Welcome Poets, Welcome March, holding spring! When I signed up for March 1st, I thought I would simply share a breezy, flowery poem, readying us for what's coming, at least for those of us still held up in winter. I know some of you are already posting buds and blooms! "Spring is nature's way of saying 'Let's Party!" Robin Williams "Spring adds new life and beauty to all that is." Jessica Harrelson and this: “In the spring, I have counted 136 different kinds of weather inside of 24 hours.” Mark Twain
However, I have become interested recently in anagrams, began searching for lists, and discovered more than I could have imagined were there. Within my own discoveries, I found spring and grew a poem. Perhaps you'd like to try a couplet or two if you discover some anagrams that inspire?
Welcome, welcome to this final Poetry Friday in October. Are you ready for a spooky weekend or an autumn break? This is the time to celebrate the season, whatever you may be doing. Leave your poetry links at the end of this post! Happy Halloween! I've written numerous versions of this poem, thinking from the standpoint of one special day when all the world seemed to BE autumn. I've added what I've noticed in much of this month, and chosen one photo of a tree I loved seeing. It felt like that tree was saying goodbye with its leaves. I also researched crickets, have been listening to what I believe is one lonely cricket for many evenings. You may know this about the cricket's song, but I did not. "Only male crickets chirp. It's actually called 'stirdulation'. This happens when it rubs the bottom part of one of its wings on the top part of the other wing. There are 3 reasons why crickets chirp...
...1) to attract females; 2) to impress the female he has already attracted; 3) to warn other males to stay away. Also, you can tell the temperature outside by listening to how fast they chirp; the hotter it is, the faster they chirp and the colder it is, the slower. Just count the number of chirps you hear in 13 seconds and add 40 and that's the temperature." - Answers.com
Welcome to the first of March's Poetry Fridays. I have a quote shared earlier this week that feels like March to me. Our weather is as unpredictable as it can be, a lot of ups and downs.
From Charles Dickens' Great Expectations: "It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade." While searching for something to share, I discovered this poet, Judith Pordon, who is still writing. She is published in a number of places. Here is a Wikipedia article, really the most I could find about her. I just finished writing poems for Laura Shovan's birthday month challenge, and immediately started the March Slice of Life challenge connected to the blog, Two Writing Teachers. I know some you are also doing that. Writing is its own reward, right? But when it's a daily deadline, I seem to need a wider reach and inspiration. Even if I'm writing prose instead of poetry, I still turn to reading poems, and most of the time, I find a line, a word that helps me start.
Judith Pordon's poem presents the idea of a blank page, also an inspiration, a desire to fill it up. See what you think! And enjoy everyone's links today!
Is it okay with you if I speak of autumn, here before Labor Day? I hope so, because I want to highlight a recent book by Barbara Crooker that I've been reading, and then reading again. Her poems make me pause, and work harder when I write. Her words please me and I hope will please you, too. In an interview here, Barbara says that when putting a book together, "first I write the poems. Then I see which of them are book-worthy, and then I look for themes. Then I try to find a title that best describes what’s going on in the book. I think arrangement is important, and I spend a lot of time on this. Robert Frost said if there are 26 poems in a book, then the 27th poem is the book itself, and that’s what I’m aiming for. . . ."
I'm giving a large shout-out to Laura Shovan this Poetry Friday because it's her birthday month, and this year her challenge of writing to a prompt each day is filled with sound! I've written with Laura each February since 2013 when she had us writing to picture postcards, and find myself unable to stop no matter how busy I am. It's interesting to me that most of my students insist they don't want any kind of prompt, but this year they're going to be blogging every day in March with me. Perhaps a few "ideas" will suddenly become helpful. I love poetry, and am rarely sure that I've written something worthy, but it gives me joy, and Laura is supportive and admiring to every one of us who share. Here are the words from her invitation: The point of this exercise is to practice the habit of writing regularly, even if it's just for one month. I post the responses as they are sent in so that we can focus on generating ideas, rather than on polishing for publication. It feels good that I am able to write and contribute, and the added bonus is to read all the other marvelous poems others share. If you'd like to join in for at least a few days, check out Laura's blog, Author Amok. A few weeks ago I also thanked other PF bloggers who host poetry challenges, and I love writing for their posts too when I can. You can read about those others I thanked here. I learn so much by reading others' work, especially today, Poetry Friday. Here are two favorite poems I've written to the sound prompts from Laura. Feb. 3rd - sound here
Because it's winter, and has been quite a challenging one in the past few weeks for those in the eastern and southeastern US, and because we here in Denver are supposed to have our first 'big' snow on Saturday-12 to 18 inches (it's 60 degrees here now), I give you "sound" to warm your hearts, Billie Holiday singing "I've Got My Love To Keep You Warm". Happy Poetry Friday!
