DMC: "Bigfoot's Lament" by M. H. Barnes

Screen capture from the famous 1967 Patterson-Gimlin footage.*

BIGFOOT'S LAMENT

Before you start assessing the fear that I'm repressing,
there’s something we should lay out on the table—
     call me Sasquatch, call me Yeti,
     but Bigfoot's much too petty.
I’m REAL, not merely legend, lore, or fable.

Partly human, partly beast, oversized to say the least,
you ridicule or hound me as you choose.
     Of course I’m camera shy—
     I’m an introverted guy!
I’d like to see YOU wear my “monster” shoes.

Being shaggy and unkempt is no reason for contempt,
so let me make this absolutely clear—
     it’s not your bully tactics,
     your guns or camo jackets,
that cause me to degenerate in fear.

When it comes to diagnosis of my number one neurosis,
there is nothing that can possibly compare
     to my dread of soapy lather
     and the constant drone of blather
I’m subjected to when in the barber’s chair.

© 2019 Michelle Heidenrich Barnes. All rights reserved.


* Click HERE for "The 10 Most Convincing Bigfoot Sightings".

TLD reader Rebecca Herzog has challenged us to write a poem about something a monster is afraid of. Read my interview with Becky HERE and add your poem about a monster fear to the padlet. While some contributions will be featured as daily ditties leading up to Halloween, you can check out our entire monster menagerie HERE.

DMC: "Don't Ask a Hopkinsaurus" by Michelle H. Barnes

brando

A little dino told me Today's Little Ditty is not the ONLY one celebrating a birthday this month.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY 

Lee Bennett Hopkins!

This one's for you . . .

Don't Ask a Hopkinsaurus

The L. B. Hopkinsaurus
is a rare and noble breed—
a prince among the wordivores,
he always takes the lead.

At feasting "dino"ccasions
when poetry is served,
his taste for inky gobbling
is robust and unreserved.

He might appear well-mannered
but once he's on a roll,
he holds the Guinness record
for collections swallowed whole!

The L. B. Hopkinsaurus
wears a venerable crown.
Don't ask him to retire,
or even to slow down.

This Energizer Dino
with his charismatic roar
says when it comes to Poetry,
we all should eat much more!

© 2018 Michelle Heidenrich Barnes. All rights reserved.


I hope Deborah Bruss and Matt Forrest Esenwine don't mind me writing about an imaginary dinosaur rather than a real one, but I couldn't resist the opportunity! If you missed last week's interview, you can find it HERE. Their challenge this month is to write a poem about something you would not expect (or want) a dinosaur, or other animal, to do.


Read my Spotlight ON interview with Lee Bennett Hopkins HERE.

If you're looking for collections of dinosaur poems, these three LBH editions are a great place to start... although I don't recommend swallowing them whole.

It's giveaway central around here this month!

This week's "dino-ditties" were by Matt Forrest Esenwine, Linda Baie, and Kathleen Mazurowski. Leave yours on our April 2018 padlet. While some contributions will be featured as daily ditties, they all will be included in a wrap-up celebration on Friday, April 27th, and one lucky participant will win a copy of Don't Ask a Dinosaur (POW! Kids, April 2018) signed by the authors.

Also featured on Today's Little Ditty this week: Amy Ludwig VanDerwater's latest collection of poems for young readers, With My Hands: Poems About Making Things (Clarion Books, 2018). There's a giveaway going on for that, as well! Don't miss the post and giveaway details HERE. (Plus you can see a whole bunch of photos from when my kiddos were much younger and cuter than they are now!)





To celebrate TLD's fifth birthday, I'm giving away five sets of The Best of Today's Little Ditty (Volumes 1 & 2) to educators—teachers, caregivers, volunteers... anyone who shares their love of poetry with students of any age. To enter, contact me anytime during the month—via blog comment, email, Facebook, or Twitter. I'll be compiling a list and drawing names at the end of April.

Robyn Hood Black has a whole lot more surprise party fun at Life on the Deckle Edge. Join her for this week's Poetry Friday roundup!

For more National Poetry Month projects taking place during April, visit the kidlit events roundup at Jama's Alphabet Soup.

