Welcome to our DMC end-of-month celebration!
By all appearances, this may look like a Halloween party, but it's much better.
It's a HalloZENO PARTY!
At the beginning of this month, J. Patrick Lewis challenged us to try out a new verse form he invented called the "zeno." Based on the mathematical "hailstone sequence," he defines the zeno as a 10-line poem with 8,4,2,1,4,2,1,4,2,1 syllables that rhyme abcdefdghd.
A deceptively tricky form, the challenge still managed to produce a colorful cast of characters and an overflowing bag of sweet treats. I can't say that I'm surprised by the popular turnout, but to say that I'm impressed by the results would be an understatement. The enthusiastic feedback I've received from teachers and poets of all ages makes me believe that today is not the end of a monthly challenge, but the beginning of a zeno revolution.
Thank you, Pat, for allowing me the pleasure of introducing a new poetic form that is undoubtedly here to stay.
So grab a seat at the table, why don't you...
and enjoy this feast of zenos, brought to you by the Ditty of the Month Club. All poems are copyright 2014, published with permission of the authors, who control all rights.
ABOUT THE ZENO FORM:
The Hailstone Sequence
by Matt Forrest Esenwine
Mathematicians’ mystery,
numbers rise, fall
(hence, the
name) –
any way it
starts, they
claim,
surely always
ends the
same.
On Hailstones, Fibonacci Numbers, and Equational Poetry
by Matt Forrest Esenwine
As a poet, I have studied
Shakespeare, Chaucer,
Poe and
Plath –
but with all this
in my
path,
now I wish I'd
studied
Math.
What in the world is a Zeno?
A type of poem
I don't
know.
I learned its rules
just now.
So,
I will write one –
here I
go!
by Lori Degman
Leave it to that J Pat poet
(prolific man!)
to toss
this
new form our way -
(Did I…
miss?
The word count’s off?)
Hold on…
Yes!
by Robyn Hood Black
STUDENT ZENOS:
Ice Cream in Summer
by Miranda Barnes (7th grade)
I lick, lick, lick my ice cream cone
But somehow one
Drop still
Slips
Past my sticky
Finger-
Tips.
On my shorts it
Drip, drip
Drips.
Why
by Vannisa (5th grade)
In the future, we never know
for it is a
mys-ter
y.
Thinking about
his-tor
y
confuses us
yes-sir
y.
Nightmares
by Tyler (6th grade)
nightmares haunting you in your sleep
everyone of your
dreams turn
wood
into black ash
helpless
would
sandman come turn
bad to
good.
Overestimated numbers
To most people
Easy
Fun
It's not lethal
Breezy
Run
They're all equal
Freely
One
by Nigel (6th grade)
Bad Luck
by Kielan (5th grade)
The pyramid stunt crashing down
while we should have
struck a
pose
The witch pulled my
painted
toes
When that darn bee
stung my
nose!
And two zenos by Emily (4th grade):
Vanilla is my favorite
flavor of all
ice cream
treat
Rocky road runs
second
eat
yummy,yummy
drip,drip
sweet
Bird Zeno*
A phenomenon of beauty
A flock of black
Awesome
Flight
A black flock phase
Beauty
Bright
A transition
Takes shape
Might
*Watch Emily's movie version HERE.
FROM A CHILD'S EXPERIENCE...
On Hand and Knees
by Kristi Dee Veitenheimer
Why do toddlers tend to stay so
dirty? Because
they ex-
plore
giant world
from the
floor,
always striving
to see
more.
When my Children Were Young
by Kristi Dee Veitenheimer
The worn edges tell a far great-
er tale than the
one told
in
the book. Quiet
moments
when
they were being
read to
then.
Catch a Falling Star
by Sydney O'Neill
I need to catch a falling star,
paste it on my
head real
tight.
I won't have to
say stuff
right.
Everyone will
see I'm
bright!
Learning
by Patricia Podlipec
I love to read my science book,
and learn new words.
Here are
two:
"Wildebeest" is
called a
"gnu,"
Look and try to
find some,
too.
Wishy Fishy
by Jan Gars
Wishy fishy fat and squishy
Are you hiding
In my
Bed?
Are you blue or
Are you
Red,
Or a vision
In my
Head?
Really?
by Jan Gars
I've enjoyed our conversation
And I'd love to
Stay, you
See,
But will you please
Excuse
Me?
'Cause I really
Have to
Pee!
