Thursday, April 21, 2016

Five for Friday: Celebrating the Bard



Methinks it's time for a Five for Friday party! 

Not just any Five for Five party, a Five for Friday BIRTHDAY party in honor of my pal William Shakespeare! Tomorrow he turns 452. I'm not sure he'll be able to join us (apparently he's still thinking it over), but the party IS in his honor and I hope YOU will join us! (Goodness knows, it's no fun partying alone... especially during National Poetry Month.)

Lord Polonius: What do you read, my lord?
Hamlet: Words, words, words.
 
"Shakespeare's words" – photo by Meg

Thanks to Jama Rattigan for her marvelous review of WILL'S WORDS (Charlesbridge, 2016) last week and to Mr. Cornelius for inspiring today's theme with his mouth-watering display of refrigerator magnet poetry.

It's been a while since our last Five for Friday party, so let me remind you how to play:

Come up with five words (plus title if you wish) based on a theme. 

That's it. Easy peasy, right? Just leave your five words in a comment (or, if you have difficulty leaving a comment, email them to TodaysLittleDitty (at) gmail (dot) com) and I will move them to the main body of the post.

What should you write about? 

Anything! Feel free to borrow one or more of Shakespeare's words, OR, for those of you seeking more of a challenge, here are some partial quotes from Shakespeare's plays and sonnets:

  • To be or not to be...
  • All the world's a stage...
  • We are such stuff as dreams are made on...
  • What's in a name...
  • If music be the food of love...
  • To thine own self be true...
  • The course of true love...
  • Love looks not with the eyes...
  • Out, damned spot...
  • Shall I compare thee to a summer's day...
  • Romeo, romeo...
  • A horse! A horse!...

Choose one as your title and go from there! You can be as contemplative or as frivolous as you like. If you want to use "Out, damned spot" as your title and write about last weekend's laundry dilemma, I say go for it ...but keep it to five words. Ay, there's the rub!

I've started us off with two examples.


TO BE OR NOT TO BE

holding dice 
in my hands

– Michelle Heidenrich Barnes


A HORSE! A HORSE!

                                             F r e e d o m
will not be harnessed.

– Michelle Heidenrich Barnes


LOVE LOOKS NOT WITH THE EYES...

That's the job
of lust.

– Diane Mayr


THE DEVILS ARE HERE

The lunatic,
lover,
and poet.

– Matt Forrest Esenwine


IF MUSIC BE THE FOOD OF LOVE . . .

sharp words will
cause indigestion.

– Linda Baie


OUT, DAMNED SPOT

You've soiled the carpet
again.

 – Renée LaTulippe


WHAT's IN A NAME?

Uninviteds -
Lady Lousewort,
Sir Swinecress

– Jan Godown Annino


WE ARE SUCH STUFF AS DREAMS ARE MADE ON …

tontine, latex, foam
or rock

–  Kathryn Apel


THE WORLD'S MINE OYSTER

Poetry Friday
is a pearl

– Tabatha Yeatts


FIND TONGUES IN TREES

words on wind
just listen

– Brenda David Harsham


TRUE NOBILITY IS EXEMPT FROM FEAR

Confidence is easiest
on offense

– Leane Gill


ET TU, BRUTE?

Was it something I said?

ET TU, BRUTE?

You—friend? No enemies needed!

ET TU, BRUTE?
 
#Backstabbers  Song 4 U:  O’Jays

– cbhanek


HEART OF GOLD

Fair Michelle
Darling Ditty Pie

– The Flaming Youth 


THE COURSE OF TRUE LOVE

Floods sorrows
Swells JOY's oceans

– Becky Shillington


WE ARE SUCH STUFF AS DREAMS ARE MADE ON ...

Wings of infinity
Butterflies believe

– Jessica Bigi


WHAT'S IN A NAME...

Generations
Humanity’s
Faces uniting
Hero's

– Jessica Bigi


SHALL I COMPARE THEE TO A SUMMER'S DAY?

Sweat upon my weary brow!

– Janie Lazo


TO THINE OWN SELF BE TRUE

Remember,
this, too,
has boundaries.

– Mary Lee Hahn 


THERE'S MAGIC IN THE WEB OF IT...

The spider's dew-dappled lace.

