Thursday, May 28, 2020

May DMC Wrap-Up Celebration


Marco Verch

The little things? The little moments? They aren't little.
          – Jon Kabat-Zinn


At the beginning of this month, Margaret Simon challenged us to write poems of presence— mindful poems about the present moment. Mary Lee Hahn and Heidi Mordhorst took up the challenge with enthusiasm and turned it into a movement... or at least a hashtag on Twitter


that has been quietly bustling all month long. Combined with activity on blogs and other social media platforms, there were far more mindfulness poems this month than could possibly be captured on our humble DMC padlet. Nevertheless, we ended up with a diverse collection of more than 50 submissions that I'm proud to share with you today.

I marvel at so many of these insightful little gems—

poems from home . . .

"Mindfulness Meditation" by telwink

 from yards . . .

"Keeping the Balance" by Matthias Ripp

and gardens . . .

"Zen in the Gardens" by Joseph Illingworth

from our jaunts around the neighborhood . . .

"Mindfulness" by Paul Ritchie

poems that teach us
"Wherever you go, there you are."
                    – Jon Kabat-Zinn
Satish Krishnamurthy

and
"The things that matter most in our lives are not fantastic or grand. They are moments where we touch each other." 
          – Jack Kornfield
Sharon Pazner

Thank you to everyone who contributed poems this month—I was touched by them all. I hope they've helped you stay afloat as much as they've helped me.

"Mindfulness on Red Lake" by Steve Jurvetson

But most of all, my heartfelt gratitude goes to Margaret who came up with just the right challenge at just the right time.

Scroll through the poems below or CLICK HERE to open a new tab.

Made with Padlet


Inspired to add your own mindfulness poem to the collection? Visit Margaret's spotlight interview for instructions and then click on the pink dot with the plus sign to add your poem to the padlet. While there aren't many days left in May, I'll be leaving this padlet open indefinitely, so feel free to add to it at any point in the future.


At this week's Poetry Friday roundup, Mary Lee Hahn introduces readers to the Reading Without Walls challenge and multi-award-winning "activist poet" Marilyn Chin. Join her at A Year of Reading.





DMC: "Water's Meditation" by Lynn Vieira




WATER'S MEDITATION

still lake, reflecting
drop a pebble in, witness
thoughts, rippling outward

© 2020 Lynn Vieira. All rights reserved.



TLD reader Margaret Simon has challenged us to write a mindful poem about the present moment. Click HERE for more details and to add your poem to the padlet. While some poems will be shared as daily ditties this month, all contributions will be included in a wrap-up celebration tomorrow, Friday, May 29th.



Wednesday, May 27, 2020

DMC: "I Didn't See" by Kevin Hodgson (Dogtrax)




I Didn’t See

What I saw,
only in words

a single water
droplet dancing
off the edge of
the maple leaf

a young curious
fox watching
by the rocks of
the pine wood

a soft folding
flower shivering
in its blanket
of pink petals
 

© 2020 Kevin Hodgson (Dogtrax). All rights reserved.


TLD reader Margaret Simon has challenged us to write a mindful poem about the present moment. Click HERE for more details and to add your poem to the padlet. While some poems will be shared as daily ditties this month, all contributions will be included in a wrap-up celebration this Friday, May 29th.

Tuesday, May 26, 2020

DMC: "Wren" by Steve Peterson




WREN

A tiny wren searches
the cracks
the crevices
the low and
beneath-our-notice
places
the crawl and creep places
the afraid-of-
the-dark places

© 2020 Steve Peterson. All rights reserved.



TLD reader Margaret Simon has challenged us to write a mindful poem about the present moment. Click HERE for more details and to add your poem to the padlet. While some poems will be shared as daily ditties this month, all contributions will be included in a wrap-up celebration this Friday, May 29th.

Monday, May 25, 2020

DMC: "dawn whispers hello" by Sandie Vaisnoras




dawn whispers hello
I linger with my coffee
fear is still sleeping 

© 2020 Sandie Vaisnoras. All rights reserved.



