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| "Imagine" by MeganAllen |
Poetry is the shadow
cast by our streetlight imaginations.
– Lawrence Ferlinghetti
Tuesday, March 31, 2015
Friday, March 27, 2015
March DMC Wrap-Up + Giveaway
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| "Seasons" by SpecterCody |
At the beginning of the month, Margarita Engle challenged us to write a tanka. She asked us to think of it as a travel diary in five lines (short, long, short, long, long), using fewer than 30 syllables. Even if we chose to stay close to home, Margarita encouraged us to "seek the resonance that enters a poem only when it is touched by the stillness of nature."
It's my distinct pleasure to share with you the marvelous garden of poetry I received over the past four weeks. For ease of reading, I've divided the tanka into groupings based on the four seasons. Admittedly, not all of the poems were conveniently compartmentalized – those found soil wherever I chose to plant them.
I hope you enjoy this celebration of the natural world around us. Thank you, Margarita, for the opportunity to gather so much beauty in one place.
All poems are copyright 2015, and published with permission of the authors, who control all rights.
SUMMER...
Yellow jacket warn.
Prickly pear bloom fruity barb.
Will me still.
Bird sing behind red wing.
I am listening.
~ NoNieqa Ramos
Nighttime
Chiming crickets
Chatter after natures
Crying jag, earths perfumed
Scent drifts from saturated clay
Into my spirit.
~ Charles Waters
Fireflies hover in
Summer, mirroring Obon’s
Boats with lanterns on
Their sterns, carrying the light
Of ancestors to heaven.
~ Jayne Moraski
Fluctuating Flight
Legs and wings flailing,
the crane fly hovers spasticly
in my air space.
Its erratic flight pattern
causes me turbulence.
~ Bridget Magee
Relocation Service
Wiggling through dirt
squiggling past roots and rocks
seeking the best rot
captured by small hands caressed
and carried to distant berms.
~ Maria Marshall
Embrace puppy face.
Wet kiss, soft snuggly warm snout.
World an adventure –
First sip from a bowl – play time.
Dunks face, paw, and then all in!
~ Leane Gill
At the water’s edge
gulls screech at my invasion,
skitter-scatter ;
only the waves, dauntless,
whisper closer in welcome.
~ Keri Collins Lewis
Wet mounds form turrets.
Set back from incoming waves.
Sand castle haven –
Waves wash our troubles–playtime.
Driftwood drawbridge connects us.
~ Leane Gill
Orange and red sky,
Ball of gold sun horizon.
I watch from window.
Day’s end brings comfort to me.
Time to eat, relax, and sleep.
~ Leane Gill
AUTUMN...
Autumn Tanka
chilled winds chase summer
horsetail clouds etch azure skies
showy leaves float free
chevrons of geese sail above
winter knocks at the window
~ Rosi Hollinbeck
Still as a statue
keen eyes scan the field below,
spot a flash of gray.
Swooping down on silent wings,
red-tailed hawk scoops up breakfast.
~ Catherine Flynn
Invasion
"TINK" on the fireplace
lured me to the living room
glass vase overturned
horrified to spy possum
boldly invading my space
made a barricade
broom thrust into hissing face
frightful bared teeth
no room here for both of us
trespasser ushered outside
~ Kristi Dee Veitenheimer
Kicking flakes of soil
Startled by a stirring noise
A black horse swished by
On his way out of the barn
Kitten munching on some grain
~ Robyn Campbell
Ireland
Patchwork of verdant
fields speckled with cows and sheep,
Ancients stones whisper
legends behind castle walls,
Winds etch cliffs covered in time.
~ Kathleen Mazurowski
WINTER...
Snow day, a home day.
Facebook travels fail
my bucket list dreamings
of treks through mountain forests,
Swims through blue green waters.
~ Linda Mitchell
City Snowfall
Loud, yellow plow trucks
push new snow aside, away,
for slow-moving cars
that carefully watch us slide
cheering, down the dirty mounds.
~ Matt Forrest Esenwine
By the Christmas tree
a shiny yellow dump truck
with wheels the size of
saucers, wrapped in a huge red bow,
waits for the boy’s shouts of joy.
~ Catherine Flynn
robin lingers
-feathers tremble in the breeze-
soaks in sun’s rays,
holds tight the winter-dried stalk.
flies home, carpentry needed
~ Linda Baie
her ashes in a box
on the passenger seat
late winter sun
the ground and I will thaw
when the time is right
~ Diane Mayr
SPRING...
