I read a lot of Mary Oliver’s poetry. A few weeks ago I copied this line from her poem “Swimming One Day in August” in my notebook:
“…it will be time again for the deepening and quieting of the spirit.”
Then I jotted down a few things that deepen and quiet my spirit, and “words” came to mind. Yesterday I took that idea for my poem, “Growing a Story.”
Growing a Story
I put pen to paper
hoping to begin with the right word,
the best word
(there are so many from which to choose)
just one,
then another will arrive
to keep the first company
(we all need friends)
the friends will ask others to join in,
and they will grow into
phrases,
sentences,
images,
until they become…
a story.
For today’s Poetry Roundup please visit Karen Edmiston* Thanks, Karen!
Happy Valentine’s Day! There are so many ways to show love and kindness – a gesture, a smile, a caring act. And while Valentine’s Day is most often associated with romantic love, it can (and should, in my opinion) be a celebration of everyday love in all its many forms.
For today’s poem I decided to write a rhyming couplet (not my usual structure for a poem) and celebrate a grandmother’s love.
A Valentine for Nina
You’ve captured my heart.
I hold you in my arms,
No escaping your charms.
Ten fingers, ten toes
As soft as a rose.
Those eyes bright as sunlight
In a sky blue and white.
Your smile is a gift
Sure to soothe any rift.
The music of your voice
Leaves me no choice –
You’ve captured my heart.
You can also read a rhyming story poem I posted earlier this week for Susanna Leonard Hill’s Valentiny Contest here.
Today’s Poetry Round Up is at Teacher Dance. Thanks, Linda!
I love challenges, especially writing contest challenges! They give me a focus and help me stretch as a writer. So today, I’m participating in Susanna Leonard Hill’s 5th Annual Valentiny Writing Contest. The challenge: write a Valentine story in which someone or something is curious, appropriate for kids, in 214 words or less. Thanks for reading!
Rusty and Rosie by Rose Cappelli (187 words)
Rusty rose from his den On a cold winter day, When his world was arranged In a most special way.
He spied hearts on the hillside And hearts on the trees. Hearts on the leaves Blowing by on the breeze.
Heart shaped rocks on the path Rusty couldn’t ignore. His questioning mind Made him want to know more.
He followed them down To a grove of tall pines, Where hearts on the bark Were the next special signs.
Heart shaped rocks in the stream Kept his paws fairly dry, As Rusty continued His quest to learn why.
He discovered more shapes On the opposite shore, Where blackberry hearts Led to Rosie’s front door.
Rusty knocked right away And she answered quite quickly. “I hoped you would come,” Rosie said rather briskly.
She invited him in Where he saw a huge sign- WILL YOU PLEASE, RUSTY FOX, BE MY SWEET VALENTINE?
So they huddled and cuddled The rest of the day. Dined on blackberry hearts Baked in blackberry tarts.
And they promised each other On stars up above, They would always find hearts To remind them of love.
I was looking through some of my books this week for Nonfiction Fest and came across one by Phil Bildner. The book is about a real person, but since there are embellishments, it is classified as fiction. In an Author’s Note, Phil Bildner explains that he came across an article about the subject and wanted to know more. He decided to write the book in the spirit of a folktale, incorporating such things as repetition and exaggeration. It is a wonderful book that can be used with children in and out of the classroom, so I chose for today’s Perfect Picture Book Friday.
Title: Marvelous Cornelius
Author: Phil Bildner
Illustrator: John Parra
Publisher: Chronicle Books, 2015 Fiction
Audience: Ages 5-10
Themes: Modern folktale, everyday heros
Opening lines: In the Quarter, there worked a man known as Marvelous Cornelius. “Mornin’.” He salutd the silver-haired man with the Times-Picayune tucked under his arm. “Greetings.” He waved to the couple with the baby on the balcony. “Ma’am.” He nodded to the woman shaking rugs out at her front window.
Synopsis: (from Amazon) In New Orleans, there lived a man who saw the streets as his calling, and he swept them clean. He danced up one avenue and down another and everyone danced along. The old ladies whistled and whirled. The old men hooted and hollered. The barbers, bead twirlers, and beignet bakers bounded behind that one-man parade. But then came the rising Mississippi—and a storm greater than anyone had seen before. In this heartwarming book about a real garbage man, Phil Bildner and John Parra tell the inspiring story of a humble man and the heroic difference he made in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
Why I Like This Book: Here are just a few of the reasons I think this book is a standout:
Following the title page, before the story starts, there is an inspiring quote from Martin Luther King, Jr. about the importance of doing a job well.
The opening spreads set the scene and reveal the character.
It contains marvelous language, especially verbs – sashayed, shimmied, strummed, whirled.
I learn so much from watching Renee LaTulippe’s Peek & Critique videos. And they are a wonderful review of much of what I learned in her Lyrical Language Lab course. In this week’s lesson we were challenged to write a free verse poem about a character or an event and reveal as much as possible in as few words as possible. My poem is loosely based on memories of my mother, but this character is much more confident. My mother was very intelligent and in some ways independent, but she never saw that in herself. I wish she had. So this poem is for her and how it might have been.
