Poetry in Action: Poem Movies and a Postcard for My Pocket

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"You will never be alone with a poet in your pocket."
              – John Adams, in a letter to his son John Quincy at the University of Leiden


One of the silver linings that has come of all of us being stuck at home for National Poetry Month is the number of folks who have taken to reading their work aloud on YouTube. While I have not braved those waters yet, I'm grateful for those who have, and to two poet friends in particular who have shared poems from The Best of Today's Little Ditty—Robyn Hood Black and Margaret Simon. It's been such a treat to hear their poems in their own voices!

So today, on the last day of National Poetry Month, I would like to share those four short videos, with a heart full of dittylove and appreciation.

Paperback and Kindle versions available for purchase at Amazon.com.

From the first volume of The Best of Today's Little Ditty (2014-2015), "I turn" by Robyn Hood Black was inspired by Bob Raczka's November 2014 challenge to write a haiku about a monster. The poem is short, but packs a wallop. Make sure to watch all the way to the end for a special surprise. But don't be scared—it's just a video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1tTEbD9LaQ

From the second volume, The Best of Today's Little Ditty 2016, Robyn shares a beautiful poem titled "Blank," inspired by Douglas Florian's January 2016 challenge to "write a poem about nothing."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAkdeTKyPSI

And from the most recent volume, The Best of Today's Little Ditty 2017-2018, we have two poems. The first is a performance of Robyn's "Epitaffy" that's good, spooky fun! It was inspired by J. Patrick Lewis and Jane Yolen's February 2018 challenge to write an epitaph poem.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUn5cX5KNI

The second selection from the same volume comes from Margaret Simon—"Window Impressionism." It's a gorgeous, mindful poem inspired by Julie Fogliano's May 2018 challenge to write a poem that comes from staring out the window and writing what you see.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XdO0CXpm15o

Finally, since today also happens to be Poem in Your Pocket Day, I'd like to share a postcard I recently received from the Poetry Project, under the supervision of Jone MacCulloch.

Isn't Rylee an impressive first grade artist? Wow!

I do hope Coco doesn't get up to too much mischief in my pocket!

You can read more student postcards I received in past years by clicking HERE.

If you missed last week's wrap-up celebration of poems inspired by My Shouting, Shattered, Whispering Voice by Patrice Vecchione, you can find it HERE. Leave a comment on that blog post by 5pm today for a chance to win your own copy!

DMC: "red-tailed hawk" by Robyn Hood Black

red-tailed hawk
to the gray squirrel
tag – you're it

© 2020 Robyn Hood Black. All rights reserved.

TLD reader Tabatha Yeatts has challenged us to write a poem about a game (any kind). 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, March 27th.

A Sweet Ending to "Playing with Your Food Poems" Week

"Summer" (1573) by Giuseppe Arcimboldo

I've had food on my mind this week thanks to Rebecca Herzog's invitation to write a poem about a food that you feel is most deserving of its own national day. If there's one thing I've learned reading more than 1500 DMC poems over the last 5+ years, it's that food is always a popular subject!

So what did I do? I dubbed this "playing with your food poems" week at Today's Little Ditty and shared daily food-themed poems from this month's "Words at Play" padlet. Kim Norman's "Pecan't" was featured on Monday. (Enjoy National Pecan Day next year on April 14th.). On Tuesday, David McMullin treated us to "Papa Slime". (Sign me up for National Guacamole Day next year on September 16th!) Tabatha Yeatts' "Rosemarried" was featured on Wednesday. (Did you know National Herb Day is celebrated annually on the first Saturday of May?) And on Thursday, we enjoyed Cindy Breedlove's "Talking Turkey." The national day for turkey-feasting? Everybody knows that! (Time to stock up on pumpkin, squash, and stuffing, folks.)

"These are not the gourds you're looking for."

Today I'll be closing out our week of food ditties with three poems that appear in The Best of Today's Little Ditty 2017-1018.

Purchase your paperback or ebook copies HERE, or contact me if you'd like
one signed by me and Miranda (I have a few extra).

The first poem I'd like to share is Bridget Magee's excellent response to the "Personified Feeling Poems" challenge offered by Jeannine Atkins in February 2017.

Lisa Yarost

FRENCH FRIES WITH A SIDE OF OH MY 

Embarrassment squeezes between Julio and me
at the lunch table.
The ketchup packet feels
the pressure,
bursting in such a way
that Julio wears
the flush of my cheeks
for the rest of the day.

          – Bridget Magee, © 2017

Why of course there's a National French Fries Day! Mark July 13th on next year's calendar.


Next we have Rebecca Herzog's sweet response to the May 2017 challenge, in which Melissa Manlove asks us to compare writing (or a book) to something else.

B.B.

SLURPEE

Grab a cup
So excited

Top it off
Mind ignited

Great big sip
Tale united

Big brain freeze
Uninvited

Wince in pain
Muse indicted

Shake it off
All doubt blighted

Push on through
ending sighted

One last swig
Scribe delighted

                    – Rebecca Herzog

As you might have guessed, July 11th is Free Slurpee Day at 7-Eleven! Maybe not an official "national day," but as good a reason as any to celebrate, no?


Finally, when J. Patrick Lewis and Jane Yolen challenged us to write an epitaph poem in February 2018, Robyn Hood Black pulled this clever confection seemingly out of nowhere:

owlpacino

EPITAFFY

Pulled and stretched
in twists and turns -
picky permutation.

A chomp.  A chew.
The End. Of You.
(Sticky situation….)

                    – Robyn Hood Black

Yep. National Taffy Day is May 23rd on the 2020 calendar.


So there you have it. Although I would have liked to share a poem about a food that deserves a national day, apparently all seven of the food poems I've featured this week already have their own special days! Sheesh.

And now I'm hungry. Breakfast, anyone?

aulia.m

Be a good egg and join us, won't you?

zhouxuan12345678

If not a food poem with words at play, any ol' wordplay poem will do. Read Kate O'Neil's spotlight interview for more details, add your poem to the padlet, and stay tuned for next Friday's wrap-up celebration!

Many thanks to everyone who dropped by to help me celebrate the release of The Best of Today's Little Ditty 2017-2018 last week! I appreciated all of your kind congratulatory messages (and so did Miranda). Today I'm both touched and honored that Kimberly Hutmacher is showcasing the book and my poem "Don't Ask a Hopkinsaurus" at Kimberly Hutmacher Writes.

As previously mentioned, "Slurpee" poet Becky Herzog is hosting this week's Poetry Friday roundup. She's got more food poems and a smorgasbord of other poetry goodies at Sloth Reads.

DMC: "Epitaffy" by Robyn Hood Black

EPITAFFY

Pulled and stretched
in twists and turns -
picky permutation.

A chomp.  A chew.
The End. Of You.
(Sticky situation….)

© 2018 Robyn Hood Black. All rights reserved.


Click HERE to read this month's interview with J. Patrick Lewis and Jane Yolen. They have challenged us to write an epitaph poem—a funny or clever verse that might appear on your chosen subject's tombstone.

Post your poem on our February 2018 padlet. While some contributions will be featured as daily ditties this month, all contributions will be included in a wrap-up celebration on Friday, February 23rd, and one lucky participant will win a copy of their morbidly humorous collection from Charlesbridge:

DMC: "I'll Wash, You Dry" by Robyn Hood Black

I'LL WASH, YOU DRY

Pile of dishes in the sink -
remnants of our food and drink.

Fulsome meal and laughter, too -
now we have a job to do.

Messy saucepan, crusty cup;
we’ll need time to clean this up.

Spray of water, sudsy foam –
we are grateful for our home.

Grateful, grateful
here at home. 

© 2017 Robyn Hood Black. 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 is to write a poem that finds beauty in something that is not usually considered beautiful.

You have until today, November 30th, at 5:00 pm (EST) to join in! Post your poem on our November 2017 padlet and I will add it to the wrap-up presentation HERE. 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: "Blank" by Robyn Hood Black

BLANK


Line after line in invisible ink –
Couplets come clean with invisible think.

Nothing much needed for blank verse this way –
a nay-scheming, day-dreaming
do-nothing
day

 © 2016 Robyn Hood Black. 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: "I turn" by Robyn Hood Black

I turn
toward her whisssper -
Medusa

© 2014 Robyn Hood Black. All rights reserved.

Bob Raczka has challenged us to write a monster-inspired haiku this month.  Click HERE for details.

To add your haiku to the monster mayhem, send it to TodaysLittleDitty (at) gmail (dot) com, or use the contact form in the sidebar to the right. All submissions will be included in the wrap-up celebration this Friday, November 28th, and one lucky participant will win a personalized copy of Bob's delightful new haiku collection:

Haiku Garden: Robyn Hood Black

I'm so excited to be able to spotlight the talents of Haiku Garden's special guest today: children's author, poet, and artist Robyn Hood Black.  Robyn is a versatile writer, having published fiction and non-fiction children's books, as well as a variety of poetry in anthologies, magazines and top-notch journals.  She is also an accomplished artist with a penchant for "literary art with a vintage vibe."  I highly recommend her Etsy shop, artsyletters, as a great place to start your holiday shopping!

Robyn describes haiku as a "sparely crafted poetry which offers endless depth."  Not only do I admire her talents in this elegant and economical genre, but I benefit from her gifts as a teacher, as well.  On her website, she encourages visitors, "poets and readers of any age," to explore their own haiku journeys with online resources that include a haiku resources list, how-to guides for children, and inspiring samples of her own haiku.

On Robyn's blog, Life on the Deckle Edge, she provides even more inspiration.  Currently she is running a series called "We Haiku Here."  The series, which will continue into December, introduces us to several outstanding haiku poets from The Southeast Chapter of The Haiku Society of America.

Today, however, is all about Robyn, and with that, I give you today's little ditty:

              cold front –
              an urgent wind
              at my back

                                      -Modern Haiku, Winter/​Spring 2012

                   (c) Robyn Hood Black.  All rights reserved.

Robyn let me have my pick of haiku on her website and I selected this one because it hits me where I live.  Not only does it reflect the sudden shock of late autumn in North Florida, but it also mirrors my state of mind at this time of year-- that sense of urgency always at my back, breathing down my neck and giving me cold shivers.  Sort of like this Wind God by Japanese painter, Ogata Kōrin.

Ogata Kōrin [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Thank you, Robyn, for spending time in the Haiku Garden today.  I look forward to your continued lessons in the art of haiku, so that I, too, can condense life into potent nuggets of truth.