person
So fun! I am putting this on my list of poetry to do with students next year! I love that yours focus on the moon.
LikeLiked by 1 person
We got up at 2:00am and watched until totality. You captured the eclipse perfectly in your pi-kus!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, Mary Lee. I was up watching, waiting, encouraged by the sight of the glorious full moon around 11:00 (the forecast was for cloudy skies.) Sadly, the clouds rolled in shortly after, so I missed it.
LikeLike
I set my alarm but overslept. I got at 3:20, but it was a bit too late. Thank you for your lovely pi-ku poems. You’re inspired me to add it to my list of forms to try! xo
LikeLiked by 1 person
I was up, but the cloud cover was too thick, so I missed it, too.
LikeLike
Rose, I love these Pi-ku! A perfect tribute to Pi Day and the eclipse. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Love the Pi-ku Rose. As others have said it’s a perfect accessible form for working with students – not a scary form of poetry. And to use it with the eclipse was a stroke of genius! We were going to get up to check out the moon the night of the eclipse but ended up now doing so – there were a lot of clouds when we went to bed so we ditched the idea.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Sadly, I missed it too because of the clouds.
LikeLiked by 1 person