TLD reader Margaret Simon has challenged us to write a mindful poem about the present moment. Click HERE for more details and to add your poem to the padlet. While some poems will be shared as daily ditties this month, all contributions will be included in a wrap-up celebration this Friday, May 29th.

Thursday, May 21, 2020

DMC: My #PoemsofPresence Diary




One of the silver linings of quarantine life has been the community spirit of reading and writing #PoemsofPresence together. Thanks to Margaret Simon's DMC challenge, keeping up with these "mindful poems about the present moment" on the padlet and on Twitter has not only kept me busy, it's helped to make me feel less isolated. My own focus has been on writing haiku because it makes the daily habit seem less daunting. Not that I haven't missed a few days anyway... but if you can't cut yourself some slack during a global pandemic, when can you??? I'll continue adding to my #PoemsofPresence diary over the coming week if you'd like to stop by again when the month is over.


M. H. Barnes
May 2

no presents
just presence
quarantine birthday


               May 3

               morning walk
               I count my steps
               to the next patch of shade


May 4

sorting my thoughts
into boxes
midday sudoku


Tom Lee

     May 5

     morning news
     a lively debate
     of birdsong







Sarah Laval
May 6

quarantine life
eyeing the grass
get its hair cut


May 7

afternoon tea
I welcome the sun
like an old friend


Richard Hurd
        
     May 9

     rush hour
     I mistake a cardinal
     for a stop sign

           
     May 10

     avoiding the sidewalk cracks
     six feet apart
     mother's day




  

 
Steve Schroeder
May 11

long afternoon
postponing my fresh start
one more day


May 12

florida spring
the shadow of the ceiling fan
lengthens


Margaret Simon
 
 
     May 14

     no more
     or less that she can handle
     open window




Rene Rivers

May 17

hawk king
the white pickets stand
at attention


May 19

a poem stuck
to the roof of my mouth
morning breath


M. H. Barnes


     May 20

     day's end
     my mask and armor
     laid to rest


                         May 21

                         day 59
                         the moss holds on
                         by a thread





yoppy

May 23

anthill
the lump in my throat
I can't swallow


May 24

a crowd of clover
congregates
sunday mass


ihave3kids
          May 25

          home workout
          coaxing my muscles
          out of lockdown


          May 26

          the scenic route
          an empty nest
          around the next bend

         
M. H. Barnes

May 28

high school graduation
doomsday
takes a back seat


May 29

clouds
exploded into shrapnel
days like these


Tomáš Píšek, "The end will bring beginning"


               May 30

               afternoon nap
               resting my mind
               and expectations


                         May 31

                         saying goodbye
                         in search of an ending that isn't
                         the end







* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *


If you missed last week's Classroom Connections interview with Laura Purdie Salas, you'll find it HERE. Random.org has determined that the winner of a copy of Secrets of the Loon, courtesy of Minnesota Historical Society Press, is...

JAMA RATTIGAN
Congratulations, Jama!




I wish we could extend our #PoemsofPresence challenge into June to feature more daily ditties—there are so many wonderful poems on the padlet, I can't possible share them all! But this is it, folks, only one week left to contribute your mindful poem about the present moment. (Next week we celebrate.) Featured ditties this week were by Sarah Grace Tuttle, Breighlynn, Mary Lee Hahn, and Michelle Kogan.


Carol Varsalona is hosting this week's Poetry Friday roundup at Beyond LiteracyLink. She's also sharing a sneak peek of her beautiful Nature Nurtures 2020 Gallery that I think you'll enjoy.

DMC: "Presence of Tree" by Michelle Kogan




PRESENCE OF TREE

I am tree…
I rise two stories and more
I have thirty plus years
I watch over windows
I reach into sky
I love all seasons, but
Spring awakens joy in me…
My little green buds begin emerging
My leaves climb out and winged seeds shoot up
Birds sit in my branches: sparrows, robins, and cardinals
An artist watches me,
Sometimes she sketches me.
Sun graces me and
Clouds shelter me
I… am… tree…
I am River birch
I am here for you
Come be with me…

© 2020 Michelle Kogan. All rights reserved.



