DMC: "Let's Talk Turkey" by Janie Lazo

DaPuglet

LET'S TALK TURKEY

The thing that I’m most thankful for
On this Thanksgiving Day
As I gobble, gobble yummy food
And then run out to play
Is that I am The Who I am
And while that is still murky
I’m thankful that I wasn’t born
A plump Thanksgiving Turkey

© 2019 Janie Lazo. All rights reserved.

TLD reader Kate O'Neil has challenged us to write a poem with words at play—malapropisms, ambiguities, unintended meanings, puns, clichés, etc. Read my interview with Kate HERE and add your wordplay poem to the padlet.

All contributions will be included in a wrap-up celebration tomorrow, Friday, November 29th.

DMC: "Talking Turkey" by Cindy Breedlove

Ihave3kids

TALKING TURKEY

Turkeys are jumpy and nervous this season.
They're feeling on edge but not sure of the reason.
They strut and act brave but I know they are bluffing.
On Thanksgiving Day they will be full of stuffing.
Their gobble is just a loud noise that they make.
Our gobble is how many bites we will take.

© 2019 Cindy Breedlove. All rights reserved.

TLD reader Kate O'Neil has challenged us to write a poem with words at play—malapropisms, ambiguities, unintended meanings, puns, clichés, etc. Read my interview with Kate HERE and add your wordplay poem to the 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 29th.

The Best of Today's Little Ditty 2016 (YAY!) + Five for Friday: Giving Thanks

Nick Saltmarsh

The writing's on the wall.
It looks a bit like chicken scratch, but it's there.

It says . . .

JUST BE THANKfull for WHAT YOU GOT.

I sure am!

©2017 Teresa Robeson

See? 
This is me.




And this is what I've got . . .

Happy Day! Volume 2 has arrived!

The Best of Today's Little Ditty 2016 is available 

 in paperback for $9.95 or as a Kindle ebook for $5.95.

Click HERE to purchase at Amazon.com. 

Truth be told, I'm not only thankful, I'm relieved. You may have noticed my hit-or-miss (mostly miss) Poetry Friday rounds over the last several weeks. That's because of this baby... well, plus a few college visits for my son and a series of workshops I've been involved with at the same time. (Read my poem inspired by teaching poetry to juvenile offenders here.)

But we did it! We reached the finish line! 

I say "we" because I couldn't have managed this project without the support of some incredible people. First, I owe a huge debt of gratitude to Renée LaTulippe. She was invaluable throughout the process with advice, suggestions, Photoshop expertise, editing, proofreading, and reality checks when needed. Thank you, Renée!

When I asked Teresa Robeson if she'd be willing to do the cover, I knew she'd do a brilliant job. (Read my interview with Teresa here.) What I did not know at the time was that she would also provide such fun spot illustrations for inside the book! The grateful penguin at the top of this post is an example. Thank you, Teresa, for giving this book such delightful character.

Hugs of appreciation to this year's super-duper ditty committee:

          Linda Baie
          Jesse Anna Bornemann
          Matt Forrest Esenwine
          Lana Wayne Koehler
          Michelle Kogan
          Jone Rush MacCulloch
          Maria Marshall
          Diane Mayr
          Sydney O'Neill
          Margaret Simon
          Donna JT Smith
          and Tabatha Yeatts.

Because of their dedication, 350 poems were carefully reviewed and whittled down to the 75 that appear in this volume. A few excellent poems were left out for one reason or another, but I think you'll agree that the final result is impressive nonetheless.

I'd also like to give a shout-out to Jane Yolen, Linda Mitchell, and Janet Wong for their wonderful blurbs for the back cover. And last but not least, thank you to the eight incredible authors and one amazing editor who came up with such terrific challenges in 2016:

          Douglas Florian
          David L. Harrison
          Diana Murray
          Kenn Nesbitt
          Ann Rider
          Laura Shovan
          Marilyn Singer
          Amy Ludwig VanDerwater
          Jane Yolen

and to the 50 talented poets who permitted me to feature their work in this book:

Today's Little Ditty has become something so much larger than li'l ol' me. Whether or not your work is included in this volume, practicing writing together has always been, and will continue to be, a fulfilling, heart-happy part of my life. Thank you.

