Thursday, October 25, 2012

October-The Month of Contradictions


           
                It’s Poetry Friday, the Friday before Halloween, so come along with your gathering of spooky words, if you so wish, or peaceful words that may calm us before the day. 

               It snowed here in the past 48 hours, and if you saw my last post you would have seen Autumn beauty, but alas, the snow has taken it away, hence my title.

           Little Orphant Annie by James Whitcomb Riley is a favorite poem at this spooky time of year, when such words as when the blaze is blue/An' the lamp-wick sputters, an' the wind goes woo-oo! gives me shivers, and I love that they do.  It also brings good memories, of a grandfather who read old classics to me because that is what he loved.  I have shared this poem many times to my classes in the past, and it has inspired their charcoal sketches of what they saw in their mind’s eye. 
             You can hear the poem read here at the Riley Children’s Foundation, presented by a man named Hal Rayle, an American voice actor.
             This is the sweet introduction by Riley to the poem:

               To all the little children: -- The happy ones; and sad ones;
               The sober and the silent ones; the boisterous and glad ones;
               The good ones -- Yes, the good ones, too; and all the lovely bad ones.



And you can find the poem’s text here, with this beginning: 

Little Orphant Annie's come to our house to stay,
An' wash the cups an' saucers up, an' brush the crumbs away,

Happy Halloween to you all!

                    From ghoulies and ghosties
 and long-leggedy beasties 
and things that go bump in the night.  Good Lord, deliver us!
~Scottish Saying


Please leave your links in the comments and I will gather throughout the day.  


Early birds (or bats if you prefer):

*Steven Withrow has an original poem "Wood Thrush" at Crackles of Speech.

*Robin Hood Black ponders generations past and present with some original "robin's egg blue haiku". 

*Matt Forrest Esenwine gives us two poems for the price of one this week at Radio, Rhythm & Rhyme.

*Myra Garces-Bacsal shares Laura Purdie Salas' wonderful anthology Bookspeak at Gathering Books.

*Violet Nesdoly is planning to be very busy in the next month because she's planning for NaNoWriMo and the November Poem A Day Chapbook challenges by sharing "The Alchemy of Poetry".  

And the morning treats:

*Lorie Ann Grover shares an original haiku at On Point, titled September  October

*Vikram Madan is trying to take a little nap at 1000 Poems.

*You can find poetry gifts for teens (and others) from Tabatha Yeatts.

*Andi Sibley at A Wrung Sponge gives us perhaps the last of the possible Autumn photos (with the storm on its way) and an original haiku.  

*Amy Ludwig VanDerwater at A Poem Farm writes it's still Indian summer at her farm, and shares a free verse poem about a dancing girl named Fall.

*Renee LaTulippe at No Water River has another wonderful video of poetry performance tips, Doing Poetry Right and then there's her marvelous celebration of the Poetry Friday Anthology she calls Poet-A-Palooza with even more wonderful videos of some of the poets reading their poems.

*Laura Shovan, Author Amok, shares the poem "I Love Rap" from Tony Medina's DESHAWN DAYS.  Check out her comment about the fan mail DeShawn receives.

*Ruth is staying dry inside because of the relentless rain they are experiencing in Haiti from Hurricane Sandy.  She shares a poem about siblings at There Is No Such Thing As A Godforsaken Town.  She says it's a 'hurricane' poem.  Hm-m.

*At  A Teaching Life, Tara adds some more Halloween poems.  She too is preparing for the predicted storm in the east.

*Liz Steinglass shares an original poem-"The Cat And The Chipmunk".  

*At 100 Scope Notes, Travis Jonker gives us a review of the anthology, Make Magic Do Good.

*Laura Purdie Salas shares a poem by Diana Randolph called "Free Admission Day, September - Copper Falls STate Park." She says it's from Diana's collection of poems and paintings called BEACONS OF THE EARTH AND SKY.  And don't forget to visit 15 Words or less too!


*Always delighting with foodie memories, Jama Rattigan at the Alphabet Soup shares a poem by Penny Harter about a vintage whisk.  

*A scary original poem is offered by Iza Trapani at In and Out of My Studio titled A Monster In My Room.  

*Diane Mayr adds more about the Dodge Poetry Festival at Random Noodling. And KK's Kwotes has a quote by John Barton.  Plus, Diane says the Write Sisters has a poem called "Lace" by Eavan Boland.

*Sally Thomas gives us numerous poems for listening at Castle In The Sea.

*Linda Kulp answers the question, What makes a house a home? with a poem at Write Time.

*Heidi Mordhorst is in today at My Juicy Little Universe with a poem she shared with eighth graders about NYC.

