Surprise! It's a blog swap!
My daughter Miranda and I have flown over to a penny and her jots for her "a Great Nephew and a Great Aunt" series today. We hope you'll visit us there. Here, I'm featuring Penny's fabulous free verse poem for Nikki Grimes' wordplay challenge.
SHADOW
Shadow is a long word
stretching out behind the old shed,
keeping me a secret until
“Olly, Olly Oxen Free!”
Shadow is a friendly word
sticking to my feet,
meeting my fingers as we tag base.
Shadow is a sneaky word
tugging me back
to a stretched-out, secret place
where we both disappear.
© 2015 Penny Parker Klostermann. All rights reserved.
Be sure to check out the other free verse poems featured this week by Elizabeth Steinglass, Lana Wayne Koehler, Maria Marshall, and Diane Mayr.
If you would like to participate in this month's ditty challenge, 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 on Friday, May 29th, and one lucky participant will win a personalized copy of Nikki's brand new picture book:
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A shadow poem! I love it, esp. that 'stretched out secret place' -- thank you, Penny & Michelle! xo
ReplyDeleteThanks, Irene. I was reliving my childhood.
DeleteIsn't that a great phrase? One of my favorites as well!
DeletePenny didn't specifically mention that "shadow" is a friendly word, but that's the conclusion I drew from this fun poem!
ReplyDeleteYes...friendly is the message I wanted to leave :-)
DeleteLook again, Diane. ;) But I agree, Penny's take on "Shadow" is refreshingly light and playful.
DeleteI like how very physical and tangible Penny makes this incorporeal word! Nicely done.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Tabatha.
DeleteI agree, Tabatha. I think if I had played with this word, I would have come up with something considerably murkier.
DeleteLove this, Penny!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Matt :-)
DeleteWhat a lovely "shadow" poem! I love reading this kind of poetry. Thanks so much for sharing, Penny and Michelle!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Becky. The challenge was so much fun.
Delete"Olly, Olly, Oxen Free!" - what memories! Excellent poem, Penny! Thanks for sharing, Michelle! =)
ReplyDeleteYes! Wonderful memories for me. We played so many summer evenings.
DeleteLove it, Penny! Wow! I didn't know you write free verse.
ReplyDeleteHa! I usually don't, but Nikki's challenge was irresistible.
DeletePenny, your comment makes me so happy. I love to hear that folks are stretching themselves with these challenges!
DeleteSuch wonderful imagery, Penny. Love the old shed and how you both disappear. Marvelous!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Renee!
DeleteYes, the imagery is fantastic! After reading it, I felt like this poem came straight out of my own memory bank, I could see it that clearly.
DeleteFun poem, Penny! Especially love the first 4 lines. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jama. The first four lines are my favorite, too. When I picked
ReplyDelete"shadow" for my word I immediately thought of my grandma's backyard and the long shadows that were perfect for hide and seek.
I really love this one and agree with Jama. The first four lines are terrific.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Rosi!
DeleteWonderful, fun poem.
ReplyDeleteYes truly wonderful, Penny!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Catherine. This is a fun challenge. You should try it!
DeleteThis is such a fun look at this word. As Michelle said, my mind went elsewhere with "shadow." Thanks so much for sharing, Penny & Michelle!
ReplyDeleteI actually went out in my yard to "pretend" this poem and make sure that the shadow and I would touch the tree at the same time, and that when we turned to run and hide that the shadow would be tugging me instead of the other way around. I could see it in my mind, but I had to make sure. So it was a very playful day :-)
DeleteHow I LOVE that you conducted research for this poem, Penny!
Delete:•)
DeleteNice job, Penny! I love that you acted out your poem to get it just right -- that is a true commitment to your craft. Makes me want to write a poem about ice cream . . . :-)
ReplyDeleteLOL, Keri!
DeleteOh! Great idea :-)
DeleteOH, DANG. The gremlins snatched my comment. BLAST those dirty little gremlins! Penny, I adore your shadow poem. It brought me straight back into my childhood. What beautiful times they were.
ReplyDeleteThose gremlins:•/
ReplyDeleteThanks, Robyn. Glad it took you back to beautiful times.