DMC: "ALS" by Mindy Gars Dolandis

ALS

Your adventuresome disposition
craved more than Egypt, Hungary, Panama
An unchosen, formidable new journey:
Hello Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
Fourteen months, twenty-two days of living hell,
cane, wheelchair, six doctors, two hospitals

You lay optimistic, courageous,
very much alive albeit functions ceased
The enemy within seized all motor skills,
vocalization, respiration, deglutition
As I watched you slowly deteriorate,
your shining spirit beamed through weary eyes

You drifted off to eternity
I stood beneath a sea of black umbrellas
as we honored a life well-lived and well-loved,
the mother, grandmother, aunt, cousin, friend, acquaintance,
your presence whispering in the April wind
and the angels crying tears of rapture 

© 2020 Mindy Gars Dolandis. All rights reserved.


Our second of three challenges from My Shouting, Shattered, Whispering Voice: A Guide to Writing Poetry & Speaking Your Truth by Patrice Vecchione (Seven Stories Press, 2020) is to write a poem about a time you lost something or somebody. Click HERE for more details.

Post your poem on our April 2020 padlet. All contributions will be included in a wrap-up celebration on Friday, April 24th, and one lucky participant will win a copy of My Shouting, Shattered, Whispering Voice, courtesy of the publisher.

DMC: "Maltese at Six O'Clock" by Mindy Gars Dolandis

MALTESE AT SIX O'CLOCK

Beneath a sun-peaching sky
mini Marshmallow stroll-patroller
surveys his territory
yippy-yapping at all trespassers
secures dominion over
his home, yard, and grass-kissed sidewalk
           
© 2020 by Mindy Gars Dolandis. All rights reserved.


Buffy Silverman has challenged us to write a poem that uses combined or invented words. Click HERE for more details and to read this month's Spotlight ON interview.

Post your poem on our February 2020 padlet. All contributions will be included in a wrap-up celebration this Friday, February 28th, and one lucky participant will win a personalized copy of her nonfiction poetry picture book from Millbrook Press:

DMC: "Lake Reflections" by Mindy Gars Dolandis

LAKE REFLECTIONS

Sky welcomes morning
Cornflower and cumulus
Mirrored down below

Afternoon sparkles
Dance upon charcoal water
Sunshiny diamonds

Sunset upon glass
A brilliant double image
Coral rose lilac

Deepening twilight
Horizon disappearing
Ochre indigo

Midnight ebony
Crescent moon a tilted smile
Twinkling Polaris

© 2018 Mindy Gars Dolandis. All rights reserved.


Click HERE to read this month's interview with Julie Fogliano. She has challenged us to stare out the window and write a poem about what we see. You might even consider writing something down every day for a week:

At the end of the week, read through what you wrote and write your favorite bits on a separate piece of paper. I bet there will be a poem in there somewhere… see if you can find it.  – J. F.

Leave your poem on our May 2018 padlet. While some contributions will be featured as daily ditties this month, all contributions will be included in a wrap-up celebration this Friday, May 25th, and one lucky participant will win a personalized copy of her stunning new picture book from Roaring Brook Press:

DMC: "A Beautiful, Colorful Day..." by Mindy Gars Dolandis

Click HERE to read this month's interview with Carole Boston Weatherford. She has challenged us to write an abecedarian poem.

Generally each line (or word) of an abecedarian poem begins with A and continues in alphabetical order until you reach Z. For this challenge, you may start and end with whichever letters you choose, as long as they are sequential.

Post your poem on our September 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, September 29th. One lucky participant will win a copy of Schomburg: The Man Who Built a Library by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Eric Velasquez (Candlewick Press, 2017).

DMC: "Shrek" by Mindy Gars Dolandis

In November 2014, Bob Raczka challenged us to write haiku from the the point of view of our favorite monsters. Given last Friday's post, it seems appropriate to follow up with a monster-themed haiku, don't you think?


SHREK

Big, ugly ogre 

is not who I am inside

Fiona sees love

© 2017 Mindy Gars Dolandis. 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 this 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: "Ode to a Conch" by Mindy Gars Dolandis

ODE TO A CONCH

Beautiful conch, Neptune’s blushing sunset charm,
perfumed by saline sand and seaweed. I lift your
cool, smooth alabaster to my ear and you
sing a whooshing symphony, a
melodious banquet that feeds my soul. 
What mysteries do you hold? The
history of eons. 

© 2017 Mindy Gars Dolandis. All rights reserved.