DMC: "Epitaph for a Blue Balloon" by Michelle Heidenrich Barnes

"Lonely Blue Balloon" by Scott Richards

EPITAPH FOR A BLUE BALLOON

Here lies Blue,

dear departed
pioneer of skies uncharted.
Friend of downy clouds on high,
an easy breezy kind of guy.
Fearless till the day he lost
his helium—then tempest-tossed,
he realized flight was not his calling
at the moment he was falling.

© 2018 Michelle Heidenrich Barnes. All rights reserved.

Here are some scenes from Blue's travels . . .

(Best viewed full screen.)

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bsbewm0GM2w

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.

Daily ditties this week included poems by Cynthia Cotten, Dianne Moritz, Randi Sonenshine, and Ellen Leventhal. Liz Steinglass is sharing hers today. To be included in next week's wrap-up celebration, post your poem on our February 2018 padlet.

Jone MacCulloch is hosting this week's Poetry Friday roundup at Check it Out.

DMC: "Waiting World" by M. H. Barnes

Lupin Light: sunrise at Lake Tekapo, by Chris Gin

WAITING WORLD

To read is not like folding socks,
it's like a folding chair
you carry to the garden
to taste the fragrant air.

To write is not like counting words
or seconds on a clock,
it's packing up a picnic lunch
and going for a walk.

A poem doesn't live within 
the confines of a room.
You step inside its waiting world
to watch its sunrise bloom.

© 2017 Michelle Heidenrich Barnes. All rights reserved.

Click HERE to read last week's interview with Melissa Manlove, Senior Editor at Chronicle Books.

Her DMC challenge:

Write a poem that explores how writing (or a book) is like something else.




If you'd like to participate, post your poem on our May 2017 padlet. Other comparison poems featured this week were by Margaret Simon, Brenda Davis Harsham, Jessica Bigi, and Angelique Pacheco. All contributions will be included in a wrap-up celebration on Friday, May 26th, and two lucky participants will win either LOVING VS. VIRGINIA by Patricia Hruby Powell, illustrated by Shadra Strickland, or LOVE IS by Diane Adams, illustrated by Claire Keane, both published by Chronicle Books earlier this year.

Check out what's blooming at A Teaching Life. Love's in the air and the Poetry Friday roundup is ripe for picking. Thanks, Tara!

DMC: "Planning Your Treehouse" by Michelle H. Barnes

Planning Your Treehouse

When building a treehouse you need to be clever,
so making a plan is a useful endeavor:

• The walls should be strong like a tough armadillo.

• The floor should be soft, like your favorite pillow.

• No need for a roof, since the rain won’t affect you.
  (Your leafy umbrella will always protect you.)

• Now this is important– the last thing you’ll need
  is a shelf full of books so there’s plenty to read.

© 2015 Michelle Heidenrich Barnes. 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 on Friday, June 26th, and one lucky participant will win a personalized copy of Corey's delightful new picture book:

DMC: "Lady Lindy" by M. H. Barnes

LADY LINDY

Amelia Earhart, aviator,
lived for now instead of later.
Told that girls were not robust,
she up and left them in her dust.

© 2015 Michelle Heidenrich Barnes. 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 on 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.

Night Whispers

Earth's horizon as the Sun sets over the Pacific Ocean (NASA)

I'm taking advantage of a lull in letter poems to share my first attempt at a pantoum.  I was inspired to write one for two reasons: first and foremost, to honor my friend Jan Gars whose untimely death has left me shocked and saddened; and secondly, to participate in Laura Shovan's month-long challenge to write poetry based on sound clip prompts.  For a full description of Laura's project and how to participate, please visit her blog, Author Amok.  Laura was kind enough to include my recommendation of this video – a sampling of electromagnetic vibrations recorded by NASA Voyager:

Night Whispers
             for Jan Gars

Whispers from the shadowed night
Lonely winds of time and space
One more poem yet to write
Trapped in gravity’s embrace

Lonely winds of time and space
Glowing embers, pulsing light
Trapped in gravity’s embrace
Before the blackness turns to white

Glowing embers, pulsing light,
Like eyes behind a clouded face
Before the blackness turns to white
Before you find your resting place

Like eyes behind a clouded face
There’s one more poem yet to write
Before you find your resting place
And whisper from the shadowed night.

© 2015 Michelle Heidenrich Barnes. All rights reserved.

