Monday Reading - More "Don't-Miss" Books

  Visit Kellee and Ricki at UnleashingReaders and 

  

Jen at Teach Mentor Texts to see what they and others have been reading! Your TBR lists will grow! Happy Reading! 

          

       I'm taking the rest of July off, will continue reading and recording but need a break. I have some repairs to get done, including installing a new AC unit and a planned trip at the end of the month. Wishing you all a lovely July with summertime days exactly as you want them to be, including reading great books!

                When you meet young Etan and begin to read the story of his family, his community in the small town of Ship's Haven, outside of San Francisco, you readers will imagine his voice, soft and true. That is the voice 'inside', because right now, Etan is not speaking, not since his mother went to a hospital because she says, "she's sick on the inside". He only gets to visit once a month and early on tells about his talking with his mother, who listens "with her whole body". Though there is sadness, it's plain to see that Etan is loved by everyone, his father and grandfather, a neighbor whose dog he walks, a fruit seller, Mrs. Li, on Main Street. The street's description by Chris Baron via Etan made me want illustrations. I certainly did imagine them! It sounds warm and friendly, hugging Etan as he makes his way to his grandfather's jewelry shop. The town is made up of many who came across the sea years ago, keeping together from that past experience. The weaving of those townspeople's lives into the time of 1989 when everyone is talking about the World Series, A's versus Giants deepens the story, connecting reasons for certain actions, needed supports. 

          Thus, Etan continues his story, starting with a delivery for Mrs. Li where he meets Malia, the "creature", who peeks through the door's crack, Etan seeing only her eyes. When I read this book, I kept wishing to be reading it aloud to a class, wondering if they saw the sadness, but still continuing kindnesses Etan shows to everyone. There is something to learn in this story and I appreciate the way Chris Baron has shown that. There is that "magical imperfect" we might all understand and appreciate. 

          The amazing Albatross flies as much as 75,000 miles a year, only returning to land every two years to mate. Many species are at risk, per author Nicola Davies' note at the beginning of this story. But this is not "exactly" about the plight of the albatross but of young boy Javier who helps his father on their fishing boat. His mother has died and he misses her very much. The father is shown to be uncaring. He yells: "No slacking here!" Caught in a line, an albatross hangs injured which the boy rescues when given a chance to hide it away. Javier sneaks it home and cares for it through the kindnesses of shopkeepers and an uncle. When the father discovers it, he is furious, gives two weeks for recovery until the next sail, but on the last day sells it to a man who runs a fairground. Javier's frantic response to rescue brings him to the brink of disaster and a father who at last sees his child in a different light. Beautiful mixed-media illustrations of the people and setting by Salvatore Rubbino bring this poignant story to life 
     Thanks to Candlewick Press for this copy.

My Poetry Friday Clunker

             Thanks to Laura Shovan who is hosting this Poetry Friday, at her blog, here.  She is sharing her poem that won honorable mention in a poetry contest, one of a monster and a woman unacknowledged for her creation. 

          I'm taking a break for the rest of the month, wishing each of you a July that means summertime is a season to love. I'll be back later in the summer. And also important, wishing you a great Independence Day celebration this weekend!

          Here's my response to Linda Mitchell's "clunker" ideas from last week. What fun it was writing some of my thoughts to "The price tag always lies." Thanks, Linda!

           Linda Mitchell’s clunker

 

The price tag always lies:

the way that model sways just enough

to show off the dress,

the one that will please

in an ocean breeze

but you end up in a gale;

the way a sale advertises

the best buy of all.

Then you realize

you don’t need, or want, 

or have enough to take 

that icing on the cake.

Words come with price tags, too.

Feelings inflate every price, 

whether you write or speak.

Keep them out of stock;

that’s the truth.

 

           Linda Baie ©

 

Free Stock photos by Vecteezy

Monday Morning - Love These Books

  Visit Kellee and Ricki at UnleashingReaders and 

  

Jen at Teach Mentor Texts to see what they and others have been reading! Your TBR lists will grow! Happy Reading! 

          

       Kellee! I am happy that things are going well with you!   Welcome back!       

             I took a long time reading this debut YA thriller by Angeline Boulley. Part of it was time. It is a long, dense book. But the other part is that sometimes I paused to consider what was happening, and what the protagonist who tells her story seemed to be telling me, the reader. As an almost nineteen-year-old, Daunis Fontaine appears to have lived a lot of her life already. She is a biracial, unenrolled tribal member who feels apart from her community and the Ojibwe reservation. She is both and neither. Also, I just recently read and shared a book in English and Anishinaabemovin, This Is How I Know by Brittany Luby, thus familiar with some of the background. My Goodreads review is here.

            A thriller was not expected when I started the book. Another reason I slowed down was the preponderance of sit-at-the-edge-of-your-seat moments. On the other hand, sometimes it was definitely a story of growing up, making a mixed-up life fit. Then suddenly it turned into a life shattered with sadness and grief. Family support felt crucial for Daunis but typical for a teen, she wasn't always truthful about what was happening to her. She is strong and continues to be, shoving secrets and sadness inside, even from her mother and her Auntie who might be the ones who will step in to help. There is romance, so I thought it might be a thriller that had a deliriously happy ending. You'll need to read to decide if it did. 

         Words in Anishinaabemovin along with tribal traditions and beliefs make the story one that envelops the tragedy of so many Native American women going missing. That is in our news today! Angeline Boulley isn't telling only Daunis' story but the story of many, a thread that sews it all together. Speaking from the 'outside', I realize there is much more to know and understand, but I am grateful for this marvelous book that adds to my knowledge.

From Goodreads: 

Now, Daunis must learn what it means to be a strong Anishinaabe kwe (Ojibwe woman) and how far she'll go to protect her community, even if it tears apart the only world she’s ever known.

There are all kinds of animals, including people, with various numbers of legs. This story tells about Three, wandering through the day happy as can be. He was glad when it rained because he felt clean. His "waggly tail kept him well fed". Sometimes, he wandered and looked for a home, "wherever his nose led". Stephen Michael King writes and illustrates a special story of a positive dog with three legs, happy not to have legs too long (like horses) or too many to count (like caterpillars), yes, all positive. In all his walking, he was happy. One day he walked out of the city and met a young girl named Fern, and they seemed meant to be together. Three found his home! First published in Australia, this is published in the U.S. just this year. It's a lovely (and happy) story, just like Three.

Poetry Friday - Zentangle Fun

           Thanks to Linda Mitchell who is hosting this Poetry Friday, at her blog, A Word Edgewise. She has some 'clunkers' to trade. No, I didn't get that wrong. It is "clunkers"! Thanks for the fun, Linda!

         The "Poetry Sisters" - Tricia Stohr-Hunt, Sara Lewis Holmes, Kelly Ramsdell, Laura Purdie-Salas, Liz Garton Scanlon, and Andi Sibley, have been writing to certain challenges for a long time. In recent months, they have asked the rest of the PF bloggers if they would like to join in, hashtag #PoetryPals. This past month, They wrote this: Next month we are writing zentangle poems. If you are unfamiliar with this form, check out this post by Kat Apel. Share your poem on June 25^th in a post with the tag #PoetryPals.

         I've loved seeing zentangles whenever I do see them. But I've never done one. This time, the challenge intrigued me, probably because of the found poem idea, but also, I thought it was high time I sat down and took the time to try. Thanks, Poetry Sisters. This was lots of fun! I'm looking forward to doing another! 

Monday Reading - More Stories to Enjoy

   Visit Kellee and Ricki at UnleashingReaders and 

  

Jen at Teach Mentor Texts to see what they and others have been reading! Your TBR lists will grow! Happy Reading! 

          

       Kellee! I am happy that things are going well with you!   Welcome back!       

             I read a lot,  yet simply could not finish The Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley. With extra shifts at the bookstore, the granddaughters' visiting, and a Father's Day with their Papa and Mama, it was a busy week. Plus, my AC is on the blink and repair people are booked yet they won't be at my house until the 29th! It's okay, but a little different (ha!) on the hot days!  Happy Summer!

             Here are the picture books I enjoyed!

          Hugo, the pigeon, is a Park Warden and takes care of a small Parisian Park along with those who live around it. He feeds tidbits to the birds, visits Madame Grande on her balcony, and cleans up after children's play. There is "somebody" that never appears from behind a curtain, a mystery! Atinuke lets Hugo tell his story and it is a poignant one. That "somebody" finally peeks out and what happens after becomes a joyous time, but only after Hugo has to be saved, too! Illustrations are Birgitta Sif illustrates the story with beautiful creativity, some parts alive with color as the background fades into brown tones. It's a lovely and totally satisfying story.

            First published by Walker Books, UK. Thanks to Candlewick Press for this copy, just published in the US this month!

           Noah waits and waits for his Nana to fix their boat so they can go sailing AND look for seals. He creates his own out of the sand, but they must take shelter from a fast-moving storm. Afterward, looking out, he sees his special seal has disappeared yet just as they turn away to leave, he looks back, to see his seal (or is it?) in the water. They rush to the boat, now fixed, and sail away to see, you guessed it, more seals! It's a sweet story by Layn Marlow for young readers with a bit of magic and beautiful pictures by the sea. 

            First published by Oxford University Press, UK. Thanks to Candlewick Press for this copy, just published in the US this month!

#PoetryFriday - Extra Trash

          Thanks to Buffy Silverman who is hosting this Poetry Friday, at her blog, HERE.   She has a poem that 'buzzes' with spring delights! Thanks, Buffy!

Down the street, someone else's "extra trash".

a haibun

           Many spent the Pandemic year at home and cleaned out their homes. What else was there to do but discover "extra trash"? Our own Denver Trash Company does an "extra" pickup every eight weeks. Tuesday was "my neighborhood's day". As I walked the blocks, the piles filled my imagination. Here was a wonder of a cat tree, or "cat heaven" some feline might term it. Was this a cat goodbye, too? Another put out a full-length mirror. Are they tired of seeing too much of themselves, related to "Quarantine weight gain"? Also, tied-up board scraps sparked reminders of quarantine home projects. There was a file cabinet, a cardboard shelf, and a washer. One on my own pile has been in the family since my son was born, a long while ago. I forgot to take a picture but it, this two feet tall plastic container, was the diaper pail. On the way to Colorado, it held towels. After the move, my children used it for toys, water balloons, all kinds of balls. Now, here in my new home, bags. Yes, all those bags we accumulate when all we really need are a few in the car. Well, the bags are in another pile to giveaway, not trash, but "extra". 

                                                  empty at the curb

                                                  white tub waits for a toss,

                                                  memories stay

                                                              Linda Baie ©

                                                  

Monday Reading - Sharing More Great Books

     Visit Kellee and Ricki at UnleashingReaders and 

  

Jen at Teach Mentor Texts to see what they and others have been reading! Your TBR lists will grow! Happy Reading! 

          

         I hope most of you have finished your school year, one that will certainly be remembered, and are starting summer with much-needed rest! 

           It was hard to wait for this dystopian verse novel by Irene Latham but I did, and then I couldn't put it down. In the future United States, young girl Klynt lives in what is called the Worselands with her father. Years before a terrible virus was carried by dogs, then to humans. Many people die, too, thus dogs were gathered and destroyed. Within that time, Klynt's mother took up the cause and left, determined to be where dogs could be saved and live! Klynt is ever reminded of that loss and that her mother is a hero but she is stuck bored, helping her father farm and passing the time with restoring what she calls her Museum of Fond Memories. 

        Irene allows all the feelings of sadness and resentment show as she lets Klynt tell this tale. In poem by poem, I begin to feel sad for her life, wondering, as I believe many middle-grade readers will, how I would survive. She is inventive and resourceful but being so far away with only her father and seeing a few neighbors once a month on ration day is hard. Irene adds to this future way of life with her own inventive words, creating the poetry of this dystopian world: to Kyynt, these Worselands are a "hum-nothing that stretches for miles". A "chug-chug" is a tractor, her father shows a "droopbottom" face, and "leafgiants" are (did you guess?) trees. Irene's inventive style in the use of these words along with the poem connections as the last word of one leads to the next creates a bountiful tale of a future like no other.

        Boring lives can change, especially for Klynt, for one day a visitor like no other shows up, a D-39 robodog. From that moment of discovery, life is a bit less boring, a bit more exciting, and then, a lot more dangerous! You, readers, don't want to miss this beautiful and creative story full of kindnesses no matter the hardships where Klynt gets to show she has learned some vitally important things while being bored. Surprises await!

             Thanks to Candlewick Press, Walker Books US for the ARC of this wonderful new middle-grade mystery. A gloomy mansion, Braithwaite Manor, set far away across the moors finds young Clara Starling, orphaned at birth by her mother, her and unknown to her father. Now she's in the hands of an Uncle, gloomy and stern, required only to see her once a day to inquire as to her schooling and health. Cold-mannered with not one loving feeling, Clara depends only on Cook and the Butler to help her grow plus a string of strange governesses who seem to last only a minute. Judith Eagle sets that tone as readers rush headlong into a mystery when a young boy, Peter, shows up. He's been sent by his Granny who's unwell but just before, Clara's uncle has declared the house is sold and they must leave. Fortunately, Clara is a fighter and sneaks back, figures she will make it on her own. She practically has anyway! Yes, the plot thickens, with the addition of Cook's children, a few kind adults, the mystery races away in its unraveling. I think readers will love the twists and turns that the mystery makes, with Clara and Peter leading the way with resolve.
         

Poetry Friday - Finding Advice in Poetry

         Thanks to Carol Wilcox who is hosting this Poetry Friday, at her blog, Carol's Corner.  Carol is introducing us to a new poet! Don't miss the poems! 

              The poem I'm sharing today and came across recently is one I'd saved a while ago. It fits us now, doesn't it? Russell Hoban gives us good advice. I will take it!

My puzzle from long ago!

It's Monday! A Long Beautiful List

    Visit Kellee and Ricki at UnleashingReaders and 

  

Jen at Teach Mentor Texts to see what they and others have been reading! Your TBR lists will grow! Happy Reading! 

          

         I hope most of you have finished your school year, one that will certainly be remembered, and are starting summer with much-needed rest! 

           Twelve-year-old Amari Peters has lately had more trouble, as if the disappearance of her beloved brother, Quinton, isn't enough. On the last day of the elite school where she has a scholarship, she's had it with the bullying of the wealthy and spoiled, shoves one of them and now her acceptance for the next year is at risk. Her mother works so hard. Amari lives in the "hood" and is very loved, the one thing that keeps her going. She's happy to receive a mysterious message and a briefcase from Quinton, taking her to an interview, a 'test' for the summer camp where Quinton went, a break from all the drama. But she didn't know what that camp really was until she stepped into the Vanderbilt Hotel. The Bureau of Supernatural Affairs seemed different from the "fancy leadership camp" her mother thought Quinton, and now Amari, was attending. No, it was not that at all. Just wait until you see what Amari's summer adventure turns out to be! B.B. Alston has written a wonderfully inventive and adventurous world with memorable characters. Will there be more?

       Micha Archer (Daniel Finds A Poem, Daniel's Good Day, Girl Running) gives us readers another marvelous book, filled really with awesome paintings from, I'm guessing, her own "wonder walk". This time a girl and a boy choose to do a "wonder walk" and find ways to celebrate our earth with glee! Throughout the journey, beauty reigns in metaphorical questions about what they see, where they are? "Is fog the river's blanket?" or "Is dirt the world's skin?" and "Are forests the mountains fur?" are some of their wonders! It is a beautiful book, inspiring all to "GET OUT INTO THE WORLD!"

Poetry Friday - Filling A Basket

           Thanks to Margaret Simon who is hosting this Poetry Friday, at her blog,  Reflections on the Teche. She's sharing two lovely poems in response to two fabulous prompts! Thanks for hosting, Margaret.

          I want to give a shout-out to Irene Latham for her new book, D-39: A Robodog's Journey. I just started reading it and it's going to be hard to pull away to read everyone's posts! Don't miss it!

        All this time, the things that kept me going are easy, walking out, the sky and other nature pictures, and talks with friends and family. Of course, tiny things helped, too, but these are the big ones.

        "I think you might dispense with half your doctors if you would only consult Doctor Sun more, and be more under the treatment of those great hydropathic doctors, the clouds!" ~Henry Ward Beecher, Royal Truths

           Sky Dreams

 

I’m filling up my sky basket

with clouds a-drifting by.

I’ll catch the elephants and bears

and wispy veils like sighs,

then fly along the sky trails

meandering up high.

 

I’ll gather every blue there,

the lavenders and greys,

the azures and the sapphires

on sunny and cloudy days.

I’ll tuck in all the navies

from late-day sunset rays.

 

Today my basket’s full of blues.

Wishing you some sky dreams, too.

 

Linda Baie ©

Poetry Friday - Sometimes Only A Few Words Shout

       

           Thanks to Michelle Kogan, artist and poet extraordinaire, who is hosting this Poetry Friday, at her blog,  More Art 4 All.

            My son & family are coming in for the long weekend. Thus, I won't get to reading & commenting so fast this week! Enjoy your Memorial Day weekend however you can. Remember those who gave their lives for us all.

           I have a few books by these extraordinary people below we've been blessed to have in our lives. Yet as I looked for some of them, I realized that I have only a few left, mostly because I've bought them again. My grandchildren have them because first, my children had them, and then, kept them for their children. It's quite wonderful to think that they, too, will pass them on. No more need be said. 

         

        

Monday Reading - Don't Miss These Books!

   Visit Kellee and Ricki at UnleashingReaders and 

  

Jen at Teach Mentor Texts to see what they and others have been reading! Your TBR lists will grow! Happy Reading! 

          

          This one summer, Ben finally talked his dad into asking his mother if he could visit his mom who lives in a primitive cabin deep in the woods. His mother left him when he was three and he seems to be about ten now. The story didn't tell how old he was. He, his father, and this little dog Sunshine have led a loving life, except sometimes Ben has all these "what-ifs?", and I wondered why until I learned about his mother leaving. Marion Dane Bauer lets Ben tells this story, much of it showing deep feelings, anxiety about many things, yet a determination to do the right thing. Sunshine is his imaginary dog and there is pressure from his dad to give him up. This time (the first he's seen his mother since she left) he wants to show his mother what a good person he is so she will want to return to live with him and his dad again. The emotional ups and downs in this brief, poignant book made me a little teary. It's not only for those who have had upheavals in their family, who may find comfort that others do, too but for everyone to try to learn and understand. It is a beautiful story.

                  Thanks to Candlewick Press for this advanced copy.

#MustReadin2021
            

              It didn't take long for me to fall in love with this book by Elizabeth Acevedo that sat on my stack for far too long. In a novel-in-verse, she tells of Camino Rios from the Dominican Republic and Yahaira Rios from New York City, both in high school, both facing news they did not want to face. Their father has died when his plane went down in the ocean on his way to visit Camino. The strange and mixed-up world of these sisters who did not know their father had another family, that they did not have a sister. Anger, love, grief, yes, all mixed and told with Acevedo's beautiful poetic writing. How it evolves, what each one holds dear, what each one needs as well as those surrounding the two sisters offers loving scenes of patience despite the inner anger, jealousy, also hope. It feels important that the story is read instead of me telling all about it. You may wonder and imagine what you would feel. You might cry with certain scenes, and smile at others. But, as Acevedo has written, you certainly will "clap when you land". I loved it!

                It's time to celebrate and learn about many things that grow, like an acorn that splits and roots and "grows" into an oak tree or a caterpillar that sheds its skin and wraps itself into a cocoon, then becomes "a butterfly"! In repetitive text, the description of "something" shares beginnings with "If you", most often the actions like "If you were a tadpole, you'd swish and dart in a mossy pond," all the steps leading to "You'd be a leopard frog..." Delightfully happy pictures by Stephanie Fizer Coleman show children and grandparents filling the pages as each one enjoys nature's wonders. JoAnn Early Macken's text is brief but does not waste one word explaining eight creatures, including a child reading this book! It's a lovely surprise at the end, connecting all of us as we truly are. 

            I've met JoAnn at a poetry workshop and know her through social media. She is a fierce lover of nature and our environment. This book will be special to use on long nature walks with a class or your own children or grandchildren, perhaps searching for their own "If you were a ..."? 

Poetry Friday - Celebrating #MarvelousMaryLee

 Thanks to Christie Wyman, hosting this Poetry Friday, at her blog, Wondering and Wandering

        And, it's Christie's birthday, time for celebrating. Happy Birthday!

 

AND - It's an especially huge celebration for Mary Lee Hahn's retirement! After thirty-seven years, Mary Lee is leaving the classroom, ready for her next adventure(s)! #PoemsforMaryLee   #MarvelousMaryLee

          Here's my poem of celebration for your retirement and gratitude for the teacher that is you, Mary Lee.

 

for Mrs. Hahn, My Teacher

 

From the flower to the gardener

(this student to my teacher),

thanks for caring that I flourish,

for knowledge I will cherish,

I’m grateful for the way you helped me grow.

 

I’ll try that thing called “listen”

before I rush to judgment.

I’ve learned that words do matter;

they’re rarely mindless chatter.

That is a thing that I’ll be sure to show.

 

When you venture from our classroom,

your presence leaving imprints,

the kindnesses will linger in the air.

Parts of you will always remain there.

You’ve taken care of much I need to know.

 

Linda Baie ©

 

Grunge Stock photos by Vecteezy

It's Monday - Time to Share More Books!

  Visit Kellee and Ricki at UnleashingReaders and 

  

Jen at Teach Mentor Texts to see what they and others have been reading! Your TBR lists will grow! Happy Reading! 