– Catherine Flynn


THE COURSE OF TRUE LOVE

begins
when the eyes
see

– Margaret Simon


A HORSE! A HORSE!

And possibly
a laying hen?

– Penny Parker Klostermann


TO THINE OWN SELF BE TRUE ...

hence—
write from the heart

– Penny Parker Klostermann


IF MUSIC BE THE FOOD OF LOVE ...

sing loud
of chocolate truffles

– Penny Parker Klostermann


THE PAST IS PROLOGUE

Flowers wilt
Fallen seeds bloom

From remnant DNA
spring dinosaurs
Curiosity satisfied
breeds further questions

Bedtime stories
become “one more”

– Sydney O'Neill



Bill says, "Thanks for hangin' out at my party!"          Photo: Miranda


This is the last week to submit your "echo"-inspired poem before our wrap-up celebration next Friday! Featured poems this week included ones by Kate O'Neil, Lani (a 4th grader), Angelique Pacheco, and Matt Forrest Esenwine. Thanks also to Margaret Simon, Carol Varsalona, Molly Hogan, and cbhanek for sharing DMC poems at their own blogs!





Hey! Guess who's hosting this week's Poetry Friday roundup? Wouldn't you know, it's Jama Rattigan! There's always a treat waiting at Jama's Alphabet Soup.





37 comments:

  1. Party on, Dude-ette!

    LOVE LOOKS NOT WITH THE EYES...

    That's the job
    of lust.

    ReplyDelete
  2. THE DEVILS ARE HERE

    The lunatic,
    lover,
    and poet.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Oh what fun!

    If Music be the food of love . . .

    sharp words will
    cause indigestion.

    ReplyDelete
  4. OUT, DAMNED SPOT

    You've soiled the carpet
    again.

    ***
    GAH! Where did you get that wooden Shakespeare guy?! I must have one!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Haha! I knew that damn spot would make for a lively verse. :) I wish I knew where to find the wooden Will, Renée! I found him on Flickr Creative Commons... alas, the Miranda who took the picture is not my Miranda. I imagine he must be available online somewhere, though.

      Delete
  5. Surely, you jest? Jest have a lotta fun!

    WHAT's IN A NAME?

    Uninviteds -
    Lady Lousewort,
    Sir Swinecress

    ReplyDelete
  6. Fun challenge, Michelle. (You have so many!!) Your freedom poem is so clever! My offering...

    We are such stuff as dreams are made on …

    tontine, latex, foam
    or rock

    ReplyDelete
  7. THE WORLD'S MINE OYSTER
    Poetry Friday
    is a pearl

    ReplyDelete
  8. FIND TONGUES IN TREES

    words on wind
    just listen

    ReplyDelete
  9. What a fun PF invite. Emailed you. Thank you!

    ReplyDelete
  10. HEART OF GOLD

    Fair Michelle
    Darling Ditty Pie

    Love,
    The Flaming Youth
    xo

    ReplyDelete
  11. Love these, Michelle! Here is my attempt:

    THE COURSE OF TRUE LOVE

    Floods sorrows
    Swells JOY's oceans

    ReplyDelete
  12. Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? Sweat upon my weary brow!

    ReplyDelete
  13. TO THINE OWN SELF BE TRUE

    Remember,
    this, too,
    has boundaries.

    Thanks for the party! I agree with Tabatha -- PF is DEFINITELY a pearl!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Now you've got me thinking about my boundaries, Mary Lee... and about which ones are flexible and which ones are not.

      Delete
  14. Thanks for a fun challenge, Michelle!

    THERE'S MAGIC IN THE WEB OF IT...

    The spider's dew-dappled lace.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Oh my! These are awesome! I'll have to mull this challenge over as I go about my day.

    ReplyDelete
  16. The Course of True Love

    begins
    when the eyes
    see

    ReplyDelete
  17. How fun! Thanks for this, Michelle.

    A Horse! A Horse!

    And possibly
    a laying hen?

    To thine own self be true...

    hence—
    write from the heart


    If music be the food of love...

    sing loud
    of chocolate truffles

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. These are great, Penny– I especially love the last one. My kingdom for a truffle! ;)

      Delete
  18. This is wonderful Michelle everyones poems are amazing

    ReplyDelete