DMC: "Dear Maggenpie" by M. H. Barnes

Dear Maggenpie, oh magpie dear,

Your song is heaven to my ear.
Enraptured by your melody,
I sing your praise adoringly.

A Siren, you beguile, entrance…
Poor heart! I never stood a chance.

This helmet is my badge of shame
for when you swoop and scream my name.

I watch you nesting up above
and though you don’t return my love,
all’s well, my dear – I don’t feel slighted.

Yours forever,

Unrequited

© 2015 Michelle Heidenrich Barnes. All rights reserved.


USEFUL LINKS: 

Australian Magpie Singing  
How to Keep Safe from Swooping Australian Magpies


David Elliott has challenged us to write a letter poem this month.  Click HERE for details.

RSVP with 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 on February 27th, and one lucky participant will win a personalized copy of David's delightful new collection of bird poetry:

The Difference A Ditty Can Make

Hey look! My little ditty on the streets of Albany, NY!

Thanks to Lisa Clark for helping those in need with scarves and hats, and to Renée LaTulippe for putting the call out to poets for witty ditties to go with them. I'm delighted to play a small part in spreading warmth and kindness.

Poetry Friday Roundup: enter if you dare!

Attached at the brain. The Barnes family pumpkin, courtesy of Miranda

I've been waiting a long time for this day to arrive...

Welcome to the Poetry Friday Parlor of Horrors!

Those who know me, know that I have a bit of a dark side... especially when it comes to limericks.  Cases in point: Bridget, Sinclaire, and last year's Halloween zombie encounter.

Grab a cup of Joe and stay a while!

Okay, so maybe that's a bit more more than just a bit.

Most of the time I successfully keep that dark side, my "inner creature,"  under wraps. But when Halloween comes around, all bets are off.

While I'm sorry to say I do not have a limerick to share with you today, with a little help from a friend, I do have a HalloZEEN-O!


THOUGHTLESS

My dear, I'm rotten to the core.
How repulsive 
could I 
be?
Forgive my brain-
eating 
spree...
though yours tasted 
heaven-
ly.

© 2014 Michelle Heidenrich Barnes. All rights reserved.


By now you've probably heard that J. Patrick Lewis challenged us to write a zeno this month.  This week I featured ditties by Jan Gars, Margaret Simon, Laura Purdie Salas, and Gayle Krause.  But did you know that today's zeno satisfied another challenge as well?

David Harrison is celebrating five (count 'em: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5!) years of his Word of the Month ("W.O.M.") poetry challenges.  This month he's looking for 100 (no counting required) poets to share work inspired by the word "spree."  I dare you to leave a ditty on David's blog!  Adult W.O.M. poems may be shared HERE. Young poets may post their W.O.M. poems HERE.

And speaking of leaving a ditty, let's get to the Poetry Friday roundup, shall we?

Oops!  Sorry, there's a catch.

Some time ago, Tabatha Yeatts fed my hungry inner creature with a set of horror themed refrigerator poetry magnets.  I have been dying to use them (ha! dying... get it?) and what better way than a Poetry Friday Five for Friday?

I've chosen 15 words from the magnet set:

Choose one or more of the words above (a form of the word is also okay– for example, "possessed" instead of "possess") and leave your five-word, horror-inspired ditty in the comments, along with your Poetry Friday link and a short description.

Before you curse me for such an onerous task, yes, this is optional.  You may:

1. come up with 5-word ditty on the spot (please don't stress over it),
2. leave your link now and come back to add your 5-word ditty later,
3. choose not to participate in the Five for Friday at all, or
4. participate in the Five for Friday without a link.  

I will get you... er... love you, my pretties, all the same.

Here's mine, to start us off:

1. From Michelle at Today's Little Ditty:

rotting flesh:

stench of madness

2. From Laura at Author Amok:

Nightmare's tentacles
devour my day

It's my second post on a new poetic form called the Golden Shovel, featuring original poems by Linda Baie, Michelle H. Barnes (our hostess!), and my Golden Shovel based on "The Red Wheelbarrow."

3. From Jama at Alphabet Soup:

Devour moaning tentacles:
fresh sushi

At Alphabet Soup, a mini celebration of Claude Monet (poem + his favorite madeleines au citron).

4. From Robyn Hood Black:

ditties
splatter
across the page

I'm in travel mode today (i.e., didn't have act together for PF), but I hope to get out the broom later and visit more posts!

