Poetry Friday - A New Poet!

 

"Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower."

 

         Poetry Friday is with Rose Cappelli, HERE at her website, Imagine The Possibilities. She, too, shares a post connecting to grandchildren. Thanks for hosting, Rose!

             Like other grandparents, I have shared a lot about my three grandchildren through the years, and feel blessed that I have them. My son and daughter-in-law's child, Carter, soon will be a college grad. My daughter and son-in-law's children are Ingrid, thirteen, and Imogene, eleven. And like others, I could go on and on about each one's lives that I've been lucky to be a part of.

             This week, Ingrid shared a poem with me and I have her permission to share it. She attends a charter school of the arts in Denver, is now in eighth grade. Her major is Video Cinema Arts. Recently, her language arts class has been reading and writing poetry and she shared a few with me. Ingrid told me that this particular poem is called a "catalog" poem. I would add that she's also a pitcher on a softball team. She is a busy young woman with a passion for many things! Here's a pic of her this past summer on a league team, although now she's on a school team, still pitching! 

Still To This Day

 

A poem by Ingrid Krahling ©

 

Still to this day I enjoy scooping the walk

Piercing frigid weather

A coat of flakes on the pavement

Grasping your shovel

Mittens on

 

Still to this day I take those hikes 

Crisp air

Pine needles 

The roots of the sagacious trees born before you 

Delving into the dirt along the trail

Never wanting to look away

 

Still to this day I serve that ball

Lifting that Racket 

Blinding sun

Desperate for hydration 

 

Still to this day I board that lift

Purposely riding 

Contemplating

The glacial bitter surroundings

And the same two sticks

Below the arch of my foot

 

Still to this day I go to the beach

Extensive ocean

Afraid of the fish

Saltwater swallowed 

Hair frizzed and curled 

Adjusting to the humid air 

 

Still to this day, I bike as I did then

Sweat inside my helmet although I don’t take it off

My legs burned out, knowing that it’ll pay off

 

Still to this day

I am myself

Poetry Friday - Back to School

          Robyn Hood Black at Life on The Deckle Edge hosts our Poetry Friday today. She's "weaving" together our PF links starting with her spider poem that has appeared in the Highlights Hello and a fun picture of someone's sweet child reading it. Also, Robyn has another celebration by sharing bit more from Sylvia Vardell and Janet Wong's newest publication, GREAT MORNING! Poems for School Leaders to Read Aloud. Thanks for hosting, Robyn and for the wonderful poetry sharing!

        I spent yesterday after school, helping Ingrid finish a school getting-to-know-you project. Usually, she spends Friday with me and those afternoons are relaxing, finding fun at the end of the week. This time, because she's off to the mountains this weekend, she came on Wednesday and had homework, a BIG assignment due Thursday before the holiday weekend. As she worked and as I answered a few questions, I wondered how the days were going, already busy with school and the stress, but fun, of learning - new subjects, new teacher, new classmates. In between assignment talk, we did remember summer, too, and I had time to write this, for Ingrid and Imogene, for Carter in his senior year, for all those back to school. It's for teachers, too, but they probably have their own to-do list.

#NPM18 - 21/30 - Sleepover

April is #NPM18 - National Poetry Month.

"Poetry is a deal of joy and pain and wonder, with a dash of the dictionary."

                                                                                                      ~ Khalil Gibran

           

         Be sure to see the page on the bar above for the Progressive Poem's schedule of poets, hosted by Irene Latham at Live Your Poem.  

        And, see what many are doing for Poetry Month, by looking HERE at Jama Rattigan's post at Jama's Alphabet Soup.
          

              My goal for Poetry Month: A haiku diary that may include other forms related to haiku, like haibun, haiga. monoku or renga. My first poem speaks of why I am handwriting the poems.

April’s garden,

growing poems 

on lined pages

                    Linda Baie

links:

       Poem one

       Poem two

       Poem three 

       Poem Four

       Poem Five
       Poem Six  

       Poem Seven

       Poem Eight 

       Poem Nine 

       Poem Ten
      Poem Eleven
      Poem Twelve
      Poem Thirteen
      Poem Fourteen
      Poem Fifteen
      Poem Sixteen 
      Poem Seventeen
      Poem Eighteen
      Poem Nineteen
      Poem Twenty

Here is Poem Twenty-One:

SOLC17 - Seven of Thirty-One - Outside!

SOLC 7/31 - 

      I'm slicing with the Two Writing Teachers community for Day Seven of Thirty-One of the Slice of Life Challenge in March.  Thank you, Stacey, Beth, Deb, Betsy, Lanny, Kathleen, Lisa, and Melanie.  

