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This is my playground for poetry written for children with ideas and inspiration for writing your own poems. Come on in. Sit for a spell, have a cup of words to swirl around and make your own cup of poetry. I'm so glad you are here. I hope you'll find the Kingdom of Poetry a fun place to be.

Tuesday, April 30, 2013


PROGRESSIVE POEM 

Each day during the month of April I will add a line to this poem.


WHAT IS POETRY? 
 
Poetry is the tunnel at the end of the light. --J. Patrick Lewis

  It is finding the truth, no need to lie.
  It's munching on watermelon and letting seeds fly.
 
  It's a letter that comes with a card in the mail.
  It's the lacy silver threads left by a garden snail.
 
  It's daffodil trumpets covering the hill.
  It's a deer at the creek, drinking her fill.

   It's giggling and laughing and being absurd.
   It's reading a haiku and feeling each word. 
   
  It's a dragon who blows flames, loud and hardy. 
  It's fairies in the garden having a tea party.
  
  It's the sound of a truck shifting its gears.
  It's the feel of two soft puppy dog ears.
 
  It's a bright sun rise and glowing moon shine.
  It's a Carolina wren singing in a Lob-lolly pine.
 
  It's a snowman rolled on a cold winter morn.
  It's crows calling from tall tasseled corn.
 
  It's the whisper of hummingbird wings in the air.
  It's plaits and curls tied with bows in my hair.

  It's spying a bird feeding her young.
 It's pink cotton candy that melts on your tongue.

 It's watching black ants as they march by.
 It's corn on the cob for the Fourth of July.

It's a bumble bee tumbling inside a rose.
It's dandelion puffs tickling my nose.

It's a penny tossed in a wishing well. 
It's the cackle of a witch casting a spell. 

It's roasting marshmallows over a campfire flame.
It's squirrels in the poplar trees playing a game.

It's mermaids on a rock, combing their hair.
It's hearing a hot air balloon in the air.

It's you and me having a good time
finding words and making them rhyme.

It's taking our words and creating a verse
that includes our world and the whole Universe.

That's what poetry is to me.


     
Good bye April.  Come on May.  I'm really sorry to see the end of this poem.  I hope you've enjoyed it and thank you to everyone who supplied ideas.  Oh gosh, now what shall we do for May?  Oh good, I just had an idea to start the month off.  Tune in tomorrow to see what poem I have to start a new month.  Your poetry challenge for today is to write a short letter poem to the poem you want to write.  Is that confusing?  Let me see if I can supply an example.
Dear Poem,
    Thank you for the ideas
    you give to me.
    Thank you for the laughter
    and the fun. 
    I'm so glad you're a part of me.
    Aren't I the lucky one? 

Turn the page on your calendar and I'll see you here tomorrow.  Have fun writing.

8 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. Thank you. Take care of the new kittens.

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  2. Each line is something different with which everyone can identify...well done! For May, how about a new line every hour?? ;)

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    1. Matt,
      Are you crazy? Trying to stir up trouble? A new line every hour would be the death of me! I should think one could write a computer program for a line generator in that situation. Actually there is a haiku generating program.
      I think I'm going to need to talk to that son of yours to give him some ideas to help you write poems. I'm looking forward to meeting you in person at David Harrison's Highlight's Ed. Foundation Workshop.

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  3. Your completed progressive poem is wonderful, Joy! I can't wait to see what May will bring! = )

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    1. Becky,
      Thank you for following this month. I'm sort of wondering what I'm going to do for May too. Something will happen, it always does.

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  4. Just terrific, Joy. I have enjoyed so much poetry this month, but I think I need a little rest! Congratulations on completing your poem!

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    1. You need to rest from poetry? Oh dear! I always find that when I'm tired is when I most need poetry. If I'm not writing it, I'm reading lovely verses. My quarterly journal from the Academy of American Poets came in the mail this week and there were some really good articles that I'm enjoying reading.

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