5. From Penny at a penny and her jots:

Shivers!
 

Bloodcurdling beast,
chilling, moaning
nightmare! 

I have Episode 4 of A GREAT Nephew & A GREAT Aunt over at my blog.

6. From Matt at Radio, Rhythm & Rhyme: 

Corpse-beast rotting,
nightmare chilling.

I see we both have zenos AND Halloween on the mind! I have a new poem posted at Radio, Rhythm & Rhyme. 

 7. From Bridget (who is glad there is not a limerick about Bridget again this year) 
      at wee words for wee ones:

bloodcurdling moan
devour rotting beast

It seems food is never too far from my mind or my poetry. My offering for PF is for those poor souls who must avoid dairy.

8. From Carmela at Teaching Authors: 

Bloodcurdling beasts
possess my dreams.

I'll also work on something for David Harrison's Word of the Month challenge, since he was kind enough to allow me to share his poem, "cicada ghosts" in my PF post. I'm also celebrating the publication of my article "Writing for Boys (and other 'Reluctant Readers')" in the 2015 CHILDREN'S WRITER'S AND ILLUSTRATOR'S MARKET with a giveaway of the book. So I hope everyone will stop by to enter our drawing!

9. From Diane at Random Noodling and Kurious Kitty:

Dust to Dust...

And in between
putrefying rot.

At Random Noodling I have a summary of my visit last weekend to Salem, MA.  Kurious Kitty has a poem by Richard Eberhart.

10. From Joy at Poetry for Kids Joy:

Blood-curdling scream
cemetery at midnight

Joy has another zombie zeno!

11. From Crystal at Reading Through Life:

My Poetry Friday post is all about construction. Our bodies feel the rumbles of the equipment as we teach and learn each day so the feeling of change is seeping into our bones. The renovation of our school is kind of taking over my mind.

12. From Tara at A Teaching Life:

 My contribution is inspired by an old bike I saw tossed by the street.

13. From Iphigene at Gathering Books:

We aren't in Halloween mode yet at Gathering Books, but our offering for today's Poetry Friday is "The Moon Stares" by Neal Imperial.

14. From Carol at Beyond Literacy Link:

My five-word piece is embedded in a meme that was an original photo turned into a graphic design via PicMonkey. My original poem was inspired by a photo taken at the beach at night giving a totally different feeling to my summer serenity scenes. I want you to see the full effect of the five-word ditty as it sits on the page so thank you in advance for taking a stroll over to my blog.

15. From Julie at The Drift Record:

Getting Up from the Sofa on Halloween to Pass Out Candy to Trick-or-Treaters

Muscles groaaannning,
Old bones mooooaannning.

 My Poetry Friday offering is Alastair Reid on kids and counting rhymes.

16. From Catherine at Reading to the Core:

Frankenstein revives
rotting corpse.
Nightmare!

I've been reading Frankenstein, so I'm sharing "Mutability" by Percy Bysshe Shelley.

17. From Carol at Carol's Corner:

My Poetry Friday entry is a review of FRIDA, a biography of artist Frida Kahlo, told through poetry.

18. From Margaret at Reflections on the Teche:

Bloodcurdling splatter
Nightmare's the matter.

My students are loving the zeno form and are choosing it freely. Today I have poems about starling murmurations with two zeno poem movies.

19. From Laura Purdie Salas:

A Cannibal's Menu

One corpse, chilled (just-killed)

I'm in with a poetryaction poem on my site today, inspired by a character in The Tree House That Jack Built, by Bonnie Verburg.

20. From Tabatha at The Opposite of Indifference:

Escape from the Zombie Aquarium:
 

Rotting tentacles
can't hold me

Hooray! Tabatha has another zeno: "Ode to Lucy's Ears."

21. From Irene at Live Your Poem...:

I've got a beautiful kind of darkness in Lilian Moore's poem "Letter to a Friend."

22. From Mary Lee at A Year of Reading:

...in which I'm thrilled to receive some validation for my bad housekeeping.

Octopus Bike Ride

Halfway uphill:
tentacles moan.

23. From Karen Edmisten:

Moan.
Chilling nightmare:
No coffee. 

I'm in with Louis Jenkins this week.

