1,000 blog posts

Softly,
listen to the quiet.
Gently,
listen to the still.
Can you hear
the heartbeat?
Can you feel
the miracle?
Open yourself
to joy.
Open yourself
to love.
Live the life
you are meant to live.
Be the answer
to another's question.


     Today has been a difficult day for me with my writing.  I've written everything else but today's poem and I even know the reason--nothing was good enough.  Today marks the 1,000th post on this blog.  I've posted a poem every day for then last 1,000 days.  I've explored all sorts of poetry forms from acrostics to villanelles with you.  I supplied original art work or photographs to go with some of the poems.  And on most days, I've supplied a poetry prompt to go with the poems.  You have responded positively and I have had over 105,000 visitors to my blog.  You are the miracle that keeps me writing.  Thank you.
    I was reading a comment from YA author Angela Morrison today and she stated, "Readers are miracles...."  YES!  You are a miracle to me.  I hope you have a fantastic New Year's Eve.
   Thank you for being here to cheer me on.

PLAYING CHEEKS

I can fill
my cheeks
with air
then I tap
my fingers
there.
Sound comes out
a burst of shout. 
Sounds like a trumpet,
sounds like a drum.
Funny cheek
playing,
here I come.

    Have you ever tried to play your cheeks like a musical instrument?  I had a lot of fun making funny noises while I tried to write this poem.  Good thing I was alone and no one could hear me.  
      Your challenge for today is to write your own poem about a sound.  Have fun writing.

SING

Tra-
la-la
Dee-
Dah
A lilt
trips
over
your lips
in a song.



     There are a lot of songs and poems that include a scale for singing. Fa-la-la-la-la-la lah. Do-re-mi, so, your challenge for today is to write a poem that includes some musical notation.  All of our lives need more music, let's see if you can put it into your poem today.

WHISTLE

Tongue curls,
purse lips,
little blows
in tiny sips
Whee-ee-ee-ee-ee!
It is a whistle.


    Can you write your own poem today that includes a whistle?  Have fun playing with this sound.

GRIN

Your face
lights up
and the fun
comes in
that's what happens
when you
grin.

RASPBERRY

Ripple of air
blown between
tongue
and lips.
A reverberation
happens there
when air flows.
Blow!
Feel the tickle
on your tongue.

    A fun stage of development for babies is when they learn how to blow raspberries.  What are some of the funny sounds you can make with your mouth?  Can you write a poem about this silly subject?  Have fun writing.
    Happy Boxing Day.  Do you know why the day after Christmas was called Boxing Day?  It is a holiday still celebrated in Great Britain.

BURP

When air
rumbles
up
from
a rumbly
tummy
it bursts
out 
your mouth
in a burp.
Excuse me.


     I hope you have a very merry Christmas.  It is a great day to enjoy all our blessings.  Peace and happiness are my wishes for you.

SURPRISE

A surprise
makes 
your
eyes
grow wide
and
your
eyebrows
rise.
BOO!


     I hope you have a great day, doing what you need to do.  Thank you for taking time to ready my poem.  If you have a little one in your home, take time to play with that person too.  In fact, take time to play today--you need it too.  May this be a blessed day for you.

SNIFF, SNIFF

A short
breath in
through
you nose,
then do it
again.

     We often sniff when we want to smell things.  What smells do you like?  The sense of smell is the first sense that develops.  Can you write a poem today about smells you like, or try writing about all the smells you don't like to smell.

SMILE

A smile
happens
while
you
turn up
your lips.


     Happy Sunday.  What is something that makes you smile?  Can you write a poem about smiling today?

LAUGH

A laugh
happens
when
something
funny
reaches your
tummy.

PECK

A quick
small kiss
touching lips
to forehead,
eyebrow,
earlobe,
nose,
chin,
or neck.
Smoochies.


      This is another in a group of small poems to share with the 0-2 year old group.  Poems to encourage parents and babies to play.  
      Your poetry challenge for today is to write your own poem that includes a kiss.  Have fun writing and thinking about all the kisses in your life.

TSK, TSK, TSK

Like a snake
with a hiss,
you can 
tsk, tsk, tsk,
by clicking
your tongue
on the top
of your mouth.

SIPS

Sips
are
small drinks
through
your
lips.

BooHoo

When you

cry

it makes

tears

in your eyes.

I'm sorry.

POUT

A lip 
sticking out
is a
pout.


     Busy day today.  I hope you are enjoying the season.  I put a little bird on the pout in this sketch because my mother used to tell me that if I pouted a bird would come along and peck my nose.  I always thought I was more likely to catch gnats with that moist lip sticking out.  Your poetry challenge for today is to write your own poem about someone who pouts.  Have fun.

