DMC: "Fortress" by Buffy Silverman

FORTRESS

Whenever Amy came to play,
we hid in my bedroom
and spent the afternoon in our forts.

My closet was the perfect stronghold–
safe behind a mirrored door
you pulled a long chain
and a solitary bulb shone,
casting a dim light
on saddle shoes and PF Flyers
and the cool wooden floor.

I imagined sharing the cramped closet–
one of us curled on the floor,
the other perched on a painted shelf,
inventing stories of shadowy foes,
conquering an invisible enemy,
together.

But Amy said we needed separate forts–
each of us in our own private sanctuary
equipped with stacks of books,

and Amy was the guest.
She rifled through my bookshelf,
grabbed my pillow
and retreated to my closet–
her fort.

I slipped into the narrow space
between bed and wall,
my cheek pressed against rough carpet,
enough room for me and a book,
and disappeared into stories
where Pippi rode the high seas
and Tommy and Annika were always welcome.

© 2015 Buffy Silverman. All rights reserved.

Lee Bennett Hopkins has challenged us to write a "ME poem" this month, based on one simple moment in your childhood that changed you in some way. 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, September 25th, and one lucky participant will win an autographed copy of Lee's gorgeous new anthology:

DMC: "...I write her name in my notebook." by Matt Forrest Esenwine

…I write her name in my notebook.

I’m not sure why.
What is it about her eyes,
her lips,
that makes me think
she’s smiling at me
even when she’s turned away?
I write her name in my notebook.
I’m not sure why.
What is it about violets and – is that vanilla? –
that make a girl smell so nice?
I don’t even like vanilla, but still…
I write her name in my notebook.
I’m not sure why.
Why do I crane my neck to watch
as she walks away, yet hide
my face
when she sees me
watching?
What would she say,
what would she do,
if only she knew…
 
© 2015 Matt Forrest Esenwine. All rights reserved.

Lee Bennett Hopkins has challenged us to write a "ME poem" this month, based on one simple moment in your childhood that changed you in some way. 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, September 25th, and one lucky participant will win an autographed copy of Lee's gorgeous new anthology:

DMC: "The Automat" by Diane Mayr

THE AUTOMAT

One day, Grandma took
me to Manhattan.
Just the two of us.
Lunch at Horn & Hardart.

Up and down the rows
of windows we'd go.
Macaroni and cheese
in small bowls oozing
cheesy goodness.

Sandwiches cut into two
triangles, their fillings
invitingly exposed.

A hundred slices of pie
on a hundred china plates
behind a hundred
sparkling glass portals.

Feed nickels into a slot
and any one of those
was mine for the taking.

It was enough to take
my breath away.

© 2015 Diane Mayr. All rights reserved.

Lee Bennett Hopkins has challenged us to write a "ME poem" this month, based on one simple moment in your childhood that changed you in some way. 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, September 25th, and one lucky participant will win an autographed copy of Lee's gorgeous new anthology:

DMC: "A Passing Remark" by Donna JT Smith

A PASSING REMARK

I was a child
of field and truck
with fingernails
a’la dirt and mud

the neighbors had
a girlie girl
with skin so soft
and hair a’curl

pale of face
with body narrow
a shape that barely
made a shadow

rosy cheeks and
toned farm arms
should not have been
cause for alarm

but our neighbor’s visitor
said to me
as I passed by
“Hello, chubby!”

from that time on
I realized
it mattered if
you weren’t pint-sized

and that is when
my fight began
with body image
and who I am.

© 2015 Donna JT Smith. All rights reserved.

Lee Bennett Hopkins has challenged us to write a "ME poem" this month, based on one simple moment in your childhood that changed you in some way. 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, September 25th, and one lucky participant will win an autographed copy of Lee's gorgeous new anthology:

Dear Dog + the Poetry Friday Roundup

Welcome to Poetry Friday!

If you're new to Poetry Friday, have a look HERE to find out what it's all about. I'm looking forward to making the rounds of this week's offerings! 

At Today's Little Ditty, I've been sharing "ME poems" inspired by Lee Bennett Hopkins' Ditty of the Month Club challenge.  According to Lee, a ME poem is based on "one simple moment in your childhood – a thrilling moment, a sad moment, a moment that changed you in some way." Like the little girl in the picture above, I imagine all the children in these poems sitting down to write about the special moments that helped shape their future selves.