Helen Frost has challenged us to write an ode poem this month, following these instructions: 

Choose an object (a seashell, a hairbrush, a bird nest, a rolling pin). It should not be anything symbolic (such as a doll, a wedding ring, or a flag). Write five lines about the object, using a different sense in each line (sight, sound, touch, taste, smell). Then ask the object a question, listen for its answer, and write the question, the answer, or both.

Click HERE to read her sample poem, "Ode to a River."

Post your poem on our March 2017 padlet. All contributions will be included in a wrap-up celebration this Friday, March 31st, and one lucky participant will win a personalized copy of her latest novel-in-poems from Farrar, Straus, and Giroux/Macmillan:

DMC: "Baby Hats" by Mindy Gars Dolandis

BABY HATS

Mom is four score and seven years worn

Seen her children’s children’s children born

Her body is agile, her eyes eagle sharp

She sits and knits daily, small gifts from the heart

Tiny, brimmed pink and blue hats to be worn

By a bevy of babies who’ve just been born

Tick..tick, click..click

Second hand moves, arthritic hands stitch

Once a month she drops off her donations

Baby hats for the next generation

© 2016 Mindy Gars Dolandis. 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:

DMC: "Rosa Parks" by Mindy Gars Dolandis

ROSA PARKS

A woman of color in ‘55

A Montgomery crowded bus 

Told by the driver to move from her seat

She wouldn’t give in or stand up

An arrest, a boycott, a ten dollar fine

A lawsuit defeating Jim Crow

Fueled by a woman of quiet strength

Who simply sat and said no

 

© 2016 Mindy Gars Dolandis. All rights reserved.

 

 

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 this Friday, August 26th, and one lucky participant will win a personalized copy of her fun new picture book from Roaring Brook Press:

DMC: "Jake + Kate" by Mindy Dolandis Gars

© 2016 Mindy Gars Dolandis. All rights reserved.

Laura Shovan has challenged us to write persona poems this month. Click HERE for more details. You don't need to include the artwork that inspired your poem, but you are welcome to as long as I can properly attribute the artist/photographer.

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 this Friday, May 27th, and one lucky participant will win a personalized copy of her fantastic new verse novel for middle grade readers:

DMC: "Echoes" by Mindy Gars Dolandis

ECHOES

E very time I try to forget

C losing the heartbreak door

H aunting conversations repeat

O pening wounds from before

E ver present reverberations

S tubbornly stuck in my core 

© 2016 Mindy Gars Dolandis. All rights reserved.

In celebration of National Poetry Month, Marilyn Singer has challenged us to write poems inspired by the word "echo." Click HERE for more 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 this Friday, April 29th, and one lucky participant will win a copy of her fantastic new collection of reverso poems based on Greek myths:

DMC: "Nothing" by Mindy Gars Dolandis

NOTHING

diddly squat, zero, zilch
bupkis, zippo, goose egg, nil
niekas, niente, niets, niks,
intet, semmi, res, gar nichts
mitte midagi, kitu, wala
boten, kahore, lutho, nada
ekkert, rien, ohunkohun
kanthu, hech, pa gen anyen
tidak ada, apa-apa
na inona na inona
rud ar bith, neneo, waxba
bugger all, nihil, nima
African or Austronesian
urban slang or European
Though it has a different name
the meaning still remains the same

© 2016 Mindy Gars Dolandis. All rights reserved.


Douglas Florian has challenged us to write poems about nothing this month. Read his entire spotlight interview HERE.

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 this Friday, January 29th, and one lucky participant will win a signed copy of his adorable new picture book:

DMC: "Angels" by Mindy Gars Dolandis

Angels

Scruffy and dressed in fatigues
he stood on the corner and ranted
as people hurried by and looked away.
“I’m hungry, so HUNGRY!” he yelled,
and suddenly caught the eyes
of two young women lunching at a café.
“I willingly fought for my country,”
now it’s turned its back on me.
I don’t have a home, a job or money to eat!”
“Come here,” said one of the girls
and motioned to the man.
“The table beside us is empty, please have a seat.”
My dad was in Nam,” she said
with a sweet, compassionate smile.
“Here’s the menu, order anything you’d like.”
“I’ll have a burger and fries,”
he said as he bowed his head,
and quickly wiped a tear from under his eye.
Angels who walk among us
have no harp, no halo or wings,
but they always make this earth a heavenly place.
They sometimes save the day,
and sometimes save a life
with a kind and compassionate heart and amazing grace.

© 2015 Mindy Gars Dolandis. All rights reserved.


Rebecca M. Davis has challenged us to write poems about acts of kindness this month– the more specific and vivid the better.  Click HERE for more 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 TOMORROW, Friday, November 27th, and one lucky participant will win copies of two delightful picture books published by Boyds Mills Press: THIS ORQ. (HE CAVE BOY.) and THIS ORQ. (HE SAY "UGH!") by David Elliott, illustrated by Lori Nichols.

DMC: "Water" by Mindy Gars Dolandis

Water

Tuesday morning in July
Another scorching day
As I jog I yearn for you
The burn won’t go away
water…water…water…

Tongue and lips Sahara dry
Sweat sets my eyes on fire
Every pounding pavement step
Thumps out my keen desire
wa-ter wa-ter wa-ter wa-ter

Tiny drops fly through the air
Descend on blades of grass     
Staccato sprinkler rhythm
Relentless as I pass 
wa-a-ter-r wa-a-ter-r wa-a-ter-r wa-a-ter-r

Almost home, around the bend
Rec center, pool, and lake
Neighbor’s yellow motor boat
Spluttering, carves its wake
wa-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-ter-r-r-r-r-r-r-r

Huffing, puffing, panting hard
I fumble with the key
Racing through the living room
The voice inside me screams
WATER! WATER! WATER! WATER! WATER!

Sprinting past the stove and fridge
Right to the kitchen sink
I shove my mouth beneath the tap
And open for a drink
WATERWATERWATERWATERWATERWATERWATER

Gushing like Niagara Falls
You cool my inner hell
Bathing every molecule
Refreshing every cell
Waaaaaaaaaterrrrrrrrr
Ahhhhhhhh

© 2015 Mindy Gars Dolandis. All rights reserved.


Marcus Ewert has challenged us to write love poems this month– about relationships that seem unrequited, but which end up being requited after all. Click HERE for more 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 this Friday, October 30th, and one lucky participant will win an autographed copy of his fabulous new picture book:

DMC: Leftovers from Mindy Gars Dolandis

There Was an Old Dragon Who Swallowed . . .

Things from my refrigerator.
Albert Allen’s alligator.

Mr. Tobin’s fresh grown squash.
Edamame succotash.

Bacon, sausage, juicy steak,
Pudding, pies, and birthday cake.

                                                          – Penny Parker Klostermann, all rights reserved

The cupboard was bare as he took the last bite,
but he still hadn’t sated his big appetite.

He tasted a toaster, which was so delicious,
he ate the appliances, flatware and dishes.

The rest of my house was his luncheon buffet.
He swallowed the sheets and the bed and duvet.

He chewed up the couches, recliners and tables,
computers, TVs and electrical cables.

                                                        – Mindy Gars Dolandis, all rights reserved


Penny Parker Klostermann has challenged us to write one to four couplets following her example– things we might feed a dragon to avoid being swallowed ourselves.  Click HERE for more details.

Send your couplets to TodaysLittleDitty (at) gmail (dot) com, or use the contact form in the sidebar to the right. All contributions will be included in a whopper of a cumulative poem featured at our wrap-up celebration this Friday, August 28th.  One lucky participant will win a personalized copy of Penny's deliciously funny debut picture book:

DMC: "Alice's Treehouse" by Mindy Gars Dolandis

Alice’s Treehouse

 

I’m excited about my new treehouse! gushed Alice.

It’s going to look like a princess’s palace.

I’ll paint the floor lilac, the walls sea foam green,

the door dusty rose, the roof aquamarine.

Aside from the usual paraphernalia,

I’ll decorate with all the finest regalia:

A golden-trimmed, pink velvet throne that’s gigantic,

and white chiffon curtains, so soft and romantic.

My treehouse will be finer than any other!

Yeah, dream all you want, said Sammy, her brother,

but it won’t build itself, so stop all your yammering.

Pick up a hammer and nails and start hammering!

© 2015 Mindy Gars Dolandis. All rights reserved.


Corey Rosen Schwartz has challenged us to write a stanza or two about building a treehouse, using unpredictable rhymes of more than one syllable. Click HERE for all the details.

Send your stanzas 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 TOMORROW, Friday, June 26th, and one lucky participant will win a personalized copy of Corey's delightful new picture book:

DMC: "Mr. Franklin" by Mindy Gars Dolandis

MR. FRANKLIN

Perhaps he was a bit crazy, old Ben
Conducting one of his experiments again
But his brilliant findings could not be disputed
It's a good thing he wasn't electrocuted

© 2015 Mindy Gars Dolandis. All rights reserved.


Kwame Alexander has challenged us to write a clerihew this month. What's a clerihew, you ask? Click HERE for details.

Send your funny four-liner 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, April 24th. One lucky participant will win an autographed copy of THE CROSSOVER, which received the 2015 John Newbery Medal for the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children.