Winner?
by Bridget Magee
Hide and seek is not for the meek.
"Ready or not
here I
come!"
After midnight
feeling
dumb.
Still hiding in
the trunk,
numb.
Reunion
by Charles Waters
Book bag swaying, heart rate pumping,
Racing home so
I can
Hug
My best friend, his
Name is
Doug,
A wrinkly faced
Baby
Pug.
Anticipating recess time:
“Mother, may I”,
seesaw
day.
Cartwheeling, jumps,
swing and
sway
four square, kickball,
hopscotch
PLAY!
by Linda Baie
...TO THE ACHES AND PAINS OF ADULTHOOD:
First Call
by Matt Forrest Esenwine
Books and bags unpacked, the act is
that he’s glad he’s
on his
own,
a young boy’s life
long out-
grown
until he hangs
up the
phone.
Illusion
by Linda Baie
Exaggerated alibis
cannot excuse
being
late.
Don’t imagine
I can
wait–
no debate-fired.
bitter
fate.
Ouch
by Sally Murphy
I put my back out when I yawned
Now I’m feeling
Really
Sore.
I wish I knew
Some way
For
Never yawning
Any
More.
Ouch!
by Ellen Leventhal
On the treadmill every day I’m
running, walking
to get
fit.
Yet it feels like
body’s
hit.
Butt so sore, can’t
even
sit!
ZENOS INSPIRED BY NATURE...
In silence, stillness emerges.
Quietude flows.
Nature
Peaks.
Open your heart
Bold and
Meek.
The Divine One
Listens–
Speaks.
by Carol Varsalona
In October apples ripen,
orchards are full.
Fruit hangs
thick.
Plump, juicy macs,
winesaps,
slick
with morning dew.
Fun to
pick!
by Catherine Flynn
First storm of autumn: drenching rain,
leaves tumble down.
Branches
sway.
Morning quiet,
darkness
stays.
Changing season
shortens
days.
by Jone MacCulloch
Painted Sky
by Cathy L. Mere
Ev'ry sky a quiet surprise
Each in background
Brightest
blue.
Made of color
ev'ry
hue.
Each masterpiece
painted
new.
Cathy has another sky zeno posted at Merely Day By Day.
... AND ANIMALS:
A Field Mouse Meets an Owl at Midnight
by Laura Purdie Salas
I hear the hollow warning call
just before a
feathered
sky
drops down around
my small
cry.
EEK! I squeak. It's
no good-
bye–
A Spider Zeno
by Margaret Simon
Black and yellow garden spider
spinning silent
silky
traps
catching stupid
insects
wraps
careful zig-zag
deathly
traps.
After a Long Winter’s Sleep
by Buffy Silverman
Garter snakes awake in spring and
flick their tongues, then
slither-
slide,
poke their heads where
earthworms
hide,
snap and swallow:
worm in-
side!
Ode to Lucy's Ears*
by Tabatha Yeatts
Sleek black waves bounce so charmingly
as she bounds a-
long. Her
style
is so fancy-
free, we
smile
widely while her
ears be-
guile.
*See a photo of Lucy' and her ears HERE.
Elephants Never Ever Forget
(Inspired by the reunion of Jenny and Shirley)
by Susannah Buhrman-Deever
A twenty-year separation
forgotten in
seconds
your
voices rumble
and the
floor
shakes and your hearts,
so full,
soar
ZENOS FROM THE DARK OF NIGHT...
Night Cries
by Jan Gars
Haunting cries that pierce the blackness,
Calls for mate the
Whip-o
Will.
Cloak of darkness
Covers
Hill.
Winds are calm and
Life is
Still.
Southern Star
by Jan Gars
Southern star enlightens heaven
In the darkness
Of the
Night.
Burns a path of
Glowing
Light.
Guiding Venus
On her
Flight.
Passages
by George A. Heidenrich
Rolling in the dark on the train
Railroad crossing
Pulsing
Light
While we're passing
In the
Night –
All too quickly
Gone from
Sight.
Worrying About Worrying
by Vivian Kirkfield
Psychophysiological
Insomnia
I can’t
sleep.
Perhaps I’ll try
to count
sheep.
What if they fall
when they
leap?
...AND HALLOWEEN-INSPIRED ZENOS:
Uninvited
by Gayle C. Krause
The witches don their ritzy hats
with sequins, plumes,
and bows.
Gee!
They forgot to
beckon
me–
to their 'Fright Night'
Witches'
Tea.