This week I featured poems by Linda Mitchell, Michele Krueger, Ellen Leventhal, and Kristi Dee Veitenheimer. Today it's my turn.

DEAR DOG

Was it the snow that set you on edge?
     The swish of my pants?
     The crunch underfoot?
The day I took the shortcut.

Or was it the race–your hunger, my fear?
     The thrill of the chase?
     The moment I slipped?
The day I took the shortcut.

Things might have been different.
We could have been friends
     if you weren’t so mean
     and I wasn’t so tasty.
The day I took the shortcut.

© 2015 Michelle Heidenrich Barnes. All rights reserved.

Believe it or not, next Friday I will be posting the end-of-month wrap-up. If you'd like to participate, please send your poem to TodaysLittleDitty (at) gmail (dot) com, or use the contact form in the sidebar to the right.  I look forward to reading them!

THE POETRY FRIDAY ROUNDUP

Photo: Rick Cameron

Ellie (who is not the dog in my poem) invites you to leave a direct link to your post in the comments along with a short description. I will list them below.

                                       * * * * *

1. Laura Shovan shares her fascination with an uncovered skeleton, a childhood memory of a hurricane, and a storm-inspired poem by Sid Gold at AUTHOR AMOK.

2. Jama Rattigan has sweets for the sweet this week at ALPHABET SOUP: a Marie Antoinette poem by Christie Grimes and a little gallery of wedding cakes.

3. Laura Purdie Salas is in with a nature-inspired riddle-ku at WRITING THE WORLD FOR KIDS.


4. Irene Latham shares a "poetry potpourri" at LIVE YOUR POEM...: a Gwendolyn Brooks poem, a little Einstein, what she's been reading... and more.

5. At RANDOM NOODLING, Diane Mayr has an original a poem inspired by living alone with an active imagination and a cat.  And at KURIOUS KITTY'S KURIO KABINET, a poem by Lisa Williams about grackles, called–what else?–"Grackles."

6. In celebration of Grandparents Day last weekend, CBHANEK shares a touching story about a little girl, a grandma, and a poem you'll recognize about a tree. Also, don't miss her ME poem in response to Lee Bennett Hopkins' challenge HERE.

7. Matt Forrest Esenwine has a bit of everything, including a new poem, a new anthology, and a new CYBILS category he'll be judging, over at RADIO, RHYTHM & RHYME.

8. Linda Baie has a lovely original poem infused with ocean memories at TEACHERDANCE.

9. At A TEACHING LIFE, Tara Smith shares a sigh-worthy poem about the end of summer: "Solitudes" by Margaret Gibson.

10. At A READING YEAR, Mary Lee Hahn's inspirational poem, "To My Students," uses the form Tabatha Yeatts introduced to us a couple weeks ago with the video of Lennon and Maisy.

11. Donna Smith is also sharing an original poem today at MAINELY WRITE. "Aquasphere" is a poem she didn't end up using for SPARK, but here, she illustrates it herself with her new passion for watercolors.

12. Iphigene's heartwrenching original poem at GATHERING BOOKS references three Emily Dickinson poems as it explores a child's coma and a mother's choice.

13. Delighted to see Carol Varsalona is sharing a ME poem at BEYOND LITERACY LINK.  She contrasts her childhood seaside memories with a another original poem titled "Summer Splashings." If you haven't yet checked out Carol's extensive Summer Splashings Gallery (unveiled last weekend), you can do so HERE.

14. At HATBOOKS, Holly Thompson writes about a life-changing moment from her late teen years that pointed her toward Japan–thanks to a pair of geta.

15. Amy Ludwig VanDerwater shares an original poem about change and memories at THE POEM FARM, along with the book and life happenings that inspired it.

16. Tabatha Yeatts has got mindfulness on her mind. She shares "Admit Something" by Hafiz at THE OPPOSITE OF INDIFFERENCE. 

17. Heidi Mordhorst has some happy news to share, including a momentous event in Room 203. She commemorates the occasion with an original poem at MY JUICY LITTLE UNIVERSE.

18. SALLY MURPHY is in this week with a poem she wrote about bird watching and walking.

19. Do you know the difference between a box turtle and a snapping turtle? You will after reading Ruth's original poetry offering today at THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A GOD-FORSAKEN TOWN.

20. Doraine Bennett shares a poem about talking with light by Thomas Aquinas and her own beauty of a ME poem at DORI READS.

21. Catherine at READING TO THE CORE, has been searching for just the right form for her campfire poem. She found it, thanks to Eve Merriam.

22. Penny Parker Klostermann has a yummy collaboration from guests, Sandy Lowe and her granddaughter, Mary, on A GREAT NEPHEW AND A GREAT AUNT.

23. Poets and Doctor Who fans will appreciate this lyrical quotation shared by Little Willow at BILDUNGSROMAN.

24. VIOLET NESDOLY offers a poetic tribute to the founder of her local poetry club: "This is the house that Donna built."

25. Anastasia Suen shares the rhyming picture book, Goodnight Football, on her new WRITING LESSONS blog.

26. Sylvia Vardell is "reverse engineering" The Poetry Friday Anthology for Celebrations. At POETRY FOR CHILDREN, she shows how you can ignore the holidays component and use the book to find poems to match with 156 favorite contemporary picture books for story times and lessons.

27. Janet Squires has a review of Fold Me A Poem by Kristine O'Connell George at ALL ABOUT THE BOOKS.

28. Tricia Stohr-Hunt shares some great consignment shop finds at THE MISS RUMPHIUS EFFECT: books by Elizabeth Spires and Myra Cohn Livingston.

29. In honor of Constitution Day, Jone MacCulloch has Georgia Heard's "A Dream Come True" from The Poetry Friday Anthology for Celebrations at CHECK IT OUT.  She also reveals the roster of 2015 CYBILS poetry judges. (Hooray!)

30. KAREN EDMISTEN is giving us a taste of autumn this week with Arthur Sze's beautiful and poignant "The Shapes of Leaves."

31. Last, but never least, Margaret Simon has been spending the day completing a Dot Day project with her students. Enjoy their collaborative poem on video at REFLECTIONS ON THE TECHE.

Thank you for all of your kind comments today, and especially to those of you who shared your own harrowing dog encounters. Just to set the record straight, while I have moved on from the incident and hold no grudges, sweet Ellie is not mine. (I borrowed her from Flickr Creative Commons.) I'm more of a cat person.

See you next week for the DMC Wrap-Up Celebration!

DMC: "Summer Tradition" by Kristi Dee Veitenheimer

SUMMER TRADITION 

Six flags-
summer.

Waiting-
snaking lines.

Log flume-
straddle the seat.

Squealing-
splashing every turn.

Uh Oh-
chains pulling up incline.

Grabbing-
frightened knowing what comes next.

Tensing-
anticipating the freefall.

Screaming-
losing my stomach racing downhill.

Soaking-
running, getting back in line one more time!

© 2015 Kristi Dee Veitenheimer. All rights reserved.

Lee Bennett Hopkins has challenged us to write a "ME poem" this month, based on one simple moment in your childhood that changed you in some way. 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 on Friday, September 25th, and one lucky participant will win an autographed copy of Lee's gorgeous new anthology:

DMC: "Red Keds and Fireflies" by Ellen Leventhal

RED KEDS AND FIREFLIES

First one to see the streetlights come on!
Knock on wood,
Our luck will be good!
I bounce about in my new red Keds,
the ones that make me strong.

The sun fades to darkness.
And then we see.
Flittering, glittering,
Twirling and flipping.

“I caught some!” he says.
“I put them in a jar.”

A knot in my gut,
and a tear stained face.
But, still
I find the words.
Loud, strong, formidable.
 “Let them go!”

And he does.
Up, up, up to the sky,
winking and blinking
and looping figure eights
all the way home.

“Goodbye fireflies,” I call.
Standing tall
in my new red Keds,
the ones that make me strong.

© 2015 Ellen Leventhal. All rights reserved.

Lee Bennett Hopkins has challenged us to write a "ME poem" this month, based on one simple moment in your childhood that changed you in some way. 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 on Friday, September 25th, and one lucky participant will win an autographed copy of Lee's gorgeous new anthology: