Yes, There Were Phantoms!

    It's Poetry Friday, and Jone Rush MacCulloch is hosting HERE on her website.

AND, it's Halloween, with Jone's post filled with prompts and poems that reflect this day filled with treats and scares, costumes from those who find fun in new creations, or those who wear old favorites. Happy Halloween!

       A few weeks ago, Jone shared a list of prompts that writers could use today, if they wished. She's shared them again, and I chose one! 

          Whisper-Singing a Phantom Lullaby

 

Let me sing you a lullaby!

It tells of phantoms rushing by.

They’d heard a tale of special treats–

Earthling offerings, Oh, so sweet,

but only on a special night

when humans tried to be a fright,

creating changes in what they wear.

Their expectations, a cry of fear,

donning flashy costumes to pretend

to scare the neighbors, and maybe friends.

They didn’t know that others came –

phantoms, best at playing this game.

Though they were illusions, when nighttime ended;

many wondered why their treats had dwindled.

More than candy, sometimes a mask

was thought all ended in the trash.

Mothers were scolding the wee ones returning.

They’d eaten too much they had been yearning.

But the kids told how when cold breezes rushed by,

The candy nestled deeper, explaining the “why”!  

 

Especially on Halloween, there may be fear,

And truth may be twisted when Phantoms appear.

 

It’s fun to sing a lullaby of things unforeseen

when sugar-loving phantoms create a scary scene

 

Linda Baie ©

Poetry Friday Frights

 

         It's Poetry Friday, and the one before Halloween! Thanks, Carol LaBuzzetta HERE at her blog, The Apples in My Orchard for hosting. She's sharing links and poems about bats, something akin to Halloween for sure, but they are so much more to our lives than frightening creatures. We set a record this week with an 82 degree day and we have snow on its way Saturday night into Sunday. It happens too often for those trick-or-treaters!

         I share photos during October because on a street near me, many homes in that neighborhood go all in decorating for Halloween. They have many visitors, and hundreds come by on Halloween evening to trick or treat. There are a few homes who go to great lengths in their decorating, include spooky things from upper windows, crawling down front walks, hanging in the trees. I remember some from past years, but there are always new ideas each year, too.

        This year, a favorite is one where the same "players" change clothes each year. This time, in my imagination, they appear to be either cheering or hip-hopping! Take a look. I wrote a cheer!

Boo!   

 

Witchy Cackle,

Ghostly fright.

Skeletons rattling

this windy night.

Goblins slipping

under doors.

Halloween’s scary.

We want more!

 

Linda Baie ©

Poetry Friday - Crow Fest

   

        Poetry Friday is with Jone Rush MacCulloch HERE at her website. Thanks for hosting, Jone!

        This week: I Voted! Don't forget!

           It is nearly Halloween, so it seems appropriate to feature crows. After all, they group in "a murder of crows", right? However, I want to share something that is not frightening that I see every evening, flocks flying over my house, on their way to downtown Denver for the night. According to WorldBirds.com, "this behavior is thought to play an important social role for crows, helping them exchange information, look for mates, and generally socialize. There may be other reasons for crows to gather as well, including funeral behavior, feeding, and social gatherings." This site explains more if you are interested.

         In the early evening, I watch to see the crows flying over. There aren't many at a time but they usually keep coming for about fifteen minutes. Here's a video of the conclave in our downtown, then my poem and my picture capture of a few from my own backyard.

Happy Halloween!

Poetry Friday - Ring the Doorbell! Halloween Practice

           Welcome everyone to a pre-Halloween party! Although this holiday is going to be different this year, it's still good to prepare with candy, ready for the children who still might ring that doorbell! Happy Halloween!

            Many decorations in my neighborhood differ this year. I have enjoyed what is out there and took a picture of one that brought a smile. The kindnesses around us are there if we only pay attention. I am grateful for this neighbor's thoughtful Halloween shout-out to all!

Remember that the tinman was looking for a heart!

           I love Halloween and sadly this week, with new restrictions in Denver, warnings about Trick or Treating being unsafe have been announced. My small neighborhood group had planned a parade in our little park with all of us ready to see wonderful costumes and give out candy bags --all canceled. I will drop some bags on some porches of those who have shared their addresses, but that's about it this year.