24. From Katie at The Logonauts:

Survivable nightmare?
Impromptu, chilling poem

 I am celebrating the poetry of Paul Fleischman over at The Logonauts.

25. From Violet Nesdoly:

My poem today is "October Fashion," wherein:

Autumn's style
survives the chill

26. From Becky at Tapestry of Words:

Forbidden words
Bleed life’s stories

On my blog today, I am sharing a fall poem by Arthur Guiterman and a poem I wrote after a trip to the mountains last weekend.

27. From Sylvia at Poetry for Children:

I'm off-topic with a look at memoirs in poetry.

28. From Doraine at Dori Reads:

I'm a bit off topic, too, with a Georgia poetry project on watersheds.

29. From Renée at No Water River:

What Mama Zombie Says When Zombino Misbehaves

Beast!
Go to your tomb.

Today I have another installment in the NCTE Poets series with Lee Bennett Hopkins, this one featuring the work of Arnold Adoff.

30. From slayground at Bildungsroman:

Simply put:

I was born to survive.

I posted "Good Hours" by Robert Frost at my blog.

31. From Ruth at There is no such thing as a God-forsaken town:

Day off school: survived nightmare!

We have a day off school today, to celebrate Dessalines Day.  

32. From Amy at The Poem Farm:

Forbidden words.

Forbidden poems.

Chilling.

Over at The Poem Farm, I share a wee kitten poem and the words of a wise young poet, Emily.

33. From Donna at Mainely Write:

I decided to give emaze a try combining my poems and photos of fall in "The Fall of the Leaves of Fall". I was inspired to give it a go by Margaret Simon's work with her students' zenos displayed in emaze.

34. From Buffy Silverman:

No post for me this week, but I'll still ditty:

beast moans,
corpse splatters--
nightmare?

35. From Heidi at my juicy little universe:

beast's tentacles--
devour them deep-fried

I'm here with the second in my Science Series--a classic from Robert Frost.

36. From Ramona at Pleasures from the Page:

Scrambling to meet the midnight deadline - five word ditty is title for blog post: Students Succumb to Poetry's Spell.

37. From Robyn Campbell:

Bloodcurdling beast
hayride gone bad

38. From Charles Waters:

Satanic beasts
possess
forbidden tomb.

The parlor doors are now closed.   
...unless you have come back to leave a 5-word ditty.  Creature LOVES ditties.

Thank you, my beloveds, for your links and the 

delicious morsels of ditty horror!  

DMC: "Dr. Plover, DDS" by M. H. Barnes

Dr. Plover, DDS

Crocodile,

open wide:

it’s check up time!

I’ll come inside

to see if you have

tooth decay—

bits of flesh

I’ll eat away.

It seems you haven’t

flossed of late.

That’s good news—

you’re doing great!

Okay, my friend,

they’re good to crunch.

See you next time—

thanks for lunch!

© 2014 Michelle Heidenrich Barnes. All rights reserved.

Irene Latham has challenged us to write a poem of address this month (click HERE for details). We'd love for you to join in! Send your poem to TodaysLittleDitty (at) gmail (dot) com or use the contact form in the sidebar to the right.

Submissions will be included in an end-of-month wrap-up on September 26th and all participants will be entered to win a copy of Irene's beautiful new children's poetry collection:

Last Call for the Trampoline

This is our trampoline.

Sad, I know.

Tattered and tired, its grey tarp sagging like skin that no longer fits... let's face it, the poor thing has fallen and can't get up.  These days, our trampoline functions as a makeshift shelter for lizards and weeds more than anything else.  The good news is that, after reading this post, my kids will probably unveil their old friend for one last hurrah before being permanently retired from use.

The trampoline was purchased at a Toys R Us in Sydney, Australia.  To this day, I question the logic of moving the trampoline with us overseas, but it didn't sell with the bicycles and baby stroller, and we couldn't bear to throw it out with the rubbish.  No one seemed to have need for an old-style trampoline that wasn't safe. The new ones were round with netting on all sides to prevent overly-exuberant children from toppling willy-nilly off the sides. We lived dangerously.

But in all likelihood, the decision to keep our trampoline probably had more to do with this:

Surfing the Wobble

And this:

The perfect spot to share an icy pole with friends after school.

How could we possibly leave those memories behind? 