TLD reader Margaret Simon has challenged us to write a mindful poem about the present moment. Click HERE for more details and to add your poem to the padlet. While some poems will be shared as daily ditties this month, all contributions will be included in a wrap-up celebration on Friday, May 29th.

Wednesday, May 20, 2020

DMC: "comet of crow" by Mary Lee Hahn




comet of crow
streaks across dark cloudy sky
contrail of bluejays

© 2020 Mary Lee Hahn. All rights reserved.



TLD reader Margaret Simon has challenged us to write a mindful poem about the present moment. Click HERE for more details and to add your poem to the padlet. While some poems will be shared as daily ditties this month, all contributions will be included in a wrap-up celebration on Friday, May 29th.


Tuesday, May 19, 2020

DMC: "What's Happening Right Now" by Breighlynn




WHAT'S HAPPENING RIGHT NOW

What's happening right here and now
I sit and think
writing
words
most things flowing
some fly
birds
 

© 2020 by Breighlynn. All rights reserved.


TLD reader Margaret Simon has challenged us to write a mindful poem about the present moment. Click HERE for more details and to add your poem to the padlet. While some poems will be shared as daily ditties this month, all contributions will be included in a wrap-up celebration on Friday, May 29th.


Monday, May 18, 2020

DMC: "Invasive grape vines" by Sarah Grace Tuttle




Invasive grape vines
tangle the top of the hemlock.
I have my loppers out,
ready to help.
But, there's a nest.
The cheeps are
    too young
    too delicate
    too precious...
Surely, the tree understands
why I wait.

© 2020 Sarah Grace Tuttle. All rights reserved.



TLD reader Margaret Simon has challenged us to write a mindful poem about the present moment. Click HERE for more details and to add your poem to the padlet. While some poems will be shared as daily ditties this month, all contributions will be included in a wrap-up celebration on Friday, May 29th.


Thursday, May 14, 2020

Classroom Connections with Laura Purdie Salas (Giveaway!)




I'm so pleased to welcome Laura Purdie Salas back to Today's Little Ditty! After her conspicuous omission from my Classroom Connections extravaganza for National Poetry Month in 2019, I'm finally able to feature her in a Classroom Connections post this year. Of course when I interviewed her (a couple months ago), the pandemic was not yet in full lockdown mode, but I think you'll find her classroom suggestions adaptable to distance learning as well.


TODAY'S READ

Secrets of the Loon

Laura Purdie Salas, Author (rhyming text)
Chuck Dayton, Author (back matter) and Photographer

Minnesota Historical Society Press
(April 28, 2020)
ISBN: 978-1681341583

For grades K-4

Purchase online via the publisher
Purchase online at Amazon.com
Purchase online at Bookshop.org (supporting independent bookstores)


SYNOPSIS

During her first summer with her parents and brother in the northland, Moon Loon has a lot to learn. Mom and Dad teach essential lessons, like how to catch and eat fish and how to avoid becoming a snack for snapping turtles. Moon Loon also discovers her secret skills, like how to float, how to dive, and—eventually—how to fly. This is a tale of wilderness, family, and independence.


A PEEK INSIDE

Text copyright © 2020 by Laura Purdie Salas. Photographs copyright © 2020 by Chuck Dayton.
From SECRETS OF THE LOON (Minnesota Historical Society Press).
























Summer wears sunshine or fog,
       soft and gray.
and skips by so quickly,
while Moon grows each day.

Eventually, Father's back
       runs out of space,
so the chicks each tuck under
       a one-wing embrace.
  
© 2020 Laura Purdie Salas. All rights reserved.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR


Former teacher Laura Purdie Salas believes reading small picture books and poems can have a huge impact on your life. She has written more than 130 books for kids, including Lion of the Sky (NCTE Notable, Kirkus Best Books, and Parents Magazine Best Books of the Year), the Can Be… series (Bank Street Best Books, IRA Teachers’ Choice), and BookSpeak! (Minnesota Book Award, NCTE Notable). Laura shares inspiration and practical tips with educators about poetry, nonfiction, and more at laurasalas.com.