Thoughtless
by Michelle Heidenrich Barnes
My dear, I'm rotten to the core.
How repulsive
could I
be?
Forgive my brain-
eating
spree...
though yours tasted
heaven-
ly.
Jack's Lament
by Matt Forrest Esenwine
"Scary!" "Spooky!" "Ghoulish!" I had
such high hopes for
what they
said –
yet, not one soul
seems to
dread
just an empty
pumpkin
head.
*Click HERE to see Matt's visual interpretation.
Matt has another Halloween zeno featured today on Radio, Rhythm & Rhyme.Witch's Kitten
by Joy Acey
Giant, furry witch's kitten
sits on her broom,
flies to-
night.
Zipping, zooming
dips in
flight.
Shadows the moon
causing
fright.
Cemetery Screams
by Joy Acey
In the cemetery you hear
screams and wonder
who yelled
BOO!
Dead Zombies watch
all you
do
and they're coming
to get
you!
Joy taught the zeno form at a senior community workshop. Here are two more they came up with together:Doorbell Rings
Trick-or-treaters stand at my door,
keep demanding,
wanting
some
cookies, candy
apples
gum,
leaving nothing–
not a
crumb.
Spooky Night
In the dark night of Halloween
clouds are drifting
sky so
dull,
over water
a sea
gull
carries in his
claws a
skull.
Jone MacCulloch posted a Halloween zeno today over at Check It Out.
Margaret Simon shares Emily's chilling chalk zeno over at Reflections on the Teche.
And there you have it, ghouls and goblins!
 |
| From "The Raven" by Edgar Allen Poe; design by happyperson133 |
If you made it to the end in one sitting, wow! That was 48 zenos you just read through. There's still room for more if you would like to send me yours. You'll have to be quick, though:
Oops, this offer has expired!
(But I hope you'll continue to practice with this form anyway.)
(But I hope you'll continue to practice with this form anyway.)
Participants in this month's challenge will be automatically entered to win a copy of J. Patrick Lewis' newest collection of poetry, EVERYTHING IS A POEM: The Best of J. Patrick Lewis. (One entry per participant, not per poem.)
Alternatively, you may earn an entry into the giveaway by commenting below. If you contribute a poem and comment below you will earn two entries in total. Comments must be received no later than Monday, November 3rd, 2014.
The winner will be determined by Random.org and announced next Friday, November 7th, when we feature our new Spotlight ON interview and ditty challenge.
Good luck!
(It's Halloween, after all– you may need it!)
(It's Halloween, after all– you may need it!)
Linda Baie is brave enough to host the Halloween edition of Poetry Friday. Head over to TeacherDance for today's spine-chilling roundup.
Wow, what a response! Some really well done poems here. (I have to admit, they were addictive - I'm featuring another myself, today!) Thanks again for sharing them, Michelle.
ReplyDeleteGreat Matt, can't wait to read it!
Delete(Loved the poem you recently posted on David Harrison's WOM challenge too!)
Thank you, Michelle! I felt a bit awkward posting something that long and - well, not funny - but it's what I came up with!
DeleteI need to send this on to one teacher whose students are writing this week, Michelle. You have a book here, & your work to organize them is admirable and wonderful, too. I may send you one more I've been working on, just for fun! Thanks for a fun month of creativity!
ReplyDeleteSounds great, Linda! Thanks for encouraging zenos in the classroom– it's a great place for them to be! Looking forward to reading (and posting) your newest. :)
DeleteWhat a great collection of zenos. I especially liked the ones inspired by nature. Thanks for sharing all the zenos with us.
ReplyDeleteWhat a treat of poems from this month's challenge, Michelle! I loved reading these. Happy HalloZENO!
ReplyDeleteMichelle, who could believe that some many different types of zenos could be created in one month from your challenge. I enjoyed reading all the different versions and absolutely was enthralled by the way you organized the collection, a true compliment to J. Patrick Lewis, the creator of the zeno form. BTW your Halloween gathering at the beginning of the post is charmingly creepy. Off to celebrate Halloween now!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Carol. :)
DeleteIs this the most popular form you have featured? My students love it and are choosing it over and over. Emily is becoming quite the zeno master. She wrote another one for our Chalk-a-bration Chill-a-bration. Thanks for featuring so many of my kids. We love making connections to authors. It makes them feel so special and like real authors themselves.
