Poetry Friday - Ring the Doorbell! Halloween Practice

           Welcome everyone to a pre-Halloween party! Although this holiday is going to be different this year, it's still good to prepare with candy, ready for the children who still might ring that doorbell! Happy Halloween!

            Many decorations in my neighborhood differ this year. I have enjoyed what is out there and took a picture of one that brought a smile. The kindnesses around us are there if we only pay attention. I am grateful for this neighbor's thoughtful Halloween shout-out to all!

Remember that the tinman was looking for a heart!

           I love Halloween and sadly this week, with new restrictions in Denver, warnings about Trick or Treating being unsafe have been announced. My small neighborhood group had planned a parade in our little park with all of us ready to see wonderful costumes and give out candy bags --all canceled. I will drop some bags on some porches of those who have shared their addresses, but that's about it this year.

           I've tried to stay away from politics but have written a little bit into my poems. Yes, I wrote two, a nostalgic one for the adults and one that's more fun for children. Wishing you a nice holiday full of treats however full of tricks it seems to have!

In My Mind - Prose Poem

 

       How swiftly days shorten when October begins its frosty cold. Trees reveal their wild growth of tangles via shakedowns. Then we know that All Hallows’ Eve must be preparing its own mysteries of creaks in the crannies

to welcome children on the sidewalks. They hold hands with Mom and Dad, ring doorbells, shout “Trick or Treat”. They are prepped to say “Thank you” but do it only after peeking in the sack when they glimpse the KitKats and Snickers, M&Ms and Milky Ways. Ah, sweet time to come. They scurry away, and I notice big smiles on everyone’s faces especially Mom’s and Dad’s. Remember?

It exists for all of us,

not to lose,

but to celebrate –

this thing called Halloween.

                             Linda Baie ©

Still Halloween 

 

Now we speak of masks that mean

helping others sight unseen,

but I desire one scary day,

All Hallows’ Eve, the children’s way.

 

To neighbor’s doors on tiptoe feet

ready to shout out trick or treat;

dodging shadows that alarm,

racing by to keep from harm.   

 

Tiny heroes, ghosts, and clowns,

traipsing all around the town,

costumed in the latest fad,

holding hands with Mom and Dad.

 

They want this night to last and last         

but jack ‘o lanterns’ lights dim fast.

House to house with daring dash,

they grab the mostest candy stash.

 

Bright full moon lights winding paths.

Bags sag; now comes the aftermath!

Pour the haul on living room floors,

Snatch, then trade, no need for more.  

 

In treats kids gathered on the streets

lie memories tucked among the sweets.

         Linda Baie ©

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Monday Reading - WOW Books!

   Visit Kellee and Ricki at UnleashingReaders and 

  

Jen at Teach Mentor Texts to see what they and others have been reading! Your TBR lists will grow! Happy Reading!

     Share with the hashtag #IMWAYR 

Wishing you all a good week ahead! 

           Thanks to NetGalley for this special book from Sharon Creech. We know that Sharon Creech knows about special teachers. You only have to read Love That Dog and Hate That Cat to understand. This time young Gina Filomena tells the story of her year with a new teacher, Miss Lightstone, who approaches things very differently from the terrible, pointy teacher the year previous. Gina has a great imagination which feels good instead of bad after meeting a new neighbor, Antonio, mysterious with a beautiful smile, who just happens to be in her class! There happens a world full of mystery and magic that connects to writing in this story when the class, and perhaps Miss Lighthouse, too, begins to answer the questions, "Who am I?" and "Who do I want to be?"  

          Other characters, classmates, neighbors, a very fun Auntie and Uncle Pasta (you must read to discover why the name) plus Gina's grandmother, Nonna Filomena who lives far away are made memorable, too. It makes a place one wants to be! I could not stop reading and my own wide smile appeared at the surprising end. Teachers, you will want this for a read-aloud!

           I've never known someone who struggles with stuttering, but now, with Jordan Scott's beautiful story and with his letter at the back, I begin to understand a little more. In that letter, he writes "What would happen if you concentrated on the feeling of speaking? As an "older" person, as he wrote, I do notice I am losing words as I speak, then they pop up sometimes hours later. 

          Jordan Scott's book, illustrated with such feeling by Sydney Smith, lets a boy tell about his own experiences through a day, a tough day even for him where his "tongue is tangled", a C is a crow "that sticks in the back of my throat". When asked to speak and share about a favorite place, he shares that all his classmates hear "is how I don't talk like them." His dad picks him up on this "bad speech day" and they go to the river. What happens that helps is to watch the river with all its sounds. It isn't smooth, it bubbles and churns. The boy "talks like a river". The inside double-page fold out is gorgeous, a boy alone, swimming in that river. The book needs to be shared by everyone, a book that may help those who stutter and those who hopefully will begin to understand. Thanks to Jordan Scott for sharing his story. 

        A clever tale by Roger McGough begins with Bobby saying there's a new moon tonight and Betty wondering what happened to the old one. Bobby says it's in his honey cupboard; he stole it to give to Betty! Yikes! Thus the tale moves along as a love story with Bobby telling all the ways Betty could use that moon and Betty questioning back. What a grand read-aloud with beautifully-imagined illustrations by Penny Dann.  

Poetry Friday - Knowing Others

       Jama Rattigan at Jama's Alphabet Soup hosts Poetry Friday today. with yummy cider and apple cider donuts plus a poem that makes one yearn for autumn and write poems! Thanks, Jama!

      Thinking of this particular autumn into winter, the need to pay attention to others and their "inside" from the "outside" as well as I can. Many needs have emerged during these weeks and months of the pandemic. I believe my need to be especially perceptive of others who may be hiding their feelings. I've resurrected an old poem I wrote when I was then thinking of my middle school students who are often reluctant to tell what's really going on. It fits everyone, don't you think?

             I'm hosting next week for #PoetryFriday, no matter what, we'll do some Halloween celebrating! Please, VOTE! 

             What Can You Know?

 

Inside, at 60 beats a minute, 

my heart stays resting,

accumulating layers

of life on the outside.

These layers, like tree rings,

remain hidden inside,

show only a peek to the outside

of the sometimes sweet

and occasionally bitter

when we add a pinch of salt

and then a lot of sugar.

Now inside, my heart is racing

but you might not know

until I tell you, on the outside.

                                 Linda Baie ©

photo credit: adam_moralee age rings via photopin (license)

Monday Reading - More Wonderful Books

  Visit Kellee and Ricki at UnleashingReaders and 

  

Jen at Teach Mentor Texts to see what they and others have been reading! Your TBR lists will grow! Happy Reading!

     Share with the hashtag #IMWAYR 

Wishing you all a good week ahead! 

          Yes, I managed to finish it, but it took a week because I kept re-reading different parts; I wanted to remember every single thing. Then I went back to browse through Dear Martin, wanting to remember more of Justice and Quan together. I can't tell all the story. You don't want to miss this, the thoughts of both, but this time particularly the inside/outside cries for help from Quan, cries for someone to "see" him and to "love" him. This is one that can break your heart from both sadness and relief from breath-holding. How can it be that a youngster is held in a juvenile correction facility for two years without a trial? It's a tragedy that must be addressed! Nic Stone writes in her afterword that much of Quan's story is true. Nic Stone interviewed many juveniles in prisons and used their experiences to help her write. Other characters are there, too, with their own poignant stories. It's a story I hope lands in classes and school libraries everywhere.

Thanks to Candlewick Press for this copy!

         Sweet Gustavo, yes, he's shy, lived unseen in his world, even for a ghost! Flavia Z. Drago shares this sweet story for young readers about someone who is terrified to make friends, never "dared to speak to any of the other monsters". Her words tell it plainly but her illustrations show his fear with creativity. Gustavo remains close but he's disguised as a balloon, sneaks into a painting, or in a clothesline sheet, and is not seen! His true love is named Alma, an invisible girl who wears glasses. A Mexican feel is noticeable in the art like the colorful papel picado banners and skulls tucked in everywhere. In some good self-pushing, Gustavo decides he must be brave, so decides to invite everyone to a violin concert, his favorite thing. What happened after that made Gustavo glow and will make readers "glow" too, with lots of smiles.  (When they are there, I always check out the endpapers to see what has been done. This time, the opening shows Gustavo in a strip of pictures like one from a photobooth. You can imagine what the back shows - a happy GROUP with Gustavo!

Thanks to NetGalley for this book!

        Based on his own son and experiences through that young son's life, Michael Waters tells a family story of Jeremiah and his persistent questioning about the shootings, particularly of young black boys but also including that of five police officers. Jeremiah is waiting for his hair to grow so he can have locks and there's a chuckle when he gains permission plus later comparing it to the patience people must have when working for equal rights. As he grows, more tragic shootings happen and the phrase, "That doesn't make sense" repeats. Beautiful black boys like Jeremiah fight for better, shown in "also beautiful" illustrations by Keisha Morris. There are two pages of activities for extending the learning at the back. 

Poetry Friday - State of Mind

     Poetry Friday is hosted by Janice Scully here at Salt City Verse! Thanks for hosting, Janice!  

These next weeks are going to be challenging, I imagine, for each of us. Best wishes in doing what you can to be kind to yourself and others. And VOTE!

         I am feeling like I am at a crossroads. Perhaps it's because my birthday was Monday; probably it's because seven and a half months of tension that includes worry about the losses from the pandemic for everyone and now the incredible election chaos. One needs to be strong to face these next weeks and I want to be, especially for my grandchildren. This poem comes from those thoughts.

Forget Everything - Almost

These challenging days,

don't tell anybody,

I'm "almost" forgetting every single month behind me,

the way it was:

the startling whispers,

the "everything is gonna be alright",

that word we fear to hear again,

"lockdown", the angry arguments

for truth.

I will remember

the daughter who brought groceries,

small visits (like vitamins),

the son's phone calls,

making believe he was cross-town,

hugs

that 

finally

came from granddaughters,

customers 

who 

rushed  

to the bookstore opening –

out of books

eager for book talk,

the silly smile drawn

on the Starbucks cup,

a text from a neighbor,

so many deviled eggs.

I will not forget walks in

     winter's snowy whispers

     spring bees buzzing

     summer's magpie chatter

     fall trees' defiant goodbyes.

I won't forget 

the name of this poem.

Linda Baie ©