But you know me—I never like to celebrate alone! So let's join together for a Five for Friday party.  Now that you know what I'm thankful for, with only a week until American Thanksgiving . . .

Carla Arena

It can be something small—a sunset, the kindness of a stranger—or something larger... say, a new book! Don't think too hard, just describe one thing you're thankful for in five words (plus title if you wish) and leave it in the comments or email it to TodaysLittleDitty (at) gmail (dot) com.  I will move your 5-word ditty to the main body of the post.  Here's mine to start us off:

SECOND HELPINGS

Please pass the ditty pie!

– Michelle Heidenrich Barnes

DITTY POETS

Thank you, Michelle Heidenrich Barnes.

– Kate O'Neil

Awww... thanks Kate! xo -MHB

CAR RIDE WITH TEEN

Briefly bonding; ticking time bomb.

– Rebekah Hoeft


THE INTERNET

Finding friends the world over!

– Diane Mayr


AFTER THE READING

Poets gather around good conversation.

– Sarah Grace Tuttle


POETRY!

all I want for Christmas

– Linda Baie


POET PIE

Love gathers around the table.

– Jama Rattigan


GRANDKIDS

The joy of lingering hugs

– Janie Lazo


SMILES ALL AROUND

My first school visit - Success!

– BJ Lee


SUPPORT SYSTEM

Related or chosen, always there!

– Maria Marshall


POEM ARRANGEMENT

A beautiful bouquet of words.

– Penny Parker Klostermann


SMOKEY BEAR

My kitty, purring beside me.

– Dianne Moritz


PERSEVERANCE

Thanku unwavering web of support!

– Michelle Kogan


POETRY FRIENDS

Words weave in and out

– Kay Jernigan McGriff


BUDDING SUCCESS

Two poems published this year!

– Karen Eastlund


HOLIDAY SEASON

cool weather and warm hearts

– Sydney O'Neill


FROM WILDFIRE ASHES

this Phoenix
fashioned
a home!

– Michele Krueger


PROMISE KEPT

Morning
dewdrops in the desert.

– Juanita Havill


THANKS TO MY SISTER

My plucky Lucky Chicken cup!

– Julie Larios


Poetry in all I see.

– Sally Murphy


Each sunrise is paintbox poetry.

– Brenda Davis Harsham


BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE LETTERS

Alphabet's versatility =
messages for posterity

– Donna JT Smith


MY EYE SURGEON

now I see
ants
stars

– Helen Zax


MENU CHANGE

I won't miss school lunches.

– Kathryn Apel


INSPIRATION

the zest that says, Create!

– Robyn Hood Black


POETRY COMMUNITY

feeling connected despite the distance

– Bridget Magee

Although we're only midway through November, next Friday, the 24th, will be our end-of-month wrap-up celebration for Carol Hinz's DMC challenge. This week's featured poems were by Keri Collins Lewis, Cindy Breedlove, Laura Purdie Salas, and myself. Post your poem that finds beauty in something that's not usually considered beautiful on our November 2017 padlet.

Thanks to Jane Whittingham for hosting this week's Poetry Friday roundup at Raincity Librarian.

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.

Haiku Garden: Cristina-Monica Moldoveanu

"Our house in the village" by Cristina-Monica Moldoveanu

Does this little girl look familiar?

Cristina-Monica Moldoveanu

Her name is Cristina-Monica Moldoveanu and she first appeared on my blog as part of September's wrap-up celebration.

She was a stranger to me. I came upon her photograph thanks to a search for children and mirrors on Flickr Creative Commons, and was drawn to the expression in those sensitive, young eyes.

The eyes of a poet.

By the miracle of the Internet, Cristina discovered that I used her photo and reached out to me with a comment on that blog post. Little did I know, she was, indeed, a poet, specializing in haiku and haiga!  Cristina connected with me on Twitter, and once I had a look at her Twitter stream, I was captivated by her work. The rest, as they say, is history.

