Two Line Tuesday: Logan Pearsall Smith

Lynn Friedman

What I like in a good author isn't what he says, 

but what he whispers.

                                            – Logan Pearsall Smith

May DMC Wrap-Up Celebration + Giveaway

Megan Lynnette

At the beginning of the month, Elizabeth Steinglass challenged us to write a poem giving instructions to an inanimate object about how to do its job. The challenge was based on her poem "Instructions for the Field" from Soccerverse: Poems about Soccer (WordSong, 2019). Read her sample poem HERE, or as part of her Spotlight interview HERE. Look for Soccerverse at your local bookstore on June 4th!

With more than 50 responses including several student poems . . .

Leicester City Football Club

this challenge was an all-around winner!

Poems were mostly inspired by everyday objects in and around home or school, or out and about in our local neighborhoods. Our shared familiarity with these objects probably had a lot to do with the success of this challenge. It was so much fun seeing these common objects portrayed in a fresh new light.

Many thanks to everyone who participated, and especially to Liz for inspiring this eclectic collection—

Martha Heinemann Bixby

and be amazed at our poetic menagerie!

Scroll through the poems below, or for best viewing, CLICK HERE.

Is there an inanimate object you'd like to write an instruction poem about? If so, you'll need to be quick—this challenge ends TODAY (Friday, May 31, 2019). Post your poem on our May 2019 padlet by the end of the day and I will add it to the wrap-up presentation.

Participants in this month's challenge will automatically be entered to win a signed copy of Soccerverse: Poems about Soccer by Elizabeth Steinglass, illustrated by Edson Ikê (Wordsong, 2019). One entry per participant, not per poem.

Alternatively, you may enter the giveaway by commenting below. Comments must be received by Tuesday, June 4th. If you contribute a poem and comment below, you will receive two entries in total.

The winner will be chosen randomly and announced next Friday, June 7th, when we reveal our next Spotlight ON interview and DMC challenge!

This week the Poetry Friday community is celebrating and sharing the work of Naomi Shihab Nye, our new Young People's Poet Laureate. Read my interview with Naomi HERE, my poem "Letters" inspired by "To Manage" from Voices in the Air (Greenwillow Books, 2018), and our wrap-up celebration for her challenge to write poems with questions HERE.

Mary Lee Hahn is hosting this week's Poetry Friday roundup with many more Naomi Shihab Nye offerings at A Year of Reading.

DMC: "Instructions" by Michele Krueger

INSTRUCTIONS

Seed,
tucked in soil,
freed of hull,
weathered shell,
slowly swell.
Accept your fate.
Germinate.
Take root.
Be firm.
Introduce yourself
to worm.
Take stock.
Learn to navigate
around mole,
over rock.
But beware,
Don’t linger there.
Travel up towards light,
heat.
Be nourished.
Burst forth
and flourish.
Drink, quench.
Avoid flood.
Unfurl leaf,
Burgeon bud.
Give the world
a fragrant scent.
Flower’s sweet
accomplishment.

© 2019 Michele Krueger. All rights reserved.


Elizabeth Steinglass has challenged us to write a poem giving instructions to an inanimate object about how to do its job. Click HERE for more details and to read this month's Spotlight ON interview.

Post your poem on our May 2019 padlet. All contributions will be included in a wrap-up celebration tomorrow, Friday, May 31st, and one lucky participant will win a personalized copy of her fantastic debut poetry collection from WordSong:

DMC: Instructions for the Sun and a star, by Isabella and Ani

Today I'm delighted to feature two students from Rebekah Hoeft's 3rd grade classroom. As you can see with these celestial poems, her young poets really do shine! Read more of Mrs. Hoeft's students' poems on the May 2019 padlet.


SUN INSTRUCTIONS

Shine real bright.
Don't come at night.
Don't come close to Earth.
When Winter comes, knock him back to
Aunt Artica.
Be the star of the show.
Let everybody know:
you shine bright.
 
© 2019 Isabella, 3rd Grader. All rights reserved.


STAR INSTRUCTIONS

Star in the sky,
shine so bright.
Only come
out in the night.

Be sparkly
and shiny
when you glow.

© 2019 Ani, 3rd Grader. All rights reserved.


Elizabeth Steinglass has challenged us to write a poem giving instructions to an inanimate object about how to do its job. Click HERE for more details and to read this month's Spotlight ON interview.

Post your poem on our May 2019 padlet. All contributions will be included in a wrap-up celebration this Friday, May 31st, and one lucky participant will win a personalized copy of her fantastic debut poetry collection from WordSong:

DMC: "Instructions for Cinnamon Toast" by Penny Parker Klostermann

INSTRUCTIONS FOR CINNAMON TOAST

Invite me to breakfast.
Begin as a simple slice of bread.
Color yourself buttery yellow,
staying within the crusty lines.
Pen words with generous swirls
of cinnamon-brown
and sugar-white.
(I’ll understand the message)
Tuck yourself in an oven-envelope.
Send out your irresistible aroma.
Relax.
Enjoy the warmth.
Go ahead—fall asleep.
I’ll take it from here.

© 2019 Penny Parker Klostermann. All rights reserved.