           I've tried to stay away from politics but have written a little bit into my poems. Yes, I wrote two, a nostalgic one for the adults and one that's more fun for children. Wishing you a nice holiday full of treats however full of tricks it seems to have!

In My Mind - Prose Poem

 

       How swiftly days shorten when October begins its frosty cold. Trees reveal their wild growth of tangles via shakedowns. Then we know that All Hallows’ Eve must be preparing its own mysteries of creaks in the crannies

to welcome children on the sidewalks. They hold hands with Mom and Dad, ring doorbells, shout “Trick or Treat”. They are prepped to say “Thank you” but do it only after peeking in the sack when they glimpse the KitKats and Snickers, M&Ms and Milky Ways. Ah, sweet time to come. They scurry away, and I notice big smiles on everyone’s faces especially Mom’s and Dad’s. Remember?

It exists for all of us,

not to lose,

but to celebrate –

this thing called Halloween.

                             Linda Baie ©

Still Halloween 

 

Now we speak of masks that mean

helping others sight unseen,

but I desire one scary day,

All Hallows’ Eve, the children’s way.

 

To neighbor’s doors on tiptoe feet

ready to shout out trick or treat;

dodging shadows that alarm,

racing by to keep from harm.   

 

Tiny heroes, ghosts, and clowns,

traipsing all around the town,

costumed in the latest fad,

holding hands with Mom and Dad.

 

They want this night to last and last         

but jack ‘o lanterns’ lights dim fast.

House to house with daring dash,

they grab the mostest candy stash.

 

Bright full moon lights winding paths.

Bags sag; now comes the aftermath!

Pour the haul on living room floors,

Snatch, then trade, no need for more.  

 

In treats kids gathered on the streets

lie memories tucked among the sweets.

         Linda Baie ©

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Poetry Friday - The After Party

                 Poetry Friday is hosted today by the always entertaining Tabatha Yeatts at The Opposite of Indifference. 

                I'm sharing a poem from way back in 2013 when I hosted Poetry Friday, yes, on November 1st, the day after Halloween! 
                Now, Happy November, a time of gratitude. Wishing you a month of discovering  those small things one sometimes overlooks for which to be grateful.

photo credit: Scorpions and Centaurs via photopin cc

Leftovers  

  

The bubble gum is over-chewed;

the candle’s lost its wick.

My tummy’s under the weather,

but I’m never really sick

from eating too much candy

although Mom has froze the rest.

She’s stripped off all the webs

and cleaned up all the mess.

The jack o’ lantern’s living now

in the backyard compost bed.

It’s gonna grin a little longer

as furry beasts are fed.

I dropped my costume on the floor;                

a smile was peekin’ out,

reminding of the tricks ‘n treats

while Halloween's about.

Now witches, goblins, ghosts lie low

until the year turns round again

to scary poems and ghastly tales--

All Hallow’s Eve, 
                                October’s end.

Linda Baie ©

Monday Reading - Time For Halloween

              Visit Kellee and Ricki at UnleashingReaders and Jen at Teach Mentor Texts to see what they've been reading, along with others who post their favorites.  
              I arrived home last night from a Highlights poetry workshop led by Rebecca Kai Dotlich and Georgia Heard. I am full to the brim with writing and reading many poetry books, including Halloween ones new and old. The library there is filled with their published books new and old, as is each room and cabin with a bookshelf full! I read a lot, but didn't take note of them, just enjoyed every time I opened another book! We skyped with Jane Yolen and Nikki Grimes. It was a week I will treasure. 

            One book I finished before I left!

             Ruta Sepetys tells stories that live (so far) in our past of historical events, some (without her deep research) we would never have known about without our own investigation. She says she took eight years to bring this to us, she's added a thorough author's note, research and notes, a bibliography, and a glossary to help us through the Spanish phrases included throughout. In this book of the Spanish Civil War and its effects that have stayed, she expands the complexity by allowing different characters a voice. Although there are a couple of main characters, others touch the heart, too, when learning about their experiences. We try to understand from the outside, as Sepetys expresses that she did herself. It's been a while since I've read a book that kept me worried about what's next at every spot. The resilience and different survival approaches show just how different everyone is. Yet, in that path of survival, one quote scratched in the dirt by a character in jail showed everyone's actions though they did take varied paths: "Just when the caterpillar thought the world was over, it became a butterfly." It's a marvelous book!

Thanks to Candlewick Press - new Halloween books!

        Kim Norman's rhyming picture book begs to be read aloud, on Halloween and perhaps on "Talk Like A Pirate" Day. The end papers themselves are delightful. In the opening, human bones are scattered and labeled, except for that peg leg! The back is vertical, showing the full skeleton of a pirate, with accompanying pirate wear, like hat, sword and spyglass. He's found all his bones! The four-line rhymes on each page after the opening are good for laughing out loud every time. A poor pirate skeleton's bones have been scattered throughout the sea bed, and he shouts for the creatures down there to help put him back together again. Bob Molar's illustrations of the ocean's dark bottom serves as backdrop for many kinds of colorful creatures and plants as well as peeks at the bones needed, skull first, and on. Each verse defines the bone called for in rollicking rhyme! Here's one from this fun book: 

                                     "Who can spot my shoulder blade,

                                        my shrugging jacket-holder blade,

                                        my shiver-when-I'm-colder blade?

                                        Oh, scapula, come back!"

         It's the first U.S. edition of this imaginary tale by Katie May Green where those twins of Seen and Not Heard return as the moon wakes the children "out" of their picture frames and they climb out the window, into the woods for a hide 'n seek game. Written in rhyme with woodland animals seen having fun watching these Victorian-dressed children, some pages show the twins (on the cover) in various 'hide-outs' while the others look for them, through woods and a maze. There is so much to see and smile about on each page illustrated by Katie May Green in shadowy night-time blues, purples and greens. 

Blog Tour & Giveaway- Ready for Halloween!

          I'm excited to share about a book in partnership with The Children’s Book Review and Michael Okon, which is recently out on a perfect day: Friday, October 13th!  Michael sent more than a book, a spooky backpack just right for Halloween trick or treating. Here's a pic! There is more to win as shown in the giveaway picture below!

           One additional creation included was the front page of a newspaper that featured highlights of the story. Wouldn't it be fun for students to create something like this for the books they're reading, too?

           This book cries to be read on a 'dark and stormy night' and by young teens and up. With some science fiction, eerily familiar politics and quite gory details, it became a fast read for me. The tension rose page by page until it was hard to stop.  Senior Wyatt Baldwin takes a lead role in the story, along with his brother and stepfather, who have a  relationship that can only be termed "bearable". The parents have divorced and the boys' father has left them penniless and stayed out of touch, too. Wyatt's friends argue often about the most superior monster, but he would prefer hearing the voice of a girl named Jade. Sadly, she's dating a big guy, the quarterback named Nolan, and Wyatt yearns from afar.

Authenticity Means Something!

       I'm slicing with the Two Writing Teachers community today. It's always a pleasure to read what everyone writes about their lives.

         When I taught, the search continued to find ways to use the students' individually chosen topics in authentic ways. The topics varied, and often research had to happen first so that the student could find a direction that would be something of interest, something that will help the community, or one group. For example, one student who studied child psychology gave a series of lectures about the stages of emotional development to her classmates and to other older classes, to help them understand their own growth. Imagine the kind of learning she had to do in order to deliver something of interest and something helpful to her classmates! Another student began studying cartooning, and developed a number of key characters in a four-cell strip. He copied and distributed these to every student in the school, and began a dialogue with the classes of students as his audience. He asked what they thought of the drawings, the content, the characters. And he asked for ideas they would like to see. I guess you see where I'm heading, that learning through a topic of passion and finding ways that one can learn by offering something of value is meaningful both to the learner and the recipients of that learning. One final example involved those in the class who wanted to learn how to start a business. A group who volunteered helped set up a used bookstore in the school, found a place to house the books, advertised for 'gently used' books, set prices and store hours, and managed the inventory. It was a wonderful opportunity for those who loved the idea of being business entrepreneurs.

        This weekend my daughter and son-in-law gave a pumpkin carving party for mostly neighborhood friends and their children.They found old worn out trophies and spray-painted them orange. They found a few neighbors without children to serve as judges, offered lots of treats, and the party happened! Here are a few pics of the results, and one picture of Ingrid with the judges. She opted to be one of the judges instead of entering the contest, created a jack o'lantern for a "model" and set the categories ahead of time. They were categories like "most creative", "funniest", "scariest" and a few others. As the pumpkins were completed, she gave them a number and took notes in her journal. When the other judges arrived, she was ready to share what she knew already, and to take notes for them as they all decided on prizes. She loved being part of this group, contributed as she could, and I believe felt very empowered as part of the group. FYI- she read to the adult judges the winners' names so they could hand out the trophies! 

Great Week To Celebrate

              I celebrate each Saturday with Ruth Ayres at Discover Play Build and the rest of the wonderful community that celebrates together. Come join us!          Tweet at #CelebrateLu

Discovered the last flowers of summer, or are they?
We have warm weather again in the next few days.

          What can be better than Halloween costumes? Oh my, they are so excited. Happy Halloween everyone.

SuperGirl-being serious and strong

Best Celebration-It's Saturday!

           Celebrate with Ruth Ayres at Discover, Play, Build each week. No matter what the week before brings, to reflect upon it and to celebrate those special things is satisfying. Thanks to Ruth, we're learning to find that there is much to appreciate every.single.week.
           Yesterday, I hosted Poetry Friday, and one of the bloggers shared a poem by William Stafford. I'm going to share it again today because it speaks to our celebrations so aptly. 

Yes

It could happen any time, tornado,

earthquake, Armageddon. It could happen.

Or sunshine, love, salvation.

It could you know. That's why we wake

and look out--no guarantees

in this life.

         find the rest here

Other celebrations!

• Teaching a lesson in a class of older students, fun to work with them again!
• Helping in my granddaughter's class, working with a small group helping to prepare some pages for their portfolio conferences. 
• Learning the different ways that I work with the oldest and the youngest, but also what is the same.

Poetry Friday - Boo-o-o!

                                                                                                  Linda Baie (c) All Rights Reserved           
               I think I must have read the poem I want to share today last year at B.J. Lee's post and then printed it out. I have the printed copy in my Halloween poems file, and when I looked for a link to it, B.J. Lee's Blue Window blog came up. Here's the beginning of Alice Schertle's poem "Walk Softly", from her book, Keepers, and you can find the rest at Blue Window. AND, I also found the poem shared by Laura Purdie Salas when her blog was on Live Journal, way back in 2010. Laura adds more about the poem here. If you don't know it, enjoy. If you remember, enjoy it all over again.  Among so many others, it's a favorite of mine, too.  
            I hope you all have a wonderful Halloween, full of spooks and goblins, or whatever you'd love to fill your Friday nights with. I'm rather full of candy corn after this week of school hijinks! We have a big parade at my school on Halloween, before the parties, and find even the older students (8th graders) wearing marvelous and creative costumes this one last Halloween for them.

            Welcome to Poetry Friday's fright-filled day.

Walk Softly

Walk softly
in this wood,
where little wispy things
in gown and hood
slide down the dark
and fold their wings.

         Find more in the links above!        

One New Online Tool I'll Use

Margaret Simon, at Reflections On The Teche, gathers links from others who'd like to share a digital tool that can be useful, personally or in the classroom. Hope you'll find something you'll like in the links for this Digilit Sunday.

      This week, I'm sharing Canva, an easy-to-use graphic tool that can cost per image, but there are many free images and backgrounds too, and one can upload photos, etc. as well. Check it out. I will find it useful when creating my own images, collages, illustrations, etc. I can imagine students printing book reports, quick illustrations for posters, too. There is also a draw tool. It is super easy to use and provides a .png image or a link.  Here's are two simple ideas:

Autumn brings old memories

Time for the weekly Slice of Life at the Two Writing Teachers blog.  Tweet at #SOL14  Thanks Stacey, Tara, Dana, Beth, Anna and Betsy!

      I usually don't work Mondays, so today I played a little bit, taking pictures and really just being out in our fabulous fall weather. It was especially windy, and leaves blew, and blew, then blew some more. Some branches are stripped! My garden filled up with leaves, as did the evergreens. I posted a poem on Margaret Gibson's kidblog site, where they gave a challenge to write a choka, which is a double haiku, for the National Day Of Writing. Check it out from her students! That pushed me to sit in the yard and take a 'burst' of photos on my phone so I could capture leaves falling. See, I really did play! That one leaf in photo two looks like a butterfly!

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.