Poetry Friday - Escaping The Noise

 

            It's Poetry Friday, and Karen Edmisten is hosting HERE at her blog.  Not only does she have a "blog with the shockingly clever title" but she's sharing a loving fall tune and a laugh from a favorite movie - poetry goodness! Thanks for hosting, Karen!

            It was cold and rainy this last Wednesday, now warmth is back and clouds have traveled on. But on Tuesday it was sunny and in the mid-seventies and I went walking at a favorite lake. It was such a day that in April, we would all be saying "almost summer"! This visit was rewarded with many geese, out doing their own version of sunbathing, also dunking in to grab a bite, nearly all squawking and talking, at least I imagine they, too were loving the sunshiny calm day! Here's a pic:

           And then, the sun went behind a cloud as I walked around to the other side, and there was the loner. I imagined all kinds of things, mostly his wish for some peace, like all of us! Or, perhaps he wished, like Frank Sinatra, to do it "His Way." 

a tanka

the raucous gaggle

pushes me into a glide

quieter water calls

for sunny meditation,

returning slowly 

 

Linda Baie ©

 

April - Poetry Month - Day Twenty - Tanka

  

       Happy Poetry Month, where poems parade in the streets, run like rivers within our veins or settle in our hearts every.single,time. 

       I am using this older book pictured left that follows the alphabet with one kind of prompt each day. I used this book on occasion in the classroom years ago, but never worked through it day by day, with deliberation! Here goes!

D is for Tanka: The tanka is a thirty-one-syllable poem, traditionally written in a single unbroken line. A form of waka, Japanese song or verse, tanka translates as “short song,” and is better known in its five-line, 5/7/5/7/7 syllable count form.

Free Stock photos by Vecteezy

Poetry Friday - With #PoetryPals, gratitude

         Thanks to Laura Purdie Salas who hosts this Poetry Friday, at her blog HERE.  She shares some fabulous tankas about autumn for the #PoetryPals challenge. Laura also has a new book coming out: If You Want To Knit Some Mittens! You can see the trailer HERE! My granddaughter Imogene is an active ten-year-old, always taking extra time to climb, jump, and run. But she also knits. This book is on its way to her!

        A little celebration! I'm excited to return to the Cybils Award work this year as a Round Two Poetry Judge! What a pleasure it will be to work with a grand group reading and discussing poetry! The members of both Rounds can be found HERE. And then click on "Cybils" at the top to look around to view the posts of judges for all the other categories! There is also a call toward the top for the "Idea Boards", a place for suggestions. Nominations begin October 1st. 

It's the last Friday in September. I'm wishing happy times for autumn days to all of you! And, I've taken the #PoetryPals challenge, which Tanita Davis explains like this: 

          You’re invited to try our challenge in the month of September! We’re writing tanka in response to a poem we love from the Poetry Friday universe. Choose to respond to an original poem of any sort, from anyone who participates in Poetry Fridays – give us a link to the original poem, then go tanka-trading away, and make something tanka-true and new. Are you thinking of a poem you love? Good! There’s still time to play with your 5-7-5 creation(s), then share your offering with the rest of us on September 24th in a post and/or on social media with the tag #PoetryPals.

         First, I want to say that every Friday, everyone's posts bring joy. It's a big task to choose a favorite. Yet, I was watching last week especially and adored Michelle Kogan's post, and painting, because it celebrated fall, a season favorite. Thus, this is my poem for Michelle, in response to her post HERE with a rondelet! Thank you, Michelle!

it’s freely given

that palette from her garden,

transplanted to mine 

painted perfection escorts

an autumn-driven word song

 

                   Linda Baie ©