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Thursday, October 2, 2014

Grinning for Poetry Friday

                 Jama Rattigan, at Jama's Alphabet Soup is our perfect host today, ignoring the soup, and going straight to the sweets! Go visit all the desserts shared by everyone!  

                 I have been immersed all of September in poetry, and enjoying the writing with groups in two different worlds. Since the beginning of September, I've had the pleasure of joining Renee La Tulippe's wonderful Lyrical Language Lab, an online writing workshop with Renee, and other poets from all over the world. Renee blogs at No Water River.  I still have one more week of that work to do because I also just returned home from the barn at Boyd's Mill, Pennsylvania, a Highlights Foundation Workshop, Poetry for the Delight of It with David L. Harrison.  It was another marvelous time and opportunity to write with a great group. It feels good to be with those who love writing as much as I do. One additional special thing was that I got to meet and write with JoAnn Early Macken of the Teaching Authors blog. After enjoying their blog posts for a long time, it was wonderful to be with JoAnn in person!



at the Highlights Workshop - a taste of the beauty

              I feel like shouting those words from Mark Strand's poem, Eating Poetry: "Ink runs from the corners of my mouth./There is no happiness like mine./I have been eating poetry." It also seems appropriate because of Jama's mouth-watering post for us this Poetry Friday, and fits the poem I want to share. I was inspired this past week, but sometimes stuck. There weren't always prompts, but one was "happy", and I wrote a few pages, attempting ideas, not finding a particular path to follow anywhere. Our last day together was Wednesday, and we shared other poems, first drafts, poems by others we loved, and so on. 

              Finally, I got it, at least for me. I felt so happy and thought more than anything that I wished that others would find something in their lives that made them feel that way, too. Here's the poem:


               Happy

Do you feel a heap of happy?
Do you joke a lot—or not?
Is there laughter in your cupboard?
or just an empty spot?

I’ll be glad to gift some giggles,
if you think you’re running low.
It’s sad to live without a laugh,
better to gleam and glow.

Bring a bucket for some smiles;
I’ll throw in grins for free.
You’ll need guffaws to last a while;
The cost is ten te hees.

             Linda Baie © All Rights Reserved



44 comments:

  1. What better way to start the day than with a double dose of happiness? Being immersed in writing poetry sounds heavenly, and I love your poem! I'll be gleaming and glowing all day!

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    1. Thanks Catherine, I feel as if I've taken a happy pill after this past month.

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  2. Oh, I love it! What a great poem to kick off Friday and the weekend! :-) That photo is just beautiful!

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    1. It is a heavenly place, Holly. Thank you, hope it left you with a big smile.

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  3. Love your "happy" poem! I'm smiling!

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    1. Terrific, Penny-a good way to be!

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    2. You're always an inspiration, Linda. "Laughter in your cupboard"--I need to add more cans of that!

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    3. Tam, thank you for coming by and commenting. I hope this serves as a "can" for you!

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  4. Linda! THIS POEM MAKES ME SO HAPPY! I am thrilled to hear about your recent poetic adventures, and i love the picture of the swirly stone wall. I'd love to see a collection of Happy poems by you. xo

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    1. Thank you, what a "happy" idea, Irene. I hadn't thought of that, but maybe...

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  5. Beautiful, happy poem, Linda- and perfect for World Smile Day!

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    1. I didn't know there even was a 'world smile day', Iza. Thank you!

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  6. It's obvious that writing is a sure-fire happy-making mechanism for you. Keep it oiled and always ready!

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    1. Thanks, Diane, will try to find a small can of WD-40 to keep it handy. Thanks for the smile from you!

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  7. What a wonderful, cleverly written, uplifting poem, Linda! I'm grinning from ear to ear. Sounds like you've been feasting big time on lots of poetic goodness and learning from some talented teachers. Was this your first Highlights workshop? (I thought you had attended one previously.)

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    1. Thanks, Jama, nice to see you grinning! Yes, I went last year to work with David also. Can't get enough!

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  8. I'll give a giggle
    and will not bicker.
    I love you poem.
    Please don't snicker.

    Thanks for keeping the happy going today.

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    1. I haven't gotten to your post yet, Joy. Did you offer another giggle there, too. Thanks for the happy rhyme!

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  9. Fun post, Linda.

    Lyrical Language Lab to Highlights - concentrated doses of hard work + creativity = happy, me thinks.
    And your photograph deserves a spot of a wall calendar. Enticing slate fence curling in a question or, being a stone sculpture that looks like a fiddlehead fern.

    Happy, all around with this.

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    1. Behind this curving wall are more places to sit, rocks dotting the floor with words on them, to inspire, or to write with. We had a fun picture session there. Thanks Jan.

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  10. "heaps of happy", "gifts some giggles", and "guffaws"...such rich words.

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  11. Your poem makes me happy, Linda! I'm so glad we got to spend some time together in the lovely environment of the Highlights Foundation workshop. I came home inspired, too!

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    1. Thanks, JoAnn. I tweaked it a bit since I read it to you all yesterday. I'm glad we met, too, & hope you have a wonderful autumn writing, writing!

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  12. I love, love, love your poem. I am counting my tee-hees, so I can pay the price of it! :)

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    1. Ha! This has been fun to hear everyone's replies-big smile, Jane!

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  13. I've been waiting to hear about your week in the woods with like-minding writing fools. I love your happy poem. It's full of giggles and tee hees. Adorable.

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    1. Thanks Margaret. I'm sure I'll post more, but this poem was such fun, & as you see, rather a 'happening'.

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  14. Wonderful poem, Linda! I especially love the image of "laughter in your cupboard." I am so glad you enjoyed your week in Chautauqua!

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  15. I had a feeling that this visit to Highlights would bring you much happiness, Linda! I can imagine what fun it must have been to be a lovely place, with inspiring company, tasked to reach into your well of creativity and write. Your happy poem made me happy, my friend.

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  16. I smiled even as you described the stuck moments, but knowing you were in good company, in a beautiful place, doing work you love, I smiled even more reading your joyful poem. Yay for a great retreat!

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    1. Thanks Jeannine, writing doesn't get much better than being in such a place.

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  17. Linda, I'm in awe of your recent writing opportunities and then I read a poem, I just want to print and keep in my pocket. I'm going to think about laughter in my cupboard, thanks for the ponder.

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    1. You're welcome, Mandy, everyone needs a shelf-full I think!

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  18. I like the generosity of offering a bucketful of grins, smiles, and guffaws to all comers! This would be great for Poetry in the Halls (poems in schools for National Poetry Month).

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    1. Thank you, Tabatha. I will look for Poetry In The Halls-haven't heard of it.

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  19. You hit happy on the head with this one, Linda! (And that's a good thing-- happy likes being hit on the head.)

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    1. Ha! Funny, Michelle, a big smile in the early morning is a good thing! Thank you.

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  20. Reminds me of Pharrell's HAPPY! But infinitely more lyrical - as only you can write it, dear Linda.

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  21. I love it! It's hard to write about happiness. You did a great job!

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  22. What a MARVELOUS poem, Linda. I could just eat it up! :-)
    And I'm jealous of both you and JoAnn, both for being able to attend the workshop and for meeting each other. I hope to meet you in person one day, too. Keep on smiling!

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