The chill says "morning,"
says "alive" as layers of light
unfurl for crows overhead
they call, respond --
they know where they're going.
~ Tabatha Yeatts
Sun overlooks
blessing a lonely smoke stack.
Coulee wildflowers
preach yellow sonnets
while moon graces morning clouds.
~ Margaret Simon
Amidst a dry March,
this misty California
morning turned rainy.
I turn around to find a
rainbow, smiling upside-down.
~ Karin Fisher-Golton
deep, sleepy snow banks
melt beneath buttery rays
happy harbingers
stretch upward with verdant arms
daffodils awakening
~ Mindy Gars Dolandis
rain again last night
temperatures above freezing
two cocoons wait
it's been a long, dark winter
the right moment is coming
temperatures above freezing
two cocoons wait
it's been a long, dark winter
the right moment is coming
~ Mary Lee Hahn
Feeling inspired?
You have until Tuesday, March 31st, to send your tanka to TodaysLittleDitty (at) gmail (dot) com or use the contact form in the sidebar to the right.
Participants in this month's challenge will be automatically entered to
win an autographed copy of Margarita Engle's delightful picture book, ORANGUTANKA. (One entry
per participant, not per poem.)Alternatively, you may enter the giveaway by commenting below. If you contribute a poem and comment below you will earn two entries in total. Comments must also be received by Tuesday, March 31st.
The winner will be determined by Random.org and announced next Friday, April 3rd, when we reveal our new Spotlight ON interview and ditty challenge. Good luck!
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Thursday, March 26, 2015
DMC: "Narcissus" by Michelle Kogan
Poem and illustration © 2015 Michelle Kogan.
All rights reserved.
Margarita Engle has challenged us to write a tanka this month. She suggests we think of it as a five-line travel diary about a subject of our choice. Click HERE for more details.
Send your tanka to TodaysLittleDitty (at) gmail (dot) com, or use the contact form in the sidebar to the right. All contributions will be included in a wrap-up celebration TOMORROW, March 27th. One lucky participant will win an autographed copy of Margarita's delightful new picture book:
Wednesday, March 25, 2015
DMC: "her ashes in a box" by Diane Mayr
her ashes in a box
on the passenger seat
late winter sun
the ground and I will thaw
when the time is right
© 2015 Diane Mayr. All rights reserved.
Margarita Engle has challenged us to write a tanka this month. She suggests we think of it as a five-line travel diary about a subject of our choice. Click HERE for more details.
Send your tanka to TodaysLittleDitty (at) gmail (dot) com, or use the contact form in the sidebar to the right. All contributions will be included in a wrap-up celebration this Friday, March 27th. One lucky participant will win an autographed copy of Margarita's delightful new picture book:
Tuesday, March 24, 2015
DMC: "Autumn Tanka" by Rosi Hollinbeck
Autumn Tanka
chilled winds chase summer
horsetail clouds etch azure skies
showy leaves float free
chevrons of geese sail above
winter knocks at the window
© 2015 Rosi Hollinbeck. All rights reserved.
Margarita Engle has challenged us to write a tanka this month. She suggests we think of it as a five-line travel diary about a subject of our choice. Click HERE for more details.
Send your tanka to TodaysLittleDitty (at) gmail (dot) com, or use the contact form in the sidebar to the right. All contributions will be included in a wrap-up celebration this Friday, March 27th. One lucky participant will win an autographed copy of Margarita's delightful new picture book:
Monday, March 23, 2015
DMC: "The chill says 'morning'" by Tabatha Yeatts
The chill says "morning,"
says "alive" as layers of light
unfurl for crows overhead
they call, respond --
they know where they're going.
© 2015 Tabatha Yeatts. All rights reserved.
Margarita Engle has challenged us to write a tanka this month. She suggests we think of it as a five-line travel diary about a subject of our choice. Click HERE for more details.
Send your tanka to TodaysLittleDitty (at) gmail (dot) com, or use the contact form in the sidebar to the right. All contributions will be included in a wrap-up celebration this Friday, March 27th. One lucky participant will win an autographed copy of Margarita's delightful new picture book:
Thursday, March 19, 2015
Laura Shovan: List Poem Workshop
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| Carissa Rogers, Flickr Creative Commons |
Things to celebrate today:
- Poetry Friday
- The first day of Spring
- March Madness, Round Three
- TLD contributer, Laura Shovan, is back with another terrific post about bringing poetry into the classroom – YIPPEE!
