DMC: "Father's Day" by George Heidenrich

FATHER'S DAY

You're little now, but when you grow
what direction will you go?

A fireman, maybe, or a nurse?
Someone who studies the universe?
A dancer, a poet, a Mom or Dad?
You'll always make your Daddy glad.

So love your life, your dreams, your play time,
and don't forget to hug me anytime.

© 2019 George Heidenrich. All rights reserved.


Click HERE to read this month's interview with Karen Boss, Editor at Charlesbridge. Her challenge this month is to write a poem in second person, speaking directly to a kid or kids about something that you think is important for them to know.

Post your poem on our June 2019 padlet. While some contributions will be featured as daily ditties this month, all contributions will be included in a wrap-up celebration on Friday, June 28th. One lucky participant will win a copy of I Am Someone Else: Poems About Pretending, collected by Lee Bennett Hopkins and illustrated by Chris Hsu, available online for preorder, and coming to a bookstore near you on July 2, 2019.

DMC: "Twins" by George Heidenrich

For obvious reasons, Sylvia Vardell and Janet Wong's challenge to create a poem video was not well-suited for the pages of The Best of Today's Little Ditty: 2014-2015. Despite being such a unique and interesting challenge, the combination of summer vacations and technical difficulties meant that it also didn't get a huge response. My dad was one of the few folks who did respond, overcoming many technological obstacles in order to do so. Three years later, I'm still not sure if he succeeded because of relentless determination or because of his love for me, but I'm proud and grateful nonetheless. In honor of his (80th!) birthday today, I'd like to share "TWINS" as our first daily ditty in April. I wonder if anyone else might contribute a poem video to our potluck this month?

 

TWINS

The sleeping dreamers and the dreaming sleepers
pass through the same portal into the gray twilight.
One is excited, the other, not.
Whether they find their destiny depends
not on their diligence, but upon their imagination.
Destiny is what you make of it: to one, a pleasure,
the other, a nightmare.
Attitudes matter.

© 2012 George Heidenrich. All rights reserved.

The DMC challenge for National Poetry Month is to contribute to our Ditty Potluck. Follow the guidelines for any one of the last 28 challenges, choosing from the following recipes:

Click HERE for an alphabetical list of all the DMC challenges.

Click HERE for an alphabetical list of all the Spotlight interviews.

Post your poem on our April 2017 padlet and be sure to indicate which challenge you are responding to.  All contributions will be included in a wrap-up celebration on Friday, April 28th, and one lucky participant, chosen randomly, will select from the following:

Option 1: A set of 8 copies of The Best of Today's Little Ditty: 2014-2015 to use with a classroom or extracurricular group.

Option 2: One copy of The Best of Today's Little Ditty, plus a $20 gift card to purchase a poetry book(s) of your choice.

Option 3: A $25 gift card if you already have all the copies of The Best of TLD you need.

DMC: "Unsung Hero" by George Heidenrich

UNSUNG HERO

Things that make a hero:
Something you are
Something you have
Something you do
Being in the right place at the right time
Or something you don't even know about.

In the last group is Henrietta Lacks.
When she had cancer,
The doctors took it out.
Eventually she died.
The doctors discovered her cancer did not die.
They never told her.
They never asked her permission.
They experimented.

Her cancer is still alive more than 60 years later.
It has been the basis for discovering:
Many new drugs,
Cloning, polio vaccine,
Gene mapping, in vitro fertilization.
It even has its own name: HeLa.
All biology researchers the world over know about it . . .

But hardly anyone knows her name.

© 2016 George Heidenrich. All rights reserved. 

Read more about the subject in Rebecca Skloot’s book:  

THE IMMORTAL LIFE OF HENRIETTA LACKS.

Diana Murray has challenged us to write a poem about an unlikely hero this month. Click HERE for more details.

Post your poem on our August 2016 padlet. All contributions will be included in a wrap-up celebration on Friday, August 26th, and one lucky participant will win a personalized copy of her fun new picture book from Roaring Brook Press:

DMC: "Twins" by George Heidenrich

© 2012 George Heidenrich.  All rights reserved.

This is the LAST WEEK to get me your Poem Movie (or any other visual representation) in response to Sylvia Vardell's and Janet Wong's ditty challenge for June.  Send your video or picture file to TodaysLittleDitty (at) gmail (dot) com, or host it yourself and just send me the link.  On Friday I'll have the end-of-month wrap-up and giveaway.  Wouldn't you love to own your own complimentary copy of THE POETRY FRIDAY ANTHOLOGY FOR SCIENCE?  Here's your chance!  Don't let the opportunity slip by.

DMC: "Metamorphosis" by George Heidenrich

Metamorphosis

Waiting.
White snow; gray; black
Brings unrest to my heart.
Soft rain and breeze, buds turn to leaves –
Yea! Spring!

© 2014 George A. Heidenrich.  All rights reserved.

Laura Purdie Salas has challenged us to come up with a water-themed cinquain this month.  (Click HERE for details.)  If you would like to be in the running for a copy of Laura's new book, WATER CAN BE..., use the contact form in the sidebar to the right to send me your splashtastic poem!