DMC: "New Life" by Keri Collins Lewis

NEW LIFE

Tiny head
rests on my shoulder,
hand on my neck
curled in sleep,
delicate breaths
fill me with peace. 

© 2020 Keri Collins Lewis. 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.

DMC: "Sharing" by Keri Collins Lewis

SHARING

Dry summer
the cockroach sips from the puddle
in the kitchen sink. 

© 2017 Keri Collins Lewis. All rights reserved.


Click HERE to read this month's interview with Carol Hinz, Editorial Director of Millbrook Press and Carolrhoda Books, divisions of Lerner Publishing Group. Her challenge this month is to write a poem that finds beauty in something that is not usually considered beautiful.

Post your poems on our November 2017 padlet. While some contributions will be featured as daily ditties this month, all contributions will be included in a wrap-up celebration on Friday, November 24th. One lucky participant will win a copy of The Sun Played Hide-and-Seek: A Personification Story by Brian P. Cleary, illustrated by Carol Crimmins, and published by Millbrook Press earlier this year.

DMC: "Competition" by Keri Collins Lewis

COMPETITION

I sense you behind me,
silent, scheming
sneaking a glance over my shoulder.

Test grades.
Text messages.
Timed sprints.

So I study longer.
Bury my crush.
Push harder.

You won’t catch me,
because every time you try,
I will transcend myself.

© 2017 Keri Collins Lewis. All rights reserved.


Jeannine Atkins has challenged us to write a poem that uses personified feeling. For more details, click HERE.

Post your poem on our February 2017 padlet.  All contributions will be included in a wrap-up celebration on Friday, February 24th, and one lucky participant will win a personalized copy of her latest novel-in-verse from Atheneum Books/Simon & Schuster:

DMC: "Silent Guidance" by Keri Collins Lewis

SILENT GUIDANCE

For all you didn’t say – thanks.

The stiletto heels I bought for too much money
and the blisters they left behind.

The dangerous-looking boy who turned out to be
less Mr. Right and more Mr. What Was I Thinking?

The nights my friends and I stayed up
far too late laughing far too loudly.

The strange diets.
The stranger mood swings.

College applications.
Job applications.

For all the times I know you wanted to say,
No. Wait. What are you thinking?
but didn’t – thanks.

Your loving silence helped me find my own way.

© 2016 Keri Collins Lewis. All rights reserved.


Kenn Nesbitt has challenged us to write poems for our mothers this month. Click HERE for more details.

Post your poem on our October 2016 padlet. All contributions will be included in a wrap-up celebration on Friday, October 28th, and one lucky participant will win an autographed copy of Kenn's delightful new anthology, forthcoming from Little, Brown Books for Young Readers on November 1, 2016:

What I did on my summer vacation...

Photo: Wes Peck

Hello, friends!

It's been a long, hot summer— even by Florida standards. 

Time off is always welcome, of course, but now that I'm refreshed, I'm stepping away from the lawn chair a few days early to fill you in on some exciting news. 

Here's a hint...

I have Keri Collins Lewis to thank for this shining spark of a ditty (and her husband for the gorgeous photograph), which she sent along with a fun polka dot journal. This was my first time participating in Tabatha Yeatts' Summer Poem Swap.  I only dipped in a toe (just one swap), but feel like I made out big time!


So...?  Did you guess my big news?

THE BEST OF TODAY'S LITTLE DITTY, 2014-2015 is under way!

Yes, it's really happening. Admittedly, this is the first time I've published an anthology so I'm figuring things out as I go, but my goal is a November 2016 release. I have been blessed with an amazing ditty committee who approached the responsibility of deciding which poems to feature in a serious and thoughtful manner. The only thing they agreed upon was that it wasn't easy! And while all the decisions have not been confirmed (I've still got a bit of tweaking to do), I would be remiss not to mention the committee members individually and thank them publicly for their efforts!

LeeAnn Blankenship
Matt Forrest Esenwine
Stephanie Farrow
Michelle Kogan
Renée LaTulippe
Diane Mayr
 Margaret Simon
Donna Smith
and Tabatha Yeatts

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

I've also made a few changes to the blog—not so many that the place is unrecognizable, but enough to make things more streamlined, user-friendly, and manageable.

The first thing you may have noticed is the link at the top of the page for submitting your poem to the current DMC challenge. If you click on the link now it won't lead you anywhere, but come next week when we have our new August challenge, it will take you to a padlet.

What's a padlet?

A padlet is basically a blank, online page that anyone can contribute to. Well, not anyone anyone. You have to get there via my link and when you leave something on the padlet, it will need my approval before it shows up (merely a safety precaution to prevent spam).


Using a padlet has a number of benefits, but perhaps the most exciting is that you can participate in real time. Instead of emailing me your poem and waiting for me to post it, sometimes not until the end of the month, you can visit the padlet any time during the month to post your work and see what others are contributing. Another benefit is that you maintain control of your own work. Post your poem by typing directly on the padlet, cutting and pasting your poem onto the padlet, or dragging and dropping files (including pictures and videos). If you post your poem and decide later on that you want to make changes, you can come back and edit. No biggie.