*Betsy, at Teaching Young Writers has a 'leafy' poem, still no snow at her house, only drips.

*Dori, at Dori Reads says no snow down south, and shares a bicycle poem.

*David Harrison gives us two posts today.  One concerns a poem about his lost cat, Corky, and the other is from his Sunday Poems post, with a poem by Jeanne Poland and one original from David.  

*Mary Lee Hahn at A Year of Reading reminds us that it's less than two weeks till election day!  And she shares a review of Janet S. Wong's thoughtful Declaration of Interdependence.

*Sylvia Vardell at Poetry for Children shares some of her helpful poetry "text sets", this time for middle school readers.

*Sylvia Vardell and Janet Wong are sharing a weather poem for the Poetry Friday Anthology post today.      

Sorry to be later for some of you:  It's time for lunchtime goodies here!

Carol Wilcox at Carol's Corner is one of the Cybil's poetry panelists, and is sharing a review from the top of her stack of anthologies,  FREEDOM'S A-CALLIN ME by Ntozake Shange.  It tells the story of a runaway slave traveling north.  

Ben Curran at The Small Nouns shares a poem by Galway Kinnell and writes about his favorite anthology, Good Poems for Hard Times.

At Booktalking, Anastasia Suen is sharing Just Say Boo! by Susan Hood and Jed Henry.

At Bildungsroman you'll find two sonnets from Shakespeare here and here!


Janet Squires shares "Bees, snails, & peacock tails: patterns & shapes--naturally" written by Betsy Franco and illustrated by Steve Jenkins.  Find her at All About The Books With Janet Squires.

April Halprin Wayland gives us two poems today from her wonderful book GIRL COMING IN FOR A LANDING.

Charles Ghigna says Come go "Write Walking" with us at The FATHER GOOSE Blog

It's good to have this happen in the daylight!  Mary Ann Scheur wants to tell us about J. Patrick Lewis and Jane Yolen and their marvelous   Last Laughs: Animal Epitaphs.

Amy at Mrs. Merrill's Book Break gives us an idea for a prop for Jack Prelutsky's Skeleton Parade.

Joy Acey says she has company but still wants to share a little Halloween poem.  You can find it here.
  
final howlings!

Donna at Mainely Write has been busy with the goblins all night, and adds her poem this morning.  Be sure to take a look at what she thinks of October!  And-it's her birthday, so go wish her many happy returns of her day!

82 comments:

  1. Thanks for the spooky Halloween post, Linda, and thanks for hosting!

    I have an original poem called "Wood Thrush" at Crackles of Speech:

    http://cracklesofspeech.blogspot.com/2012/10/poem-wood-thrush.html

    Steven Withrow

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you. Always wonderful to hear about birds.

      Delete
  2. Snow? You already have snow? Brrrr. Love the spooky post and pictures. I'm pondering generations past and present with some original "robin's egg blue haiku" today:

    http://www.robynhoodblack.com/blog.htm?post=881365

    Thanks for hosting!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Supposed to warm up by Saturday, but it is cold right now! Thanks, Robyn. I wonder if your robins have to do with another Robyn we know?

      Delete
  3. We may be getting snow this coming Mon. or Tue., so we won't be far behind you! Love the poem - thanks for sharing. I have two poems for the price of one today:

    http://mattforrest.wordpress.com/2012/10/26/poetry-friday-sunrise-sunset

    My best,

    Matt

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Matt. I am not getting your link to work. Will you send it again?

      Delete
  4. Hi Linda! Thanks so much for being our lovely host this week. Here's my contribution for Poetry Friday this week, Laura Purdie Salas' BookSpeak!! http://gatheringbooks.wordpress.com/2012/10/26/poetry-friday-do-you-speak-book/
    I love the Halloween vibe of your post! Looking forward to seeing quite a number of Little Orphan Annies trick or treating in a week's time! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey Myra, thanks for the review of that beautiful book. I'm looking forward to seeing what your favorites might be. Yes, I wonder if the goblins'll be about too!

      Delete
  5. Oooh, I'm getting spooky shivers... So nice to be hosted at your house, though, Linda, where I'm sure the treats will be plentiful.

    I posted "The Alchemy of Poetry" - in preparation for the NaNoWriMo and November Poem A Day Chapbook Challenges that begin next week. My link is here: http://wp.me/pC77F-kk

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Violet, you will be so busy, but having bunches of fun with the poetry work. Thank you for sharing!