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Thanks for inviting me back to Today’s Little Ditty, Michelle.
I am developing a new poetry workshop for elementary schoolers: list poems. Today, I’d like to take you through the steps of how I create a poetry workshop for young writers.
When I’m putting together a new poetry session, my first task is to read and research poems. I am rereading an anthology of list poems for children, FALLING DOWN THE PAGE, A BOOK OF LIST POEMS, edited by Georgia Heard (Roaring Brook Press, 2009). As I read, I note poems I think the students will enjoy. Since this is an elementary workshop, I also look for poems that have an easy-to-follow structure, ones that students can model their own writing on.I begin to think about the writing skills I hope to target. For elementary schoolers, I usually focus on one or two writing techniques in a lesson. In this workshop, I’m going to highlight sensory detail and imagery. (My favorite poems from FALLING DOWN THE PAGE are ones that include specific examples.) The second skill I want students to work on is ordering their lists.
This is the heart of the workshop. When we get an idea for a poem, we might brainstorm first. But what do we do with all of the thoughts, phrases, and jotted words? How does that material transform from notes on a page into a poem? Just like a to-do list, the key to a great list poem is how the details are prioritized. If we describe images and examples in a random order, we have little more than a list. But if we give care to the order of these items, that’s when a poem is born, whether it’s in the form of a list or not.
In particular, I plan to emphasize the importance of a poem’s closing lines. Writers might want to save the best for last—choosing a cool idea or including a surprise in the poem’s finale. This leaves the reader with something to think about.
Let’s look at a model. Here is Heidi Stemple’s list poem from FALLING DOWN THE PAGE, “Under My Bed” (used by permission):
UNDER MY BED
By Heidi Stemple
Under my bed
a party rocks
with dust bunnies and unmatched socks.
The guests line up
to do-si-do
Two by two and heel to toe—
A stuffed brown bear
with a missing ear,
a mitten knit with
a red reindeer.
A shoestring,
and a candy cane,
my sweater with the grape juice stain.
My favorite blanket
I thought I lost
and a sneaker that I must have tossed.
The book I was reading
but didn’t like
and the seat from my cousin’s ten-speed bike.
And, though my guests have had lots of fun,
it’s cleaning day—
this party’s done!
© Heidi Stemple, 2009
This poem is used with permission of the author and may not be further reprinted except with her expressed permission.
After I read this poem to students, I’ll ask them to point out favorite lines. We’ll also look for the items on the list that seem important to the speaker. We might discuss what we know or can guess about this person based on the things under her bed. (Does she have a sweet tooth? Maybe he seems forgetful.)
We’ll spend some time looking at the way the final stanza closes the poem. The reader gets a little surprise: Why has the speaker been cataloguing what’s under his bed? Because he’s cleaning!
Older writers will feel comfortable generating topics for their own list poems. I like to give elementary schoolers a little more structure. Using Heidi’s poem as a model, I’ll suggest the theme: “In This Place, You Will Find.”
This could be:
• Found in my deskI like this topic because it’s concrete, but students can choose something that suits their own lives and interests. There are other poems in FALLING DOWN THE PAGE that fit the “In This Place, You Will Find” theme, including “Lost and Finds” and “Walking Home from School I See” by Rebecca Kai Dotlich.
• Hiding under my bed
• In the refrigerator
• In my room
• My back yard or garage
• The craft drawer or the junk drawer
• A neighborhood walk
When I’m teaching poetry, I like to write a group poem at the board, with contributions from the whole class (if there’s time!). This allows me to model the writing process, which will include these steps:
1. Choose a list poem topicI’m not teaching the list poem workshop until April, when I will be in residence at Northfield Elementary. Be sure to visit my arts education blog, Author Amok, where I’ll have student list poems from this lesson. As always, after running the list poem workshop with the Northfield third graders, I’ll have lots of ideas about how to improve this session!
2. Brainstorm items for my list
3. Decide on an order – save something important or surprising for last
4. Write a first draft
5. Share
I’d like to send a big thank you to Heidi Stemple for giving me special permission to post her poem, “Under My Bed.” And thanks, Michelle, for hosting me today!