CLASSROOM CONNECTIONS

Why is bringing poetry into the classroom important?

Poetry in the classroom is crucial for SO many reasons. A few of my favorites are:

•    Rhyming texts help with prediction and fluency.
•    Poetry can tackle deep, emotional topics in short, unintimidating texts.
•    Poetry is great for close reading. So many important details packed into so few words!

How might your book be incorporated into an educational curriculum?

It fits perfectly into a life cycle unit. It also has great links to units on:

•    migration
•    independence
•    animal adaptations
•    food webs

Can you suggest a specific classroom exercise related to your book?

Yes! One day when you have indoor recess and the kids are antsy, go to laurasalas.com/secrets and download this sheet: https://laurasalas.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Walk-Like-a-Loon.pdf. Lead your students through walking, paddling, diving, swimming, and paddling like a loon. Talk about differences between loons and people. The loon’s feet are waaaaaay far back on its body, making walking very difficult. It’s why loons hardly spend any time at all on land. Giving students a chance to act like loons will highlight how loons’ specific body traits (heavy bones, for example) affect their movements. And for a giggle, watch the book trailer at https://youtu.be/no7aP0zg6Pw and let kids try wailing like a loon!

What is a simple, practical tip for teachers when it comes to incorporating poetry in the classroom?

Read rhyming AND non-rhyming poetry with your students. I love verse (obviously), but non-rhyming poetry is equally valuable, and it will serve as a valuable mentor as students work on writing their own poems.

Can you recount a specific instance of when poetry impacted a student or group of students in a positive way?

I can’t tell you how many times, after an author visit when I’ve written poetry with students, a teacher has expressed surprise. They will tell me “he never participates,” or “that’s the first writing she has ever shared.” One of the most special moments I recall was when a (third-grade, I think) student wrote a poem about his mom, who had passed away not long before that. He stayed behind to share the poem with me. Having a small, safe place to put overwhelming emotions—that is one of the most important gifts poetry gives us.


CONNECT WITH LAURA PURDIE SALAS

Website: laurasalas.com
Blog: laurasalas.com/blog
Twitter: @LauraPSalas
Instagram: LauraPSalas
E-letter for educators: tinyurl.com/p5q54g8
Patreon: patreon.com/LauraPurdieSalas 

Look for Laura's first fully fiction picture book from Amazon/Two Lions this August. It's called  Clover Kitty Goes to Kittygarten and is about a kitty who finds school to be too loud, too crowded, too bright—just too much!

For more about Laura Purdie Salas at Today's Little Ditty, you can read our Spotlight ON interview (featuring Water Can Be...), my Book Love review (featuring A Rock Can Be...) and browse through a smattering of other posts, including poetry and writer resources, HERE.




Please join me in thanking Laura for divulging her secrets about how poetry, and specifically Secrets of the Loon, can be used in the classroom. Many thanks also to Minnesota Historical Society Press for offering a copy to one lucky Today's Little Ditty reader! To enter, leave a comment below or send an email with the subject "Loon Giveaway" to TodaysLittleDitty (at) gmail (dot) com by Tuesday, May 19th. The winner will be selected randomly and announced next Friday, May 22nd.

Click HERE to read more posts in the TLD Classroom Connections series.


I sure am glad this month has an extra Friday, because our padlet is chock full of wonderful poems and I need the extra week to feature as many of them as possible! Keep 'em coming! This week's daily ditties included poems by Keri Collins Lewis, Karen Eastlund, Diane Mayr, and Janet Clare Fagal. Don't forget that you can also post your poems on Twitter with the hashtag #PoemsofPresence. And if you're already posting poems on Twitter, please make sure to share 1-3 of your favorites here at some point during the month.

Speaking of favorites, what could be better than Jama Rattigan hosting the Poetry Friday roundup on National Chocolate Chip Day?!  Hello. You don't have to tell me twice. See you at Jama's Alphabet Soup! And I'm not the only one who posted about Secrets of the Loon today. Click HERE for Margaret Simon's review at Reflections on the Teche.