       "Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts."Rachel Carson
      When I taught, and at my school, one of the priorities of our curriculum was to get the students outside. I wrote about this last Wednesday when I shared the book Grand Canyon. It could be for an hour of reading, writing, or observation with our journals. It could be a day trip to the many wonders in the city or surrounding country or mountains, or it could be an overnight adventure into the wilderness. When Richard Louv's books were published (like Last Child In The Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder), all the staff celebrated. He wrote about what we've been living all along. Take the child OUTSIDE! 
       I don't have a class anymore, but I do have grandchildren! And I do get them outside.  Lately, I've had Ingrid, seven, for all Friday afternoon because her school is out at one on Fridays. 

Celebrating The Celebrations

  This weekend I celebrate with Ruth Ayres at Discover Play Build.  and link with others who share their celebrations, too. I am grateful to Ruth for starting this meme that offers a place to celebrate together!

    The anticipation last week was high. It was Imogene's fifth birthday, and if you know or remember "almost" five year olds, you know they don't quite understand why the wait is so, so long. Well, it finally was here. Just the family celebrated on the 29th, her birth-day, including her favorite pumpkin pie! And the party was at my house just as wished, a bouncy house, with a water slide, friends and parents and a piñata. It was a success, clouds moved in to lower the temperature a little bit which was great. Here are the pictures, a celebration of Imi becoming five.

#SOL16 - 15/31 - If It's Friday. . .

SOLC #15/31 - 

          I'm slicing with the Two Writing Teachers community for Day Fifteen of Thirty-One of the Slice of Life Challenge in March.  Thank you Stacey, Tara, Anna, Betsy, Dana, Kathleen, Beth, and Deb.  

          Last week I wrote "If it's Wednesday. . ." and that means Imogene my four year old granddaughter comes to stay, from after school till after dinner.

         If it's Friday. . . means it's Ingrid's turn whom I pick up at school. Sometimes we go straight for ice cream, but this day I had Ingrid from lunch time on, so had the ice cream at home. And we had things to do, games to play, books to read, and a craft project. She loves making things, so I had an idea, and hoped she liked it. I found a plan that seemed "user-friendly" for a six year old.  

          We created sock animals. First, we chose socks from my winter sock drawer. I have many and it could use a little cleaning out. We got out the button jars, dumped them out to look for the "eyes". And Ingrid chose yarn to tie off the arms, legs, head, etc. You'll understand when you see the pictures. 
           It took a while, and instead of me sewing on the noses and mouths, Ingrid drew them on. And of course the most fun was the stuffing. I don't think she'd ever seen this before, and was delighted to play with it, pulling it apart, making it "fluff out", etc. Fun all afternoon, and Ingrid now has two more stuffed animals she made herself.

EXTRA: We intended one of these for Imogene, but Ingrid said Imi didn't want it. I think it's because the hats are sewn down. Imi likes to dress--and undress--her dolls and animals.

Weekly Goodness

              I'm celebrating each Saturday or Sunday with Ruth Ayres at Discover Play Build. Come join in to share your own special celebrations.

So good because. . .

        I wrote a poem every day for Laura Shovan's birthday challenge!  Some days, eek, my mind was the blank slate like the page in my notebook. But, finally, after reading an old poetry book, I managed some ideas. They aren't all good, but I'm proud of a few!

        I finished a story/poem for Susanna Leonard Hill's Valentiny Contest, am pleased the way it came out. I've worked on it daily, bits and pieces, for several weeks. 

         My usual Imogene visit happened on Wednesday, and we visited a park a little further away, but marvelous with a playground, a stream and a pond, SPACE! We also stopped by the library on the way home so that Imi could choose a few books herself. She found a very cute book by Lois Ehlert, Holey Moley, a mole underground and all the others under there with it. What attracted her to this one? I'm guessing bright colors and inside, a hole in the page!

Anticipation Celebration

              I celebrate each Saturday with Ruth Ayres at Discover Play Build.  There are many others who celebrate, too. Come join us!          Tweet at #CelebrateLu

With a little humor thrown in:  on my walk today, I imagined
that the rabbit was anticipating that I wouldn't see him at all.
But he did allow the picture!