          

       Carlie Sorosiak also wrote I, Cosmo, which I loved, showing her beautifully imagined affinity with dogs, and this time, Leonard, the cat tells his tale. Only there's a catch! Leonard is no ordinary cat but a misplaced alien who goofed when entering the data on his beam of light. From where he comes, those who wish may take the identity of one life on earth, but only for a month. Leonard, as a cat (instead of the Yellowstone Park Ranger he planned), ends up stranded in a rainstorm in a tree on a beach in South Carolina. Luckily for him, he is rescued by a young girl named Olive. His adventure begins, full of love for Olive and her summer family, Grandmother Norma, a friend called Q who, with Norma, runs the local aquarium, and a dog named Stanley. It may be called a science-fiction story, but it's also a sweet family story, what Leonard learns makes a family, even as they rush madly to make his rendezvous in order to travel back to his "other" home. Olive is with her grandmother for the summer, anxious about a move to California where her mother and boyfriend, maybe-to-be step-father are planning to settle. Olive struggles because he, and others, have called her weird with no social skills. Within this time with Leonard, Gran, and Q, she learns that "who she is" is who she is pleased to be. And Leonard, experiencing bowling and cheese sandwiches among other special wishes, learns so much more. It's a story adventure filled with love. Sad to write that it's not eligible for a Newbery award!

           First published in the UK, now this year in the US, thanks to Candlewick Press and Walker Books US for the advanced copy.

         David Almond gives readers beautiful, complex characters. I'm rarely sure they are real but perhaps are meant mostly as metaphors? Annie Lumsden, at thirteen, is perfectly content to live in a shack with her mother by the sea, listening to her mother's tales, telling us her own tale. She has not gone to school for a while, was asked to leave because she could not grasp the letters and numbers. There is a brief mention of other children mocking. Occasionally things happen like her legs weakening, collapsing. A kind doctor cannot discover why though he is supportive every time she comes to him? Her mother is loving, an artist who sells painted rocks and tells stories at the school. Things are rather normal until a man from America shows up and seems to know who Annie really is, how special she is. Is it about growing up? Is Annie's tale complex because all growing up is complex? I imagine every reader will have something different to answer. Beatrice Alemagna's illustrations help us see more of the tale, yet enhance the mystery, too.

           Thanks to Candlewick Press for this copy, first published by Walker Books Ltd Uk.

          In every family, it seems that children can be embarrassed for something or other by their parents. When one is an immigrant, their ways can be part of bigger things that are "different". This time, in a brief story, Andrea Wang draws on her own experiences of stopping by a stream to pick watercress. The girl in the story is muddy, cold, and clearly disgusted. At home, creating a dish her parents clearly love, she refuses to eat it, saying she'll only eat "store-bought" food. She knows she hates their ways of picking up "roadside trash-heap furniture and "dinner from a ditch". Her mother brings out a picture of her family, mother, father, herself, and a little brother. That brother is no longer alive and Mom tells about China's great famine. There was just not enough food. 

        In an author's note, she shares about parents, not only immigrants, who don't tell their children stories of their childhoods, and they must. With beautiful watercolor paintings by Jason Chin, whose work seems always to highlight beloved stories, it's a book that not only shares a memory but may offer a chance for parents to let their stories be told! It's sad but so very hopeful.

It's Poetry Friday - Risky?

Thanks to Irene Latham, hosting this Poetry Friday, at her blog, Live Your Poem. She's sharing some peeks at her new verse novel arriving next week, D-39: A Robodog's Journey and a lovely poem about poetry for another Artspeak painting. Don't miss her post and all the others who join us on Fridays!

              A few weeks ago, my friend Jane Heitman Healy, who works for Siouxland Libraries in South Dakota, sent me a marvelous poetry packet they had been giving out. Among other things is a booklet with some instructions to write several poetry forms, a small journal, several pages from a book, a marker, and instructions for blackout poetry. I promised Jane a poem from one of those pages and I did it. I believe this is the first time I'm actually attempted this. I read all the pages she sent and finally chose one. I found a spark of an idea, created, and that final part, the blacking out, whew! This was not easy. I cut off some of a word more than once; I blanked out several words I wanted to save; but here it is, a draft? I'm not sure one can have a second draft of a blackout poem. Oops! Thank you, Jane, for all the gifts and all the fun!

     Draft-y

take the lifeline

in high places

imagine doing 

a song

tightrope walking

over

high-rise buildings

she gets her kicks

scared

a 

performance

if you go that high

the most wonderful thing        is        you

change

the wind

shakes me

I decide to go

I'm not afraid

of a high place           that

vanishes

cool assurance

the rest of the way

Linda Baie ©

Skyscraper Stock photos by Vecteezy