      Delete
  6. Thank you, Linda! What a great mood you set. At On Point I have my original haiku September October.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Thanks for sharing the 'spooky' poem. And here I was, this poetry friday, just trying to take 'A Little Nap' over at my http://www.1000poems.com blog.

    http://www.1000poems.com/2012/10/984-little-nap.html

    :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Vikram, always good to take a little nap.

      Delete
  8. Thanks for being our ghostly host this week! I am nearly ready for Halloween. I just haven't figured out what weird and spooky things I will serve for Halloween dinner yet. Whatever it is, I guess it will be a meal fit for the dead, mwa ha ha!

    For Poetry Friday, I have "Poetry Gifts for Teens (and Others): http://tabathayeatts.blogspot.com/2012/10/poetry-gifts-for-teens-and-others.html

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I love that you do it up weird and spooky, Tabatha. I love Halloween and now get to share with my little granddaughter, who is going as a pteranodon. She is flying around as much as possible. Thank you!

      Delete
  9. Linda, thanks for offering the blessing on this wild week coming up. We are holding our breath for some of that weather. I expect we will lose most of our leaf cover, so I am celebrating the gorgeous autumn colors we've seen in the past couple weeks with an original haiku and some photos.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I hope for you that the storm doesn't materialize as badly as they are predicting & love that you are sharing more of the glory of Autumn. Thanks, Andi.

      Delete
  10. Thank you for hosting this week's roundup, Linda. I look forward to sharing your post with my own children...but not before bedtime!

    Today at The Poem Farm, it's still Indian Summer...and so I'm celebrating it with a little bit of free verse about a dancing girl named Fall.

    http://poemfarm.blogspot.com/2012/10/indian-summer-celebrating-weather.html

    Have a beautiful week. Boo!

    a.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I love "Little Orphant Annie"! Thanks for your ghoulish goodies and for hosting, Linda!

    Today I have something a little different in the form of a video of poetry performance tips called DOING POETRY RIGHT. I hope that teachers and students will find it helpful in making poetry come alive!
    http://www.nowaterriver.com/poetry-performance-tips/

    And of course, I also have the POETRY FRIDAY ANTHOLOGY POET-A-PALOOZA starring Sylvia Vardell and Janet Wong, with poetry videos by Jane Yolen, Ken Slesarik, Stephanie Calmenson, and Michael J. Rosen. Come help celebrate this fabulous resource!

    http://www.nowaterriver.com/poetry-monday-the-poetry-friday-anthology-poet-a-palooza/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oops! Could you use this link instead for the Doing Poetry Right post:

      http://www.nowaterriver.com/doing-poetry-right-poetry-performance-tips/

      Thank you!

      Delete
    2. I suspect I will learn something good from this poet Renee. It's terrific you are doing it. I loved the Poet-A-Palooza. Thank you.

      Delete
  12. Good morning, Linda! Snow might be in our future too if this big east coast storm develops.

    I have the poem "I Love Rap" from Tony Medina's DESHAWN DAYS up today. Tony sometimes shares his fan mail, usually from elementary-age boys, about DeShawn. Kids feel as if DeShawn is a real person because his voice in the book feels so true to 10-years-old.

    http://authoramok.blogspot.com/2012/10/poetry-friday-deshawn-days.html

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Best wishes for the storm abating! Sometimes the weather people are wrong, wrong, wrong. I'm looking forward to reading your post, Laura. Thank you.

      Delete
  13. Thanks for hosting! We're staying home and trying to stay dry here in Haiti, so I picked a hurricane poem for today. http://thereisnosuchthingasagodforsakentown.blogspot.com/2012/10/poetry-friday-siblings.html

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I've been wondering about you, Ruth, glad it's just rain, but even that doesn't sound great. Thank you for posting.

      Delete
  14. Love that Scottish saying! What may go bump in the night here on the East Coast is a hurricane...yikes. I have some Halloween poems, too. Thanks for hosting today, Linda!
    http://tmsteach.blogspot.com/2012/10/poetry-friday-sort-of-celebrating.html

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thinking about you and that storm predicted! Thanks for more Halloween goodies!

      Delete
  15. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Happy Poetry Friday! Thanks for hosting.
      I have an original poem--"The Cat and the Chipmunk" at http://www.lizsteinglass.com/
      Liz

      Delete
    2. Thank you Liz. Always lovely to see what you've written.

      Delete
  16. Thanks for hosting! I have a review of the poetry collection Make Magic! Do Good! at 100 Scope Notes: http://100scopenotes.com/2012/10/26/review-make-magic-do-good-by-dallas-clayton/ -Travis

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Travis. The collection sounds interesting.