A Fireworks of A Celebration

              Celebrating Each Saturday with Ruth Ayres at Discover Play Build.  What a great day to share. Happy Independence Day everyone.                     Tweet at #CelebrateLu

               I posted my first post on March 1st, 2011. Ruth Ayres, Mary Helen Gensch, Tara Smith, Tam and Elizabeth E. (anyone remember?) all commented. In the next days, Elsie and two of my colleagues who did the first SOLC challenge with me commented. One of those colleagues is now close to publishing a novel! It started with a blog and our writing group! Very soon, Ruth Chandler Ferris commented (Storykeeper). We are still in touch. Often, there were bloggers named Bree and Diana(LitCoach). They were around for a few years, but finally stopped. I wonder where they are now? By the middle of March, Deb Day, Christy Rush and Carol Wilcox had commented. Isn't it wonder-filled that so many of us are still writing, that many of us have met and plan to meet again? I celebrate those with whom I connect through blogging, and other media, those I'm come to admire for their grit and craft, to know because they share their lives, and listen when I share mine. Many of your names are not listed above because I hadn't met you yet, but through the different groups, there are others of you I've come to know and love hearing what you have to write. I've met some of you, too, and am hopeful others of us will meet in person someday.
              Why am I writing those words above? Because today I celebrate my one thousandth post! Last year Christy Rush Levine made laminated quotes from some of Ruth's wise words. I hung it up in my house last summer, took it to my office in the autumn, and moved it to my classroom in November. Now it's back home, on the wall by my computer where I do much of my writing.

Vacation Celebration

           Time to celebrate and share with Ruth Ayes at Discover, Play Build.  
                                                       Tweet at #CelebrateLu!

           After I posted last Saturday, after doing a few errands, I took the first nap I've had in a long time. I needed it, it was the beginning of our winter break, and it started snowing that evening. I know those of you in the east and southeast don't want to hear about celebrating snow, but because I didn't have to "go" anywhere, it was heavenly.

           I've been writing a poem a day for a challenge offered by a blogging friend, Laura Shovan, Author Amok, who sets a challenge each February because it's her birthday month. It's been wonderful to have the time to write without hurrying.

Celebrating Goodness

        Thanks to Ruth Ayres, we Celebrate each week together! Tweet at CelebrateLu  Link up here!

             There is nothing better than a birthday party. Unfortunately it was supposed to be at the park near my house, and it turned out to be cold and windy. We crammed inside and had a great time anyway. Kids picnicked on a quilt in the living area, adults moved through the rest of the rooms. We did bundle up for a piñata outside! 

Ingrid celebrates being five with friends, and little sister Imi.

Monster cupcakes!

Every Day Is Saturday!

     Thanks to Ruth Ayres, we celebrate together.

Link up here at Discover, Play, Build.

Tweet at #CelebrateLu 

        I had a terrific week in a classroom of 4th and 5th grade aged students. They are wonderful students, and it was a joy to work with them. I enjoyed working with my colleagues, too. But I, like all teachers on Friday, am tired! My week was filled with student interactions, lunch meetings with various grade-level groups, and a few individual meetings. And the week began with my granddaughter Ingrid's fifth birthday dinner Monday evening. She had a special birthday, a palindrome, 4-14-14. Today is the final day of that phenomenon this week, 4-19-14.

        One text to celebrate: my grandson Carter, a 7th grade, was invited into the National Honor Society. I bet he's pleased, and I am proud of him.

        I am guest posting today with Laura Shovan here at her blog, Author Amok, sharing my own "source" poem.
        I reviewed Meenoo Rami's new book, Thrive here. If you don't know the book, you should. It's terrific.

           I know it's spring, the meadowlarks are back at school. My school, just minutes away, is more on the prairie edge and it backs onto a wetlands. When I hear that sweet sound, I know spring has arrived. Click on the video and enjoy!

15/31 - Celebrating More Than One Thing

     

       Celebrating the week thanks to Ruth at Discover, Play, Build, and slicing on Day Fifteen thanks to Tara, Stacey, Anna, Beth, Dana and Betsy at Two Writing Teachers.


Tweet at CelebrateLu             and                      SOL14

       I relish the sweet moments this week, despite the loss of my daughter's family's dear cat, Le Roc on Tuesday, or perhaps more because of it. I wrote about it that day, and it certainly has colored my week although I haven't even been to their home since. The tragedy has shown again the importance of celebrating each day. There is a plaque outside my school which quotes A.A. Milne: A little Consideration, a little Thought for Others, makes all the difference.  It was so lovely to receive everyone's kind words after that evening. 

A New Look at Learning

           Ruth and Stacey host the Tuesday Slice of Life on their blog, Two Writing Teachers.  Come visit!

             School is starting, and all of us are planning, planning, asking questions, making handouts, cutting out materials, and waiting!  Waiting for the most important thing, the students!  And how will they learn?  In a million ways.  I had a good evening Saturday with my granddaughter Ingrid who visited for a sleepover.  Our favorite thing, to eat at Noodles and go to Target.  I know that sounds rather funny to think that a trip to Target can be fun, but we go up and down the aisles looking at items, with Ingrid asking many, many questions.  What's that? How does it work?  Why are there so many _________ lamps, glasses, balls, vacuums, etc.?  This time I did purchase something for her, a scooter!  We planned to go to the little park near my home and rushed home to see how this new riding toy worked!  Well, we found out more than I had planned, and I learned something as a teacher, too.  When we got home, I realized that I would have to put the scooter together!  And, with Ingrid's help, we did!  

