Monday Night - Not Just Any Night

Slice of LIfe Tuesday - April 5, 2011

“Wanted: a needle swift enough to sew this poem into a blanket.” ~Charles Simic

For some of you, last night was just another Monday, but for others, including myself, it was the NCAA championship basketball game. I’m not really a big sports fan, but when late February rolls around, I begin watching a few college games, including my own alma mater, the University of Missouri at Columbia, and I have special thoughts of my mother, who loved all basketball, but particularly during this month. I always start rooting for the Tigers, and then watch to see if they make the 64 teams, and when they do, I’m excited and hopeful. They haven’t ever done very well, so I then move on to find other teams to watch, to learn about the top players, see if I can predict their chances. In the last years of my mother’s life, she and I spent a lot of time on the phone talking about the games. She wasn’t able to leave her home often, so the basketball games on tv gave her much pleasure, and we had lots of fun talking about the tournament.

This year, March madness was really ‘mad’, for it was also the Slice of Life challenge. On numerous evenings, I found myself slicing along with watching basketball games. It was quite a fun month. (I must also let you know that I also did go to work, clean, cook, read, and have fun with my family some of the time, too!)

At the blog, A Year of Reading, they lately told of a new book by Bob Raczka, illustrated by Nancy Doniger, called Lemonade (And Other Poems Squeezed From a Single Word). In the book, Raczka uses the letters of the title word of each poem to make the words for that poem. I thought I’d try it, with the word (game) that has given me so much pleasure this past month, along with the slice of life.

BASKETBALL

Tall

tale-

bat

ball.

Take

fall.

Set

task.

Beat

last.

All

Bask!!

Special visits - not always Grandkids!

April 4, 2011 “Poetry is what gets lost in translation.” Robert Frost

We don't have a pet anymore, have had lots of dogs and one cat through the years, but when we said goodbye to the last one, haven't found a new pet. So, sometimes, instead of being asked to have grandchildren for a visit, we have the great privilege of taking care of a grand-dog! This particular one is a cattle dog named George.

Doggie Business

Zipping up the length

of my blue jacket, I grab

the keys from the hallway

hook while trailing the leash

‘till the dog hears, comes running

to bite at the collar. I shout

‘let’s go’.

Rushing out the door, lock

- step down-wait, heel

again—now we go-down

the greenbelt, through the

grass, around the fence to

the park.

“Look, it’s empty—unsnap—

go—oh, hurry—run—rush—

embrace the air, leap the hill-

return-pant-sit-lick.

Ah-h-h.

Good boy!

Reading from the bookmobile

April 3, 2011

Poetry is a deal of joy and pain and wonder, with a dash of the dictionary.” Kahil Gibran

One of the writing assignments I do early in the year is to ask students to write about their reading history, an early memory of reading? I often read from Anna Quindlen's small book, How Reading Changed My Life, and other authors that show their love of reading. Sometimes the pieces are personal narratives; sometimes they are poems.

untitled

New books,

new smell,

newsprint,

envelops me in a memory.

Growing up,

I climb metal stairs-clank, clank, clank-

to reach the gifts,

treasures really,

of the bookmobile.

My bag hangs emptied

of the past twelve read--

Lovelace, Kipling, Twain, Baum.

and I search

for the next adventures

that will

add riches to my life,

growing up

in a small town.

The librarian

transports her bounty

two ways:

by van and by

enticing conversation.

Here, here is a lovely tale.

Try this one,

And this!

She pulls two volumes from

her own bag-special

for

me.

I thank her,

not only for the books

gratefully taken,

but for her wisdom.

Poetry Month - April 2

April 2, 2011 I hope to write a poem each day during April poetry month, & share a favorite poetry quote.

“Poetry is, in a way, like shouting. Since you can’t yell at the top of your lungs for a long time, you have to decide what you really need to say, and say it quickly.” Janet S. Wong

ME

As the flower reaches for the sun

a woman lives her life.

What? What can you mean?

A woman isn’t just a flower

waiting patiently on the hour.

Yes-but a woman waits for answers

to questions of life.

Well-perhaps a few.

Yes, questions important enough

to wait—wait and see.

Well, I only know this one:

what is really the answer to

me?

And your reply?

Can’t I ever just be

the ‘me’ I prefer to see

than that demanded from

those surrounding me?

Almost A Million Words!

Slice of Life Reflection - April 1, 2011 Time for a little fooling around!

Sixty plus slices times thirty-one days in March equals 1860 posts, where we

Loved all the words, averaging 300 plus. That’s well over half a million words!

In a nutshell, every one a gem, waiting only for a comment to add to the sparkle,

Challenge met by writers often wise in their words, sometimes weary in their hearts, but always willing to share their thoughts with others.

Evidence of a close group, though newly born, now waiting for toddlerhood.

Thanks for the memories! And I'd also like to thank my slicing buddy, CS Petersen, at http://prosecents.blogspot.com/ who helped keep me going. We're going to try to find more buddies at school to slice with us on Tuesdays!