GIGGLE

A giggle
is a
wiggle
that starts
in
your 
tummy.


     Your challenge for today is to write a poem about something that makes you giggle.  Or write about having a fit of the giggles.  I can remember my sister and I staring at the door to try to keep from giggling.  The moment we'd stop and turn to each other the giggles would start again.  Have you ever giggled so hard that you wet your pants?  Oh, just write the poem.  Have fun.

WINK-WINK

A wink
is a blink
of one
eye.

     If you follow my blog, you'll know that I've been playing with my art supplies this last week.  One of the things I discovered is I have a fun time creating. Whether it is words that I've put together in a fun new way for me, or if it is art materials I've never tried before, doing something new is a challenge and I love the way it makes me feel.  I can become so engrossed in my creation that I forget the time and sometimes even forget to eat.
    What do you like to do to create?  Your challenge for today is to write a poem about creating.   I hope you have as much fun as I do.

CREATION

Words
flow
dance
twirl
jumpleapfly
like learning 
bird talk
or the steps
of a Latvian folk dance
like a volcano
erupting
on fire 
it feels wonderful
powerful
like being
a Greek Goddess
one of the muses
from my brain
hopefully
to live
in your heart

     Today's poem is a great stretch for me.  I don't usually write free verse poems for children, but this is what wanted to come from my pen and I'm going to respect that.  I'm doing some experimenting with this poem.  My own form of CREATION.   Does the "jumpleapfly" work all together like an airplane taking off from a runway?  I know this poem is a little hard to read because of the lack of punctuation, but I did that intentionally because I wanted to take advantage of the enjambment and I wanted to slow the reader down to enjoy each word created and perhaps to create their own meaning in the spaces between the words.
     Your challenge today is to create your own poem.  Take any word you like and have fun playing with it.  Do you feel like an acrostic or a haiku?  Perhaps rhymed couplets or the common verse of quatrains.  What ever you try have fun with your own creation.

    The Friday Poetry Roundup is being hosted today by Tabatha Yeatts on her blog The Opposite of Indifference.  Thanks, Tabatha for hosting the party.
Click on the link to find many other great children's poetry posts today.

haiku

refinished table
turpentine and linseed oil
first day back at school

    Today's poem is another one that deals with the sense of smell.  Of all our senses, smell is the most important and is the first to develop, but it is the third most frequently written about right after sight and sound.  Can you guess which sense is the least written about?  It is taste.  Can you guess why this sense gets the least writing space?  
      Your poetry challenge for today is to write your own poem about the smells of Christmas for you.
Do you notice the scent of pine, apple cider, cinnamon, sugar cookies or fudge?  The holiday season is filled with wonderful aromas.  Pick one and shape your own poem.  Have fun writing.  


    

ORANGES

On this chilly morning
Red clouds
Arch the sky
Near citrus trees
Growing globes of fruit
Erupting in the 
Scent of sunshine


     Do you like the smell of oranges?  I do.  I couldn't think of what to write this morning and I was eating an orange.  I was going to write a haiku about oranges, but then I thought an acrostic would let me say more.  It is hard to write a short succinct
haiku that says everything you want it to.  So, here is your poetry challenge for today, can you write your own acrostic about a piece of fruit?  Can you use the letters to tell us something about the fruit, who eats it, or what it is used for or smells like?  Have fun writing your poem.

I'm Busy

The spaces all around me
are filling up too tight.
Before I get my job done
suddenly it's night.

I know it is the season
of having too much to do
I will try to do my best
to do what I can do.

And if I don't make it
to get every task done
I will remember
 we all need some fun.

I promise not to cry or pout
I won't beat myself up
I'll just wish you, Merry Christmas,
and offer you a cup.
(Of hot cocoa.)


    Sorry to be so late today.  I've got some Christmas projects I'm working on and my deadlines are coming too fast.  I guess I should sleep less and work more.
    What are you busy with today?  Can you write your own "I'm Busy" poem? 

Winter Night

Quiet night
stars shine intensely,
crystal air
snowflakes fall
as silence drops around us
filling all our lives.


  Today's poem is a shadorma, a Spanish six line poem.  This is a syllabic form with 3-5-3-3-7-5 syllables in the lines.  You can check to see if I've done this correctly by counting the syllables in each line.

Line 1 = 3 syllables
Line 2 = 5 syllables
Line 3 = 3 syllables
Line 4 = 3 syllables
Line 5 = 7 syllables
Line 6 = 5 syllables

    If you are one of those people who hates rhyme, or just can't do it, try some of the syllabic forms to get yourself started.  Your challenge for today is to try writing your own syllabic poem.

    I saw a sweatshirt this weekend that said, "Have you noticed LISTEN and SILENT are made from the same letters?"

    