In 1926, George Nissen was just eleven years old, my daughter's age now, when he decided that the safety net he saw at the circus would make an ideal backyard toy for him and his friends.

I wrote a poem about the invention of the trampoline which appeared in the February 2014 issue of Boys' Quest:

George Nissen, Boy Inventor

by Michelle Heidenrich Barnes

A day at the circus launched a boy’s dreams

To sail through the air… but not as it seems.

His name was George Nissen, eleven years young,

When he watched the performers above as they swung.

Leaping and flipping and spinning, and yet

What thrilled the boy most was the bounce of the net. 

The net was for safety but seemed like such fun,

George figured that he and his friends should have one.

Later, in high school, at last he was able

To work on constructing his own “bouncing table.” 

For years he kept at it until it was right—

Portable, safe, and superior flight.

With hope and persistence his dreams set aloft

When sales of his Trampoline finally took off.

George Nissen, the dreamer, inventor, and boy,

Bounced into success with a high-flying toy.

George Nissen with a friend on his high-flying toy

Here is the version from the magazine, reprinted with permission and special thanks to Neal Levin, whose illustration truly captures the excitement of living dangerously.  (He writes hilarious children's poetry too, by the way! I'm looking forward to featuring him on the blog some time next year.)

Now speaking of living dangerously, if you haven't yet sent in your stanza for this month's ditty challenge, you only have ONE WEEK LEFT to do so and be entered into a random drawing for Lori Degman's picture book, Cock-a-Doodle Oops!  At last check, Farmer McPeeper was still sawing logs despite this week's wake-up attempts by a hound dog, a flea, and a fish.  Next week we'll need to get serious, though, so I've got a couple of heavy-duty reinforcements lined up!  Join me next Friday for an end-of-month wrap-up and hoedown.

Irene Latham is collecting reinforcements of another kind.  Visit her at Live Your Poem for this week's Poetry Friday roundup.

DMC: "Cock-a-doodle aahroo" by M. H. Barnes

Next to come round

was a rock-n-roll hound

descended from Elvis the King.

This hound dog’s to-do:

Cock-a-doodle aaahrrrooooooooooo!

The blues was all he could sing.

– Michelle Heidenrich Barnes, all rights reserved


Lori Degman has challenged us to wake Farmer McPeeper.  If you would like to join in the animal antics, write a stanza in the same style as COCK-A-DOODLE OOPS! (click HERE for details) and send to TodaysLittleDitty (at) gmail (dot) com or use the contact form in the sidebar to the right.

All participants will be rounded up for an end-of-month hoedown on August 29th and entered to win a personalized copy of Lori's delightful new picture book:

DMC: "Take Me Out of Your Backpack" by M. H. Barnes

Sung to the tune of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" by Jack Norworth and Albert Von Tilzer.

Take Me Out of Your Backpack

Take me out of your backpack.
Reach inside the black hole,
Past the detritus and paper mess–
What's inside could be anyone's guess,
But please root, root, root till you find me.
Sniff me out with your nose.
For with 1-, 2-, 3-day old chicken
That's how it goes!

© 2014 Michelle Heidenrich Barnes. All rights reserved.


Tamera Will Wissinger has challenged us to come up with a parody or tribute poem this month.  (Click HERE for details.) If you would like to join in the fun, send your poem to TodaysLittleDitty (at) gmail (dot) com or use the contact form in the sidebar to the right.

All participants will be rounded up on July 25th 

and entered to win a copy of Tamera's delightful new picture book, 

THIS OLD BAND. 

March Madness

Spring has arrived! 

The calendar says so, 
           the azalea bushes concur, 
                         and then there's this:

"What is this lunacy that has so thoroughly distracted you from writing this blog post?"  Ah, yes... well, I suppose you have a point.

Now in its third year, the March Madness Poetry Tournament was designed by Ed Decaria to bring the excitement of the NCAA March Madness tournament to the world of kids’ poetry. 64 poets from around the world participate in the event; together, these poets write 126 new kids’ poems in just 21 days.

For me, it's my second year as an enthusiast, my first as a participant.  I lapped up the wonderful poetry that came out of this deliciously insane event last year, and even though I wasn't an authlete, I still got my butt kicked.  Well, sort of.  When I think back on it, March Madness was the kick in the pants I needed to start Today's Little Ditty.  And here we are, nearly one year later, happy as a mad hatter to look back on how far we've come.