ReplyDeleteYes, it is the most popular so far, Margaret. Though Laura Purdie Salas' month of water-themed cinquains comes a close second. Such a pleasure for me to feature your young authors this month! I'm grateful to have been able to play a small part in this massive wave of inspiration. And to Emily, YOU GO GIRL!!!
DeleteI tried, I really did, but this form bested me. Sigh. Because I workshop Fibonacci poems with elementary schoolers, I had fun reading Matt's poem " On Hailstones, Fibonacci Numbers, and Equational Poetry."
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you enjoyed that one, Laura!
DeleteSorry you experienced some frustration, Laura. I appreciate you trying, though. Another month, another challenge!
DeleteWhat a big fat juicy feast of zenos! Love all the different topics and voices. Great smorgasbord :).
ReplyDeleteWow so many! I got a bit cross-eyed towards the end. I've no excuse for not learning this now with all these wonderful examples. Happy Halloween!
ReplyDeleteI definitely think this was the most fun challenge that I've participated in so far!
ReplyDeleteWhat a smorgasbord of poetic delights! Oh, wait...I see Jama already used that word....
ReplyDeleteWhat a cornucopia of poetic delights! Thanks for posting them all in one place. Alas, my poor radish poem did not make it to revision in time, but it would have paled in comparison to these gems. Thanks to all the writers for a good read! :)
"Paled" might be a bit extreme, Renée. I'm still quite sure Karla Kuskin's spirit is smiling. And you get brownie points for trying!
DeleteThere always seems to be a party going on over here! I've been wanting to write a zeno all month. I guess mine will be a November zeno.
ReplyDeleteThat's the way I like it, Liz. :) I look forward to your November or any time of year zeno when you get around to writing one!
DeleteWhat a round up, Michelle! Amazing zeno poetry one and all! I especially love the student contributions - wow! Also, I chuckled at Sally Murphy's "Ouch" zeno about hurting your back when you yawn. My husband threw out his shoulder doing exaggerated "air quotes" for our teenage daughter. He will NEVER live that one down. LOL! =)
ReplyDeleteAs he shouldn't. ;) That's a parent's job, right? To keep our teens amused.
DeleteSo many ages/life stages represented! It was a delight reading them all. I've had my eye on JPL's new book but not my hands yet. Thanks to both of you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteLeave it to that J Pat poet
(prolific man!)
to toss
this
new form our way -
(Did I…
miss?
The word count’s off?)
Hold on…
Yes!
I feel like I should give you some kind of award for being the quickest zeno writer around, Robyn!
DeleteThis has been fun to watch. I'm amazed and impressed by the poems I've seen here. Thanks for posting all of these.
ReplyDeletePutting this post together was a lot of work, Michelle! Thank you so much. I read EVERY one...the kids did amazing! Thanks again for the opportunity to contribute - it was so much fun. :)
ReplyDeleteWow!! I admit that I haven't had a chance to read them all, but "Passages" by G. Heidenrich and Matt's math zeno jumped out at me. There's a lot to enjoy here, which is especially impressive given how difficult this form is!
ReplyDeleteThese were all such fun to read. I enjoyed the student poems.
ReplyDeleteI have really enjoyed the zenos this month. I thought I might get one written today and post it but look at the time! I'm tired and my brain is really tired. I'll just have to try it another time! Happy Halloween!
ReplyDeleteMichelle,
ReplyDeleteI have been trying zenos since I read your post. It's been nearly impossible for me. Reading through the zenos on your blog, I can only think how easy everyone makes it seem. So many fun to read poems.
Thanks for sharing this unique form and the work of so many poets,
Cathy
I had the same experience as Cathy. Nothing has come together after a month. The ones you posted above are all so good, I feel like an utter failure.
ReplyDeleteI will keep the sticky note, with the zeno form outline, near my keyboard so that after the "performance anxiety" dissipates I can try again. ;-)
Please don't feel like a failure, Diane. Knowing you, you knocked your socks off trying and that's what's important. If they weren't challenging, they wouldn't be called challenges right?
DeleteI'm sure you're right, take away the pressure and it will probably come more easily. And when it does, I hope you'll share with me privately, or on your blog, so I can help you celebrate!
For what it's worth, some people have told me that they find it easier to work backwards: find the ending first, the three rhymes, and then fill in the first line.
Lively looking table, Michelle! And what a feast of poems. I'm saving this for my kids (and me) to enjoy and inspire poems.
ReplyDelete