Laura Shovan is poetry editor for the literary journal Little Patuxent Review and of two poetry anthologies. Her chapbook, Mountain, Log, Salt and Stone,
won the inaugural Harriss Poetry Prize. She works with young poets as a
Maryland State Arts Council Artist-in-Residence. Her debut
novel-in-verse for children, THE LAST FIFTH GRADE OF EMERSON ELEMENTARY,
will be published in spring of 2016 (Wendy Lamb Books). Laura blogs
about arts education at AuthorAmok.Read Laura's other posts on Today's Little Ditty:
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Before I send you off on your Poetry Friday rounds, just a reminder that next Friday, March 27th, will be the end-of-month wrap-up celebration for Margarita Engle's DMC challenge. If you haven't sent in your tanka yet, this would be a good time to do so! This week we were treated to poems by Linda Mitchell, Matt Forrest Esenwine, Leane Gill, and Kristi Dee Veitenheimer.
Also, I've been having a blast with #MMPoetry, and can't thank you enough for all the votes and other kind support that have carried me this far! I'm quite proud of my Round Three poem and hope you will take a look at my match up with Randi Sonenshine (who also wrote a killer poem). If you're reading this on Friday, VOTING IS CURRENTLY UNDERWAY! Please vote for your favorite poem, regardless of the poet's name attached to it.And finally, the winner of last week's giveaway: JONE MACCULLOCH! Congratulations, Jone, on winning a copy of TOASTS: The Perfect Words to Celebrate Every Occasion, edited by June Cotner and Nancy Tupper Ling.
DMC: "Invasion" by Kristi Veitenheimer
Invasion
"TINK" on the fireplace
lured me to the living room
glass vase overturned
horrified to spy possum
boldly invading my space
When Kristi first sent this in, I told her I needed to know how the story ends.
How thoughtful of her to send in this tanka sequel:
made a barricade
broom thrust into hissing face
frightful bared teeth
no room here for both of us
trespasser ushered outside
© 2015 Kristi Dee Veitenheimer. All rights reserved.
Margarita Engle has challenged us to write a tanka this month. She suggests we think of it as a five-line travel diary about a subject of our choice. Click HERE for more details.
Send your tanka to TodaysLittleDitty (at) gmail (dot) com, or use the contact form in the sidebar to the right. All contributions will be included in a wrap-up celebration on March 27th. One lucky participant will win an autographed copy of Margarita's delightful new picture book:
Wednesday, March 18, 2015
DMC: "Embrace puppy face" by Leane Gill
Embrace puppy face.
Wet kiss, soft snuggly warm snout.
World an adventure –
First sip from a bowl – play time.
Dunks face, paw, and then all in!
© 2015 Leane Gill. All rights reserved.
Margarita Engle has challenged us to write a tanka this month. She suggests we think of it as a five-line travel diary about a subject of our choice. Click HERE for more details.
Send your tanka to TodaysLittleDitty (at) gmail (dot) com, or use the contact form in the sidebar to the right. All contributions will be included in a wrap-up celebration on March 27th. One lucky participant will win an autographed copy of Margarita's delightful new picture book:
Tuesday, March 17, 2015
DMC: "City Snowfall" by Matt Forrest Esenwine
City Snowfall
Loud, yellow plow trucks
push new snow aside, away,
for slow-moving cars
that carefully watch us slide
cheering, down the dirty mounds.
© 2015 Matt Forrest Esenwine. All rights reserved.
Margarita Engle has challenged us to write a tanka this month. She suggests we think of it as a five-line travel diary about a subject of our choice. Click HERE for more details.
Send your tanka to TodaysLittleDitty (at) gmail (dot) com, or use the contact form in the sidebar to the right. All contributions will be included in a wrap-up celebration on March 27th. One lucky participant will win an autographed copy of Margarita's delightful new picture book:
Monday, March 16, 2015
DMC: "Snow Day" by Linda Mitchell
Snow day, a home day.
Facebook travels fail
my bucket list dreamings
of treks through mountain forests,
Swims through blue green waters.
© 2015 Linda Mitchell. All rights reserved.
Margarita Engle has challenged us to write a tanka this month. She suggests we think of it as a five-line travel diary about a subject of our choice. Click HERE for more details.
