Monday, May 25, 2015

DMC: "Bell" by Bridget Magee





BELL

Bell is a ringing word,
a brass singing word.
*ding* the aroma of dinner
*ping* a jackpot winner
*dong* time to worship and pray
*gong* time to call it a day
Bell vibrates,
eardrums gyrate.
Bell quivers,
listeners shiver.
Bells are shiny, bells are weathered,
bells are held, bells are tethered.
Can a bell be unrung?
can a song be unsung?

© 2015 Bridget Magee. All rights reserved.



Nikki Grimes has challenged us to try a wordplay exercise this month and create our own free verse poems. Click HERE for all the details.

Send your poem 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, May 29th, and one lucky participant will win a personalized copy of Nikki's brand new picture book:





12 comments:

  1. Thank you for this, Bridget. I posted it on Memorial Day because I felt it was particularly poignant when thinking about the Liberty Bell. Especially those last two lines.

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    1. Thank YOU, Michelle, for sharing my poem. You are a shiny bell in the children's poetry community! =)

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  2. Beautifully done, Bridget. I tried bell, but seemed to be stuck with only a school bell! You've captured so much here, great rhythm too, like a bell!

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    1. Thanks, Linda! I can understand why you'd choose a school bell! =)

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  3. Terrific exploration of so many kinds of bells, Bridget! Thanks for sharing your poem, and thanks, Michelle, for featuring it.
    "Can a bell be unrung?" - now that's fun to ponder....

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    1. Thanks, Robyn! An unrung bell would be no fun. =)

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  4. This is lovely. I especially "eardrums gyrate."

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    1. Thanks, Rosi! Gyrating eardrums can be a mixed blessing. =)

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  5. Lana Wayne KoehlerMay 25, 2015 at 7:09 PM

    Thanks, Bridget. Your poem rings true. Thanks, too, Michelle for a thoughtful Memorial Day tribute.

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    1. Thank you, Lana, I appreciate your "ringing" endorsement. =)

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  6. Bridget--This is wonderful. I love all the different sounds and what they signal. I love bell quivers, listeners shiver. That really captures it for me. But that's not all, you also end with those wonderful questions! Thanks for sharing this.

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    1. Thank you, Liz! I suppose unringing a bell would be like unknowing what you know or unseeing what you've just seen. =)

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