It's Monday Plus #NPM17 - Poem 10 of 30

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"It is the job of poetry to clean up our word-clogged reality by creating silences around things." ~Steven Maillarmé

     My goal for Poetry Month: TINY THINGS. My choices may surprise you, and I'm excited to write, share, and read how everyone writes to meet their special goals for celebrating poetry month.

       Poetic things of interest:  
See the page on the bar above for the Progressive Poem's schedule of poets, hosted by Irene Latham at Live Your Poem.  

See what everyone is doing for Poetry Month  HERE at Jama's post at Jama's Alphabet Soup.

         Bridget Magee and her family have started a project in response to the chaos happening in our government. Go HERE to find out about it, to see how you can help!

      A small poem today, touching a few picture books read in the past year. Some of you may remember the books.

Walk To The Sea

Shaking these sparkles

into the soup. I’m reminded

of the precious pain of Gandhi

and his followers who fought

for what we take for granted.

Linda Baie © All Rights Reserved

         I shared my #MustReadIn2017 post last Thursday, including the recent Blue Birds by Caroline Starr Rose. I'm moving along with this list, and comments urged me recently to be sure to read The Meaning of Maggie by Megan Jean Sovern. I read it these past few days. It is a poignant story, some fiction, some memoir, a wonderful little girl who began to grow up, surrounded by a beautiful and real family. 

#NPM - Poem 9 of 30 - Apple Blooms

 My goal for Poetry Month: TINY THINGS. My choices may surprise you, and I'm excited to write, share, and read how everyone writes to meet their special goals for celebrating poetry month.
     It's post number 1450! 

       Poetic things of interest:  
See the page on the bar above for the Progressive Poem's schedule of poets, hosted by Irene Latham at Live Your Poem.  

 Today, day nine, is my day, so be sure to see what I wrote!

And, if you'd like to see what everyone is doing for Poetry Month, look HERE at Jama Rattigan's post at Jama's Alphabet Soup.

         Bridget Magee and her family have started a project in response to the chaos happening in our government. Go HERE to find out about it, to see how you can help!

Poem Nine of Thirty

Progressive Poem - Line # 9

      "Wanted:  a needle swift enough to sew this poem into a blanket." - Charles Simic

             Forgive me. I don't remember if I found this from a poet's post on Friday, or found it and noted it for some special post. This is a special post and Simic's words ring out to me for this next line. It's the journey of Irene Latham's idea six years ago, the Progressive Poem where each day in April one poet adds a line. 

           Mary Lee Hahn has offered terrific background and analysis of what has been written these first eight lines. I have had ideas whirling for a few days and wonder about this child who in my eyes, even in only eight lines, is growing up. Just as all of us have discovered, self-awareness comes with experience, experimenting and with support for choices made. In these eight lines, there is a spurt of energy of self that appears first, a defiance announced to the world, then self-doubt, a question of change perhaps to meet new-found needs. How marvelous that the poets (like parents?) thus far have filled this child with spunk and sparkle, and yes, "fidget, friction, frazzle-dazzle, also fickle and freckles". Yet, there is one thing missing in my eyes, another "f", Mary Lee, a friend. I hope I've provided an opening for that next "fling". 

I’m fidget, friction, ragged edges—
I sprout stories that frazzle-dazzle,
stories of castles, of fires that crackle,
with dragonwords that smoke and sizzle.


But edges sometimes need sandpaper,
like swords need stone and clouds need vapour.
So I shimmy out of my spurs and armour

facing the day as my fickle, freckled self.

I thread the crowd, wear freedom in my smile

           Here are the April Poets. Best wishes Penny for the next line!  And thanks again, Irene for creating this poem collaboration!

#NPM - Poem 8 of 30 - Celebrating Too

         Celebrating with Ruth Ayres and others at Discover Play Build. And starting the second week of April-- poetry month. 

Celebrating!

        It was a good week, full of snow on Tuesday, Wednesday and flowers blooming Thursday, Friday. I've written a poem every day for my "tiny things" goal, and will certainly write on! Imogene and I visited the Denver Museum of Science and Nature, a favorite spot each Tuesday and finally saw The Vikings exhibit. Some parts are a bit beyond her, but I think she is continuing to broaden her understanding, and really loves looking and asking questions. Ingrid visits Friday afternoons and we really don't do much, just "be". We walked to my neighborhood park, stopped for an impromptu magic show by two children who live nearby and Ingrid played on the new jungle gym. We also drew pictures together, read a few books and then went to eat at Noodles, her most favorite spot in the world--really! Our country's and world's political stage widens, and I celebrate speaking out when I can. 

•   See Irene Latham's  Progressive Poem's schedule on the page above.  I'm getting a bit nervous; my line is due tomorrow
•   What are different people's goals for Poetry Month? Find that  HERE at Jama's Alphabet Soup.

                 Yesterday for Poetry Friday, Diane Mayr shared a new poem form connected to haiku. It's called the "Cherita" (1, 2, 3 lines) and you can find her post here. I was intrigued, have continued to write haiku and read books and articles about them, and thought this would fit my thoughts of today's 'tiny thing.' No titles!

this minute cherished

outside smelling the lilacs

celebrating a finished poem

the tiny stub will last

for one more page

I am grateful 

Linda Baie © All Rights Reserved

So Far-Tiny Things

April 1 - Two Plates - Thanksgiving

April 2 - In Each Mind's Eye - baby elephant

April 3 - Discovered April First - miniature book

April 4 - A Promise - peach seed

April 5 -  haiku - one music note

April 6 - My Tiny List - must-do list

April 7 - Tiny Lights - window lights at dusk

April 8 - Cherita - pencil stub

#PoetryFriday #NPM17 - Poem 7 of 30

                "Poetry is a packsack of invisible keepsakes.      ~ Carl Sandburg
      

Poetry Friday 
      Poetic things of interest:  

•          See Irene Latham's  Progressive Poem's schedule on the page above.  I'm getting a bit nervous; my line is due Sunday! 
•         We are most fortunate today because Irene is also our host. Go HERE for her poetry goodness post, the Artspeak poem and the next line in the Progressive poem PLUS the round-up. Thanks Irene!
•          If you'd like to see what everyone is doing for Poetry Month, look HERE at Jama Rattigan's post at Jama's Alphabet Soup.

         It's April,  and I am immersed in poetry. Each day, among all the other posts I'm trying to connect with, I'm writing a poem. My goal for Poetry Month: TINY THINGS. My choices may surprise you, and I'm excited to write, share, and read how everyone writes to meet their special goals for celebrating poetry month.  Thus far I've written about a tiny Thanksgiving, a baby elephant, a tiny book, a peach pit, a musical note and a "must do" list. Today, the light in a window. 

           Tiny Lights

If you listen to the evening dusk

you’ll catch a breath of a lullaby.   

Robins settling for the night,

now wiggling into place, they sigh.

Bye bye.

And if you watch in the evening dusk,

as dark comes near, the children run.

They follow the glow of window lights,

their play completed with the sun,

all done.

Linda Baie © All Rights Reserved