#SOL17 - 31/31 - Poetry Friday Too!

 


         #SOL17 31/31 I'm writing for the March Slice of Life challenge with the Two Writing Teachers community for Day Thirty-One of Thirty-One.  Thank you, Stacey, Beth, Deb, Betsy, Lanny, Kathleen, Lisa, and Melanie for helping us all arrive at THE END! I appreciate all that you have done to make the challenge a success. Happy Tenth Anniversary!



If it's the end of March, then it's also time for April and poetry month. Today on Poetry Friday, Amy Ludwig VanDerwater hosts us at The Poem Farm, a place I love to visit.

Endings today and preparation for beginnings. 

For those poetry Friday people, and others who may want to continue with poems in April:  "It is not every day that the world arranges itself into a poem"  That is what happens in April, regardless of the weather, regardless of where you live, April is Poetry Month. 
       
       My goal for Poetry Month: TINY THINGS. My point of view may surprise you, but I'm excited to write, share, and read everyone else's goals for celebrating poetry month. See you tomorrow!



       Other things of interest:  See the page above for the Progressive Poem's schedule of poets, hosted by Irene Latham at Live Your Poem.  And, if you'd like to see what everyone is doing for Poetry Month, look here at Jama Ratiigan's post at Jama's Alphabet Soup.

Today is Poetry Friday, but also the final day in this March Slice of life challenge. For those of you who've traveled every day even when it was hard to find any possible collection of sentences to knit together, Congratulations. I hope you made new discoveries about yourselves as writers when you persisted and did not stop.

A Poem of Reflection

Am I a writer?
I'm mindful of the memories
as time and thought 
work out the words
to grace the page.
I press the pencil  
up, down and around, 
dot the i's, cross the t's,
creating images
for me
        for you.
I want you to read on!

But the pencil stops,
starts,
stops.
How will I show these trunks
blackened with spring snow
standing in opposition 
to green grass beneath?
What melodic metaphor can I use
to catch the cheeky squirrel
high-stepping on power lines,
crossing six lanes of rush?
When will letters flow
to parade my frozen happiness
for this one moment?
Am I a writer?

Linda Baie ©All Rights Reserved

            From Karla Kuskin, only part of my favorite goodbye poem, found In Moon, Have You Met My Mother? collected poems of Karla Kuskin.

"The words were then spoken

And written

And read.

Take a look and go on

We are practically done.

--------------

You and I

turn the page

Read its message

'The End.'

Does the end mean goodbye?"

Happy Writing!

photo credit: Dean Hochman buttons via photopin (license)