      Delete
  17. Thanks for hosting, Linda! I love that poem, especially those two big Black Things standing by her side. Shiver! I think this poem, a year or two ago, was the first time I ever knew a roundabout was a sweater!

    I'm in with a poem by Diana Randolph called "Free Admission Day, September - Copper Falls STate Park." It's from her collection of poems and paintings called BEACONS OF THE EARTH AND SKY.
    http://laurasalas.wordpress.com/2012/10/25/beacons/

    And 15 Words or Less Poems this week is at http://laurasalas.wordpress.com/2012/10/25/peephole/ This week's picture is not at all Halloweeny, but that must have been on my mind because I gave it a trick-or-treating interpretation:>)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I did see your Halloween response, Laura. Interesting that you traveled that way. Thanks for these.

      Delete
  18. Strange weather is upon us! Love "Little Orphant Annie" -- hadn't seen it before :).

    Today I'm sharing a poem by Penny Harter referencing a vintage whisk inherited by her husband Bill Higginson:

    http://jamarattigan.com/2012/10/26/friday-feast-your-grandmothers-whisk-by-penny-harter/

    Thanks for hosting; have a Spooktacular Halloween!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This sounds amazing, a poem about a whisk, Jama. Thank you.

      Delete
  19. Great spooky poem! You must have loved hearing your grandfather read it to you. Thanks for hosting. Here is the link to my poem: A Monster in My Room http://izatrapani.com/wp/?p=1824

    ReplyDelete
  20. Happy Halloween! Today at Random Noodling, I'm still reliving the Dodge Poetry Festival.

    Kurious Kitty looks at a new book called Builder Goose.

    KK's Kwotes has a quote by John Barton.

    Finally, at The Write Sisters, we have a poem called "Lace" by Eavan Boland.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Oh, our school headmistress used to read us "Little Orphan Annie" every Halloween when I was in elementary school. She was so tiny she had to stand on a stepstool at the podium, and in her very Southern voice she would say, "The Goblins ah gonna getchoo if you don't watch out!"

    I'm in with recordings of poetry by Richard Wilbur, Theodore Roethke, Elizabeth Bishop, and more!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh, I love your memory, Sally. Thanks for telling about it, and for the recordings.

      Delete
  22. Snow? Wow! I hear we might be getting a double whammie here next week when tropical and winter storms collide! Let's hope not! I'm in today with some thoughts about what makes a house a home. Have a great weekend!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'll get back to you. I'm in the midst of house/home too! Thanks, Linda.

      Delete
  23. Hi, Linda--

    Thanks for a shivery start to the week before Halloween! I'm in with a poem I shared with 8th graders this week about New York City. Thanks for hosting!

    http://myjuicylittleuniverse.blogspot.com/2012/10/flabbergasted.html

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I took my middle schoolers to NYC a few years ago. Wish I'd had your poem. Thanks Heidi.

      Delete
  24. We are just waiting for the moment when snow begins, but it is drippy here! My poem is a leafy offering not a snowy one yet, but I am sure there is one in my future.

    http://teachingyoungwriters.blogspot.com/2012/10/whats-that.html

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I do love the moisture we got, Betsy. Thanks for the leafy poem.

      Delete
  25. Snow in October is totally foreign to us in the Deep South! Thanks for hosting. Here's my link to a bicycle poem.
    http://dorireads.blogspot.com/2012/10/a-woman-and-her-wheels.html

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The snow as I said above, is a blessing. We really needed some moisture! Thanks Dori.

      Delete
  26. Hi Linda,
    Thanks for hosting today. It's fun to see what others have been up to. I had a couple of blog posts this past week that might be of interest. On http://davidlharrison.wordpress.com/2012/10/24/leaving-corky is a poem about Corky, my lost cat. And on http://davidlharrison.wordpress.com/2012/10/21/8384 you'll find Sunday Poets, which features Jeanne Poland's Leave Dance Prints and a poem of mine called Be a Better Butterfly. Thanks again. David

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for both, David. I loved the Sunday poetry this week.

      Delete
  27. Hi LInda - thank you for bringing me some spooky this morning! I do not have a post to share, but I did want to say hello and send my love and say, YAY, I can get on your site again without alarms sounding! xo

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Irene-So lovely to hear from you. Blogger can be frustrating at times! I did write them, and something happened, although they didn't tell me what! (Magic!)

      Delete
  28. With a little over a week to go before the official election day (I voted two weeks ago!), I'm spotlighting Janet Wong's book Declaration of Interdependence: Poems for an Election Year.

    http://readingyear.blogspot.com/2012/10/declaration-of-interdependence.html

    Thanks for hosting the roundup!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm getting nervous about the election, are you, Mary Lee? Love Janet's book, which is about so much more than just electing. Thank you!