I gripe and moan a lot these days about how much time I spend on the Internet when I could/should be doing other things. (Like writing!) But then something like this happens, making the world feel smaller and more friendly, despite the horrendous acts of violence that are happening all around us. How fortunate for me that at Thanksgiving time—when family and friends, old and new, come together— I have a new friend from Bucharest, Romania to help me celebrate the holiday. With poetry. What could be better?

Thanksgiving
the scent of cinnamon 
in grandma's Bible

                                    ~ Cristina-Monica Moldoveanu

Cristina tells me that the picture is a (modified) photo taken in the village church. Given that she lives roughly 5,600 miles away, I asked her how she managed to effectively capture such a strong sense of the American holiday:

Thanksgiving does not exist in my country, but I used it as a symbol, a religious symbol that can replace other religious holidays that do exist in my Orthodox religious country. Considering the fact that those who heard about Thanksgiving are many and those who heard about religious feasts that are specific only to Romania are few, I made this replacement. One Romanian religious Orthodox celebration that can replace Thanksgiving is Mucenici day: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mucenici.

An added benefit of meeting Cristina has been learning about her village and family upbringing. Before WWII, my mother-in-law grew up in a small village in Hungary. I've never visited that part of the world, but somehow, through Cristina, I feel like I've been given a peek into aspects of my mother-in-law's childhood.

Cristina has loved poetry since she was little. While other children preferred to play ball games, she read poetry. She began writing poetry as an adult in 2007, and haiku in 2010. In 2010, she also began to translate her poems from her native Romanian to English or French.  She's been published in various e-zines, poetry journals, and magazines, some of which are well-known amongst our Poetry Friday haiku poets. Although Cristina lives in the city, usually her poems are inspired by the time she spent in the countryside or by observations of, as she describes them, "little facts of life."

I am tempted to share a few more of my favorite "little facts" from Cristina's extensive collection of short form poetry, but since that's not really the format of the Haiku Garden, I'll force myself to stick to just one. I strongly encourage you to read more of her work on her blog Minipoeme/Short Poems (I've linked you to the English versions, click on "Postări mai vechi" to page through); or on another, more personal blog, Eppur si non muove.

I'd like to close with this beautiful essay Cristina wrote in 2012 on Eppur si non muove, about her "haiku experience":

In my journey among endings and beginnings I stopped one day thinking about what opens and what closes with each step I take.  For me the answer was: light.  Life’s moments drip like stalactites in a cave, humans are melted stardust, binding to each other.  Stars do shine for those who know to look at them.  Sons and daughters of sunlight, we leave our shadows imprinted in other hearts until the Milky Way sweeps them away.

Autumn is the season that opens a door towards other existential areas, a time when blue skies become pale, when the fire of emotions dwindles, when shadows separate on forest ground.  One of these moments I opened my eyes understanding the importance of being aware of each open window of existence:  the world given to me by senses, filtered in my feelings and engraved in my thoughts.

I started reading and writing haiku two years ago.  My haiku aren’t a puzzle or a simple picture of reality.  They aren’t about describing emotions or revealing ideas.  They try to express the meaning of life events mirrored in each drop of light that enters my world.  For example a bird’s chirp has its echo beyond my senses, it touches a puddle where water ripples when petals fall and then goes further.  Me too, I am creating my own ripples in water, earth and air, being influenced in return by natural events.  Each haiku is an image of this bond or an image of the links within the universe.

Time is the most important element, because every event happens once and it is perceived as present even when senses lose their accuracy.

That’s why I tried to write my haiku looking at the world with the eyes of a child and trying to uncover the meanings of my life experience.  What I understood and what I will never understand.

"Myself"
Cristina-Monica Moldoveanu

Like I said, the eyes of a poet.

Thank you, Cristina, for allowing me to introduce you to the Poetry Friday community. It's an honor for me to share your work.

Warm wishes to all for peace, prosperity, 

and a happy Thanksgiving!

Just one more week to send me your kindness poem in time for Next Friday's DMC wrap-up celebration! This week we showcased young children's acts of kindness with poems by Kristi Dee Veitenheimer, Suzy Levinson, Mary Lee Hahn, and Janie Lazo.

Please join Tricia at the The Miss Rumphius Effect for today's Poetry Friday roundup.