Here is my #MMPoetry first round poem, currently up for vote (until Friday night, 10:40pm EST):

IN CONCLUSION …

Kids of the jury, believe me,
if you had a sister like mine,
you, too, might be bucking authority—
her conduct was way out of line.
She kidnapped my Captain America
and threw him in Barbie’s pink jail!
So it seemed like a sensible sequitur
to place the ad: “SISTER FOR SALE.”

© 2014 Michelle Heidenrich Barnes.  All rights reserved.

I'm up against a worthy competitor, but win or lose, it's all good.  I'm proud of myself for coming this far!

I'm also excited about my secret plans for continuing to grow and develop Today's Little Ditty into an even more active and vibrant community.  Look for an announcement next month, but in the meantime, let's enjoy the sweet anticipation for a few more weeks, shall we?

Oh, and by the way, did you know I'm only 10 likes away from 100 on my Facebook writer's page?  Today's Little Ditty sure would appreciate a birthday present like that.  And hey, look!  There's a link on the right side of this web page... just sayin'.  <wink>

For those, like me, who like Poetry Friday, you'll find today's roundup at The Drift Record.  Thanks Julie!

The Flight Before Christmas

Ready or not, the holiday season is upon us.  Are you a thriver or a surviver?  I like to complain about Christmas craziness as much as the next person, but truth be told, I love this season of joyful chaos: the twinkling lights, the holiday music that drives my husband crazy, my children's effervescence, spending time with family and friends, and the foundation of love and generosity that underlies it all.

Oh, and did I mention the 3rd Annual Holiday Writing Contest, sponsored by Susanna Leonard Hill?  Now there's some jolly good fun to ring in the season!  The rules: write a children's story about a Holiday Mishap, mix-up, miscommunication, mistake, or potential disaster (a la Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer).  Your story may be poetry or prose, silly or serious or sweet, religious or not, based on Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa or whatever you celebrate, but is not to exceed 350 words.

Be sure to stop by Susanna's blog, Something for Everyone in the World of Children's Books, to peruse all of the entries.  After finalists have been selected, voting will take place starting December 16th, and winners announced on Thursday, December 19th.

I hope you enjoy reading my (330 word) entry as much as I enjoyed writing it!

 

THE FLIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS

‘Twas a week before Christmas and all was not well.

While out on a test flight, the sleigh hit a swell.

An icy cold blast took St. Nick by surprise

and sent him careening through blustery skies.

Tossed this-a-way, that-a-way, capsized, upended,

a thought flashed before him as Santa descended:

What good are warm boots and a snazzy red suit,

if what you don’t have is a good parachute?

He called to his reindeer (though none were in sight),

“Come Dasher! Come Dancer!  Be swift in your flight!

Come Prancer and Vixen!  Come Comet and Cupid!”

But none of them came, and poor Santa felt stupid.

Through clouds of whipped cream, he kerplopped like a cherry;

his jolly demeanor, now somewhat less merry.

With huge, booming voice he exclaimed,

"HO HO HO!

 READY OR NOT…

 LOOK OUT BELOW!”

Unaware, until then, of the ill-fated flight,

the elves all looked up with their jaws dropped in fright.

Could it be?  Yes, it was!  Old St. Nick in free fall!

Those quick-witted elves wasted no time at all.

They worked as a team, without missing a beat,

to pile up snow, oh, at least fifty feet.

Would Santa Claus notice with everything white?

He needed a map he could read from great height.

So the elves in their hats of bright red and bright green

encircled the mound to make sure it was seen—

the red hats on one side, the green on the other.

At first they formed one word, and then came another:

the reds on the left side spelled L-A-N-D;

on the right were the green hats with H-E-R-E.

While Santa still dropped like a streak through the sky,

he saw this and gave a most gratified sigh.

He aimed, best he could, for the elves’ snowy mound

that cushioned his fall when, at last, he hit ground.

Nothing came close to the love Santa felt…

with a smile he said, “Guess I need a seat belt.”

© 2013 Michelle Heidenrich Barnes. All rights reserved.

Poetry Friday friends, there's more fun to be had just around the bend!  Please join our round-up host, Tabatha Yeatts, at The Opposite of Indifference.