Send your tanka to TodaysLittleDitty (at) gmail (dot) com, or use the contact form in the sidebar to the right. All contributions will be included in a wrap-up celebration on March 27th. One lucky participant will win an autographed copy of Margarita's delightful new picture book:
Thursday, March 12, 2015
Tanka, TOASTS, and Total Madness
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| "Spring" by Sera Photography |
Well, helloooo!
It seems Spring has decided she's going to arrive after all.
In honor of that fact, I decided to write a tanka about winter. (Huh?) Florida style. It's my contribution for Margarita Engle's Ditty of the Month Club challenge, as well as Carol Varsalona's upcoming Winter Whisperings gallery.
(Now that it's not so frigid anymore, I hope you'll be less likely to pelt me with rotten oranges after reading it!)
I featured four other tanka this week by Margaret Simon, NoNieqa Ramos, Charles Waters, and Linda Baie. Margarita and I are both delighted with what we've seen so far, and there are plenty more on tap!
Speaking of "on tap"... look what else has arrived!
I just received my contributor copies for this lovely little book, where I'm honored to share page space with Charles Ghigna and many others.
For nearly 20 years, June Cotner has been the go-to for blessings, housewarmings, new babies, graces and all of life's rites of passage. Here, she joins forces with poet and author Nancy Tupper Ling to find the right words for every event. Toasts: The Perfect Words to Celebrate Every Occasion is the essential reference for any milestone where one needs to raise a glass.
Organized by category, this book contains famous sayings as well as lesser-known, original toasts for nearly every occasion under the sun. Inspiring and reflective, humorous and uplifting, you're bound to find just the right combination of words and tone to suit your needs. The book also contains a brief "Guide to Toasting" which includes key elements, presentation tips, and a few notes on etiquette to help those who lack confidence.
I have two selections in this book. Some of you may already be familiar with one of them, since I shared it for Mother's Day in 2013. Today, with Charles' permission (Thank you, Charles!), I'd like to share something of his instead... something we NEED to hear:
A TOAST TO SPRING
Bumblebees buzz,
Mockingbirds sing;
Hummingbirds hum–
Welcome Spring!
–Charles Ghigna
HEAR, HEAR!
Now, I know many of you are poets yourselves, and rarely at a loss for words. But I bet you might know someone who would benefit from this book! That's why I've decided to offer a random giveaway of one of my copies.
If you're interested in entering to win, please let me know in the comments to this post, or reply to one of my messages about the giveaway on Facebook.The winner will be announced next week.
Finally, I just wanted to say THANK YOU to everyone who voted for my poem in Round 1 of the March Madness children's poetry tournament. Here it is, for those of you who may have missed it:
GOAT GARDENERS
If your lawn is an unruly sight,
what you need is a KID’s appetite.
Call I-M-A-GOAT and ask for a quote.
We freelance – just pennies per bite.
Forget all that poisonous spray!
Leave US to your weedy buffet.
Goats never pollute and we’re awfully cute,
so act now and CALL US TODAY!
© 2015 Michelle Heidenrich Barnes. All rights reserved.
It's so exciting to be moving on to Round 2, but before I do, I'm glad I have the opportunity to publicly acknowledge my talented Round 1 opponent, Marcus Ewert, and his beautiful, "impromptu" tribute to Spring. Keep your eyes peeled for his new rhyming picture book, MUMMY CAT, out this July. I know I will – it looks adorable!
Back in 2013, March Madness was the event that first introduced me to the children's poetry community and the catalyst for me to start Today's Little Ditty. I was taken with so many of the vibrant children's poems in that year's competition, not the least of which were Marcus'. I honestly believe that it was knowing who I was up against this year that helped me to rise to the occasion and write a poem that I probably would not have otherwise written. Thank you, Marcus! And of course to Mr. Madness, himself – Ed DeCaria.
Next round, I'll be up against the fabulous Kathryn D. Harrison who blew me away with her first round poem, "MISSING:". I'm as excited as anyone to find out what she has to offer in Round 2! I hope you will continue to show your support for this fun competition. Every vote you cast is a vote for children's poetry. You can follow along with the competition at Think Kid Think.
Okay. I'm done blabbing now.
Please join Laura Shovan at Author Amok for today's Poetry Friday roundup and also a preview of her "dressed up" National Poetry Month project.