A Sweet Day

The March Slice of Life Challenge- 28 of 31 
          Thanks to Ruth and Stacey, at Two Writing Teachers.  It's only a few more days, so come over to visit some bloggers, to see what they're up to!

      Tweet at #Slice2013

            When I think about the slices of my life, several parts of my life come to mind.  I work, so slices can be about school.  I have family both near and far away, so I could write about them, or about friends and our activities together.  Yet, the overarching part of my life that means a slice every day is visiting my husband.  Arvie has been in a nursing facility for a little more than a year now, since March 18th, 2012.  Yes, a huge thing happened on that day when I knew I could no longer care for him in our home.  He was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease, connected this time with what is called Lewy Body Dementia in 2007, and declined from that time cognitively and less physically for a long while.  I won't share what I believe is too personal, but during those years, and then in this past one, I have lost my husband, yet he is still my husband, still sees me and smiles, showing that I am someone he knows as familiar.  He is happy with the staff and shows comfort when they care for him.  I am thankful more than my words can say for this caring, but also professional staff.

           My slice today is also about my granddaughter Ingrid, who spent yesterday with me, and part of our day was visiting Grandpa.  Her mother and I don't think she needs to go often, but for now she is at ease visiting, is friendly with everyone and not alarmed with any 'different' behaviors.  Everyone is just old to her, and some talk to her, all smile, and she is a little shy, but okay.  And she is wonderful with Arvie.  She greets him, pats him, and today felt comfortable enough to sing "Baa, Baa Black Sheep" to everyone, especially Grandpa.  We sit in the dining/common area, and residents wheel in and out as they are able.  Ingrid loves to sing so I was teaching her "You Are My Sunshine", and perceptive (my grandchild!) child that she is, she asked who my sunshine was.  I answered "Grandpa, of course."  And then I said, "And who is yours?"  She answered, "My Momma!"  Sweet moment.  But then she asked if I knew who might try to take our sunshine away?  Remember the last line of the song?  Ah, four year olds, or almost!  

One Bright Christmas Moment

      Our final Poetry Friday, and the new year invited is hosted by a blogger friend nearby, Carol at Carol'sCorner.  Thanks Carol, for hosting this final poetry celebration of 2012!

       Among all the celebrations, one moment I will hold closely, a young girl so happy in a princess dress, asking if we want to watch her Christmas dance.  She is giddy with the joy of the music, of the promise of gifts to come, and cousins visiting. 

Best Practice Applies To All Ages

Come join the Tuesday Slice of Life, Hosted Weekly by Stacey and Ruth at their blog, Two Writing Teachers.  Enjoy everyone’s posts as they offer a small slice of their lives.

        Usually, every other Saturday to Sunday, I get the pleasure of a visit from my Granddaughter Ingrid, whom you’ve read about in other posts.  She was three in April.

        Ingrid and I do lots of things when she visits and I’ve written about some of them, and lately, because of all the reading aloud, looking at books together, being in pre-school all year, Ingrid has become interested in writing.  She can recognize all of her letters, and write some of them, mostly those with straight lines.  Her father teaches her lots of songs that are real, and they listen to music together, things like The Sound of Music. Her mother makes up little rhyming songs for her about everything. I have added more books to Ingrid’s experience, but mostly I think my addition to her literacy is that we’ve looked at things and noticed details about them.  

Birthday Story - Ingrid is Three

 Second Hand Story-Found Poem

Your birthday’s coming up, Ingrid.

 What, where Mama?  I just see clouds.

 No, Ingrid, I mean your birthday’s coming soon.

A few days-from now.

 Tomorrow?  When I wake up?

 No-in a little while.

 Maybe a big while, Mama?

 Yes, a few days, after school is through this week.

 After school, when we get home?

 No, after more days of school, at the end

of the week.

 What, when is the week end?

 Just wait, Ingrid, your birthday's coming up!

           After:

birthday to celebrate

cupcake monsters, piece of cake

gifts surprised and candles lit

blew them out and made her wish

And-Remember to check on the Poetry Tag Group shown at the right!  And find Jama Rattigan's blog post at Jama's Alphabet Soup  to discover so many Poetry sites in the kidlitosphere doing wonderful things!  Cathy, at Merely Day By Day, is joining Mary Lee, at A Year of Reading in a poem a day this month. Other daily poem writers include Amy at The Poem Farm, and Donna at Mainely Write.  Plus Greg Pincus of Gotta Book has just published his first E-book, The Late Bird.  Now he's celebrating by giving one away.  See the blog that tells all about it  here