      Delete
  29. Thank you for hosting this week's round up! My post today is about poetry "text sets" for middle school (ages 11-14).
    http://poetryforchildren.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I love your help with these lists, Sylvia. They are a treasure. Thank you!

      Delete
  30. Janet Wong and I would like to invite you to our Poetry Friday Anthology post where we feature a "weather" poem for Week 9. Check it out:
    http://poetryfridayanthology.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'll be sure to post it, Sylvia and Janet. Thank you!

      Delete
  31. Good morning Linda! Thanks for hosting on this snowy Colorado Friday. I will spend at least part of today reading through my pile of CYBILS nominees. At the top of today's stack is FREEDOM'S A-CALLIN ME by Ntozake Shange. FREEDOM is a collection of poems, narrated by a runaway slave, chronicling his journey north to freedom. Perfect for a middle or high school history class!
    http://www.carolwscorner.blogspot.com/2012/10/poetry-friday.html

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am envious that you get to read all of the nominees, but I don't know how to find the time. Best to you in your process. And I'm looking forward to what you and your colleagues send on! Thanks Carol.

      Delete
  32. Thanks for hosting! I wrote my post before I saw your Halloween theme...I had a great monster poem. Maybe next week for a post-Halloween special.

    Today I'm writing about one of my favorite poetry anthologies, Good Poems for Hard Times, and I share a poem by Galway Kinnell.

    http://thesmallnouns.blogspot.com/2012/10/poetry-friday-good-poems-for-hard-times.html#

    --Ben @ The Small Nouns

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Looking forward to the adverb poem, Ben. Thank you for this recommendation too. Nice to know about it!

      Delete
  33. At Booktalking we're reading the Halloween picture book poem, Just Say Boo! by Susan Hood (Author) and Jed Henry (Illustrator) http://asuen.com/blog/?p=508

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Anastasia. I just went to a bookfair last night & saw this book! It looks great. Thanks.

      Delete
  34. I posted Shakespeare's Sonnet 43 at Bildungsroman:
    http://slayground.livejournal.com/719283.html
    http://slayground.livejournal.com/

    Thanks for doing the round-up!

    ReplyDelete
  35. I posted Shakespeare's Sonnet 43 at Bildungsroman:
    here and here!

    Thanks for doing the round-up!

    ReplyDelete
  36. Thanks for hosting.
    My selection is "Bees, snails, & peacock tails: patterns & shapes--naturally" written by Betsy Franco and illustrated by Steve Jenkins.

    ReplyDelete
  37. Hi Linda,
    Thanks so much for hosting today. I love the pumpkin in snow picture. :-)
    Don't know if my co-blogger, April Halprin Wayland, shared her link with you yet. She has two poems today from her wonderful book GIRL COMING IN FOR A LANDING:
    http://www.teachingauthors.com/2012/10/research-devil-is-in-detailsand-happy.html

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I didn't receive anything from April. Thank you for letting me know!

      Delete
  38. Replies
    1. Sounds terrific, Charles. I'm looking forward to seeing what this means. Thank you!

      Delete
  39. What a fantastic poetry roundup for Poetry Friday! Here's my favorite of the week to share: http://greatkidbooks.blogspot.com/2012/10/last-laughs-animal-epitaphs-by-j.html

    Last Laughs: Animal Epitaphs, by J. Patrick Lewis and Jane Yolen.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mary Ann, Thanks! I've seen some of this-what a great thing to share before Halloween.

      Delete
  40. Hi Linda! I am a late bloomer with leaving a comment . . . but here is my contribution to Poetry Friday:

    I am sharing an idea for a simple poetry prop! It's for Jack Prelutsky's "Skeleton Parade."

    http://mrsmerrillsbookbreak.blogspot.com/

    Thank you!
    Amy Merrill

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You're not too late, Amy. Spirits hang around till all hours of the night. Thank you!

      Delete
  41. Love the extreme "frost" on the pumpkin picture! None here yet. Getting ready for the hurricane though. Hope it doesn't blow everyone's pumpkins away!
    This was supposed to go yesterday, but I didn't have time to finish the last stanza until this morning. So I'm sending it anyway, because I really didn't want to miss your day of hosting! So here it is:
    http://mainelywrite.blogspot.com/2012/10/a-poem-for-today.html

    ReplyDelete
  42. I wondered about where you were, Donna. I've been watching the weather for you, can't decide if it's all hype or the bad storm might really happen. Thanks for your poem. I'll post it for sure!

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for visiting!