Limerick Alley: Bridget Magee

For better or worse, American influence has changed the way many holidays are celebrated overseas– Christmas, Easter, Halloween... but not Thanksgiving.  No, Thanksgiving is all ours.

November 27th will be like any other Thursday in Limerick, Ireland. But here on Today's Little Ditty, Limerick Alley is serving up this kind of pub grub:

What's more, we've got an American lass with a fine Irish name to plate up some poetry on the side.  I'm speaking of no other than Bridget Magee, of course.

Bridget has wide-ranging talents, as writer, poet, speaker, teacher, mom– but personally, I think of Bridget as a sister in all things ditty.  With her quirky sense of humor, a pun for every occasion, and our shared tendency toward short verse, who better to make an appearance in Limerick Alley.  You can read more of Bridget's work at her blog wee words for wee ones.

While I never dictate what my guests in Limerick Alley or Haiku Garden should write about, I am pleased that Bridget took it upon herself to write something appropriate for the turkey-gobbling season.  For one thing, it gives me a chance to acknowledge the holiday, since next week I'll be busy wrapping up November's Ditty of the Month Club challenge.

There is someone who is not particularly happy about Bridget's choice of subject matter, however. And that would be this handsome fellow:

"Pre-Thanksgiving Dinner" by Ian McKenzie, Flickr Creative Commons

There once was a turkey named Ty 

Who saw the calendar, "Oh my!  

Almost Thanksgiving?  

I want to keep living!  

Oh how I wish I could fly."

© 2014 Bridget Magee. All rights reserved.

"Turkey Chase" by Lars Hammar, Flickr Creative Commons

Run away, Ty! Run away!

Thank you, Bridget, for this fun little ditty.  And to all of you, whatever is on your table this Thanksgiving (or this Thursday, for my friends abroad), I wish you many blessings of the season, and hope that you know how grateful I am for your support of Today's Little Ditty.  In the words of Der Bingle, I've got plenty to be thankful for.

With mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie crowding our thoughts, don't forget that there's just one week left to submit a monster-inspired haiku for Bob Raczka's DMC challenge.  This week I featured my own haiku as well as monsteriffic little ditties by Penny Parker Klostermann, Susannah Buhrman-Deever, and Diane Mayr.

Be sure to check out the poetry spread at Becky Shillington's Tapestry of Words.  Thanks, Becky, for hosting today's Poetry Friday roundup!

Five for Friday: Potluck Party

Another Thanksgiving come and gone.  I can tell because my heart is filled with gratitude and my refrigerator, with leftovers.

O leftovers!  I could write an ode to leftovers, I love them so much.  Just the thought of not having to cook for the next few days fills my heart to overflowing.

So today I am hosting another Five for Friday party, this time in honor of my devotion to microwave reheating.

Looking for five-word ditties (plus title, if you wish) to celebrate the blessings of a full heart and a full fridge.  Sure, not everyone loves leftovers.  Not everyone celebrates Thanksgiving either.  I get that.  But I hope you will join in nevertheless.  If not food love, you can write about something you do appreciate this time of year.  As long as it's just five words; no muss, no fuss.  Leave your contributions in the comments and I will add them here.

And hey, if nothing else, we can all be grateful for Poetry Friday, right?  Many thanks to Carol at Carol's Corner for hosting today's roundup!  I also want to give a shout out to the Two Weeks of Thanks-Giving roundup at Teaching Authors today.  You can find my own thank you note to a special teacher here.

All this writing is making me hungry.  Sandwich anyone?

Oh, that's right, we're having a potluck!  Sorry-- my brains are mashed potatoes.  Whoa!  Did you catch that?  Five words... see how easy it is?

As host, I have prepared three dishes to start us off.  Bon appetit!

Sweet Potato,

please be mine?

Cranberry Sauce: 

my autumn crush

Being together

is dessert enough

-Michelle at Today's Little Ditty


Poetry
is the best
dessert!

-Mary Lee at A Year of Reading


Stuffing!
Breadcrumbs
on overdrive!
Yum!

-Carol at Carol's Corner


Love is
the happiest
side.

-Betsy at I Think in Poems


Granddaughters-
whipped cream,
no pie!

-Linda at TeacherDance


Pumpkin Pie:
best breakfast
ever.

-Buffy at Buffy's Blog


 Delicious
mashed potatoes.
Thanks, Bob!

-Catherine at Reading to the Core


Turkey too big?
    Leftovers forever. . .

-George the (No Stinkin) Ultracrepidarian


Tonight's supper:
turkey noodle soup.

-Keri at Keri Recommends


A full refrigerator --
I smile.

One for Diane:

Turkey carcass =
So much stock.

-Tabatha at The Opposite of Indifference


PECAN PIE

Who can Pecan? We can!

APPLE PIE

Apple? Gobbled in a snap!

BERRY PIE

Each bite is like sunlight.

-Julie at The Drift Record

With Thanks to My Teachers

Today I am participating in "Two Weeks of Thanks-Giving" at Teaching Authors.  Coupled with American Education Week, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to show my appreciation for the teachers who helped shape the person I am today.

One of the most meaningful compliments I received from a teacher came to me at the end of my senior year at Connecticut College, from someone who hardly knew me... or so I thought.  It was finals week.  Classes were over and graduation in sight.  As I breezed from one end of campus to the other, I bumped into Professor Gene Gallagher.  Though I wasn't a religious studies major, I had enjoyed participating in his class, Cults and Conversion in Modern America, that semester-- just a theater major with a desire to expand my horizons.

Eugene Gallagher

It was a brief exchange, a passing remark really.  A handful of seconds that somehow made a profound impact.  He said:

"You're a brave woman, Michelle."  

How I've treasured these words over the subsequent 25 years.  These words that reflected the height of my self-confidence.  Yes, I was that brave woman, passionately stepping out into the real world, keeping my eyes open to opportunity, and meeting life boldly, with intentionality.

But who was responsible for cultivating that bravery?  My parents, of course, but also my teachers.  Teachers who have always been there, nurturing, stimulating, supporting, and guiding me through unfamiliar territory, knowing me more than I thought possible, and challenging me to become extraordinary.

Since then, life, with its stencil and exacto knife, has attempted to carve away at that confidence with varying degrees of success.  These days, bravery has metamorphosed into resilience, but the passion is still alive.  Every day I strive for that peak of self-confidence to bloom again.

Today's little ditty is a thank you note.  Though simple in its acrostic form, I dedicate it to Professor Gallagher and to all of my teachers and mentors, in school and in life.  Thank you for the enCOURAGEment to pursue my dreams. 

          Believe in yourself

          Respect those who came before

          Allow the possibilities

          Venture into the unknown

          Education matters

              © 2013 Michelle Heidenrich Barnes. All rights reserved.

Pre-Thanksgiving Greetings

                                                                                     1873, US Public Domain

I'm not sure how this happened, but Thanksgiving is NEXT WEEK!

Am I ready?  Heck no.

But I've been spending time in the Haiku Garden with Robyn Hood Black, and you should see the tasty morsel she's cooked up!

My family will attest to the fact that I'm not a bad cook, they might even say I'm a good cook, but convenience fare only goes so far.  Unfortunately, I can't say that I particularly enjoy my jaunts in the culinary arts-- it's one of those tasks that has fallen into my lap by default.  And when it comes to Thanksgiving, I'm not ashamed to admit that I'd rather be a guest than a host.  I'll happily bring the mashed potatoes or a nice bottle of wine.

Today's little ditty is a Thanksgiving greeting card verse that I wrote and sold to Andrews McMeel Publishing back in 2007.


                         COVER:  Turkey roasting...
                                                      Glasses toasting...

                         INSIDE:  Giving thanks that I'm not hosting.


Yep, that's pretty much me all over.  

When I recently contacted Andrews McMeel's greeting card editor to find out if the verse was ever used and whether or not I could legitimately post it on my blog, he informed me that my verse was in print for a while, but he wasn't sure if it still is.

I hope you'll let me know if you see my baby in the card racks over the coming week.  Never did see the artwork for this one, but they paid me well so I can't complain.

And now that I've tantalized your taste buds, please join Katya, this week's Poetry Friday host over at Write. Sketch. Repeat.  Everyone's invited!  Side dish welcome, but not required.