Elizabeth Steinglass has challenged us to write a poem giving instructions to an inanimate object about how to do its job. Click HERE for more details and to read this month's Spotlight ON interview.

Post your poem on our May 2019 padlet. All contributions will be included in a wrap-up celebration this Friday, May 31st, and one lucky participant will win a personalized copy of her fantastic debut poetry collection from WordSong:

DMC: "Instructions for a River" by Cheriee Weichel

INSTRUCTIONS FOR A RIVER

Acquiesce to the seasons.
Satiate yourself on snow melt and spring rain.
Rescue runoff from rivulets and streams.
Tumble white and wild over boulders and rocks.
Careen screaming over cliffs, and then
Ease off and etch oxbows onto plains.
Keep within your banks.
Flood only when necessary.
Slow down in summer, even rivers need a rest.
Gorge yourself on autumn storms and then,
Come winter, rest, encased in ice.

Acknowledge your importance, but
Remember, you are part of a larger cycle.
Share some of your cargo with the sun.
Hydrate the plants that grow near your shores.
Vanquish the thirst of animals congregating there.
Replenish oceans and lakes.

Be mindful of your responsibilities.
Harbour insects of all kinds.
Calm your whirlpools around nesting fowl.
Be gentle with amphibians and reptiles.
Mind your manners around mammals,
but keep those beavers in check.
Nurture fish of all species.
Guard their eggs til they hatch.
Tend the fry till they are ready and then,
Show them the way to ocean and lake.
Welcome them home when they return.

Provide for your people.
Cradle canoes and kayaks.
Float flies and fishing lines downstream.
Scrape out swimming holes.
Rehabilitate yourself when you are desecrated.
Be kind to us, even when we are undeserving.
And fierce when you must, but
Please don’t take our loved ones from us.
Let the rumble of your passing be a persistent lullaby.

© 2019 Cheriee Weichel (draft). All rights reserved.


Elizabeth Steinglass has challenged us to write a poem giving instructions to an inanimate object about how to do its job. Click HERE for more details and to read this month's Spotlight ON interview.

Post your poem on our May 2019 padlet. All contributions will be included in a wrap-up celebration this Friday, May 31st, and one lucky participant will win a personalized copy of her fantastic debut poetry collection from WordSong:

DMC: "Instructions for My Mirror" by Michelle Heidenrich Barnes

[K]ua

INSTRUCTIONS FOR MY MIRROR

Love what you see
Be patient and kind
Keep expectations in check

Reflect my best self
Reject my objections
Cast no doubt or shadow

Focus my light
Frame my true beauty
Remind me that I am enough

© 2019 Michelle Heidenrich Barnes. All rights reserved.


This poem does not give instructions to just any mirror, I wanted the poem to be in the voice of a struggling teenager addressing their own mirror. It was inspired by my daughter Miranda's Girl Scout gold award project, "The True Face of Teenage Beauty"—a photography-based project dedicated to increasing awareness of the inaccurate media representation of teens.

As a parent of one of the most beautiful creatures on the planet, it's rather shocking when your daughter responds to the interview question, "Why do you feel like you need/want to do something like this project?" with this:

To put it simply, it’s because I’m a teenager, 

and my friends and I hate ourselves.

Gioia De Antoniis

It's heartbreaking, actually. I may not agree with her self-view, but I'm not going to argue—she feels what she feels and I need to respect that. (Read her entire interview with Christine Boatwright at See Mama Read.)

When I think back on my own pressure cooker years, I, too, remember the need to look perfect, to do everything right, to become an individual while still trying to fit in. At some level I still struggle with self-esteem issues, though at this stage of my life it's probably got more to do with my own expectations than society's expectations of me. I don't know. It's all pretty confusing.

What's not confusing, however, is my determination to help Miranda get the word out about this cause that is so near and dear to her own heart. If you have (or know) a teenager, would you please share Miranda's website with them?

https://mbarnes03.wixsite.com/teenagebeauty

She has a nifty slider app on her About page that perfectly demonstrates the impossible standards of media misrepresentation, as well as an eye-opening Profiles page, and an excellent Gallery of teenage portraits. Miranda would love help in spreading the word about her project. If at all possible, ask the teens you know to get involved—to send in a photo and/or message with their thoughts on the topic so that Miranda can publish them on the site.

Is it only media representation that makes teenagers feel "ugly" or "invisible"? As adults (parents, educators, etc), what can we do to help?

We're entering into our final week of this month's challenge from Elizabeth Steinglass to "write a poem giving instructions to an inanimate object about how to do its job." Daily ditties this week included poems by Rosi Hollinbeck, Donna JT Smith, Margaret Simon, and Dianne Moritz. Carol Varsalona, Catherine Flynn, and Buffy Silverman posted instructional poems on their own blogs this week. Is yours on the May 2019 padlet? All poems on the padlet will be included in next Friday's wrap-up celebration!

The winner of last week's giveaway for a copy of There Was an Old Gator Who Swallowed a Moth by B.J. Lee, illustrated by David Opie (Pelican Publishing, 2019) is...

MARGARET SIMON

Congratulations, Margaret!

Thanks to Dani at Doing the Work that Matters for hosting this week's Poetry Friday roundup.