I will still be selecting several poems to post on TLD as daily ditties, but maybe not every weekday as I have been. I also may not give you advanced notice, so if you haven't already, you might want to subscribe to the blog in order to keep tabs. You can do that in the sidebar to the right where it says "Follow TLD by Email."

And speaking of the sidebar, I've made a couple other blog changes that should make a meaningful difference—past spotlight interviews and past challenges are now more accessible. While the DMC star logo in the sidebar used to take you to the current month's challenge, it now takes you to an alphabetical listing of all DMC challenges to date (the wrap-up celebrations). Likewise, clicking on "Spotlight ON Interviews" (below the DMC logo) takes you to an alphabetical listing of all interviews to date.

You may notice some other changes to the blog, but these are the big ones. I hope folks won't be turned off by using Padlet. You'll discover it's really easy when you give it a try. There are some terrific interviews lined up for this fall and I would hate for you not to participate!

End of Summer, by Julie Falk

Did I mention it's good to be back?  I've missed you.

Today's Poetry Friday roundup is graciously brought to us by Margaret Simon at Reflections on the Teche.

DMC: "What Do the Hawks Know?" by Keri Collins Lewis

WHAT DO THE HAWKS KNOW?

What do the hawks know?
     To wait and watch, then zoom and munch.
     Talons pack a one-two punch.
     Not all prey has the same crisp crunch.

What do the hawks know?
     When spring winds blow, act on a hunch.
     Feathers may ruffle, wings bunch.
     Not every effort results in lunch.

© 2015 Keri Collins Lewis. All rights reserved.

"Hawkeye" - Steve Jurvetson 

Joyce Sidman has challenged us to write a "Deeper Wisdom" poem this month. What's a Deeper Wisdom poem, you ask? Click HERE for details.

Send your wise words 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, January 30th, and one lucky participant will receive an autographed copy of Joyce's gorgeous new collection of children's poetry:

Haiku Garden: Keri Collins Lewis

Have you noticed lately? 

The autumn-inspired poems are picking up like a brisk breeze, blowing through Poetry Friday. 

In Florida, Mother Nature rarely dresses up for autumn.  She's too fond of her flip-flops and cut-offs, I suppose. Yet I always enjoy seeing and hearing about the seasonal changes that are taking place elsewhere.  It brings back wonderful memories of my childhood in New York, my college years in Connecticut, and those first few years on my own in Boston. Despite the disappointing show of color down south, the feelings that autumn evokes for me are as strong as ever.  It seems a bit ironic that this time of year, when nature is gently retiring, should be so hopeful, fresh, and optimistic in my mind, but it is.

Today I am welcoming Keri Collins Lewis to the Haiku Garden.  Judging by the poem she's brought with her, it's possible I'm not the only one who feels this way:

Photo: © XFour. All rights reserved.

                  now that it has fallen
                  the leaf’s underside
                  can see the sky

                  © 2014 Keri Collins Lewis. All rights reserved.


Isn't that beautiful? I so admire how Keri finds a poetry form that speaks to her, be it cinquains this summer or haiku this autumn, and diligently practices and improves upon her craft until her work positively glows. You can discover Keri's thoughts on poetry, books, and life at her blog, Keri Recommends.

Thank you, Keri, for bringing your glow to the Haiku Garden.

For those who missed last week's interview with J. Patrick Lewis and his tantalizing new DMC challenge, the "zeno," you can find all the details HERE.  So far I've featured zenos from Matt Forrest Esenwine, Miranda Barnes, Kristi Dee Veitenheimer, and Lori Degman, with several more in the pipeline.  I hope you'll send me yours!

The best way to read these featured daily ditties is to follow my blog via email or RSS, or to like my writer's page on Facebook. All of these methods are available in the sidebar to the right. (On Facebook, though, make sure you also go directly to my writer's page, click on the "Liked" drop down menu and check "Get Notifications.")

This week's Poetry Friday roundup is being hosted by Tricia Stohr-Hunt at The Miss Rumphius Effect. 

DMC: "The Ballad of Odyssey" by Keri Collins Lewis

Sung to the tune of "Oh My Darling, Clementine"


The Ballad of Odyssey

In a cavern, in a canyon
at the bottom of the sea
lived an ancient, giant squid
and his daughter, Odyssey.
 
Through the darkness
this pair hunted
for the fish that brought them glee,
but the old squid found a new love
and abandoned Odyssey.
 
Then a sperm whale
snuck up on her
as she swam alone and free,
all those tentacles could not save her
and he ate dear Odyssey.
 
Oh my darling, oh my darling, oh my darling, Odyssey,
You are just part of the food chain,
that’s the way it’s meant to be.

© 2014 Keri Collins Lewis.  All rights reserved.

For a video of a giant squid, click HERE; for more info, click HERE

Tamera Will Wissinger has challenged us to come up with a parody or tribute poem this month.  (Click HERE for details.) There are only two more days to join in the fun! Send your poem no later than 5:00 p.m. EDT on July 31st to TodaysLittleDitty (at) gmail (dot) com or use the contact form in the sidebar to the right.

All participants will be entered to win a copy of Tamera's 

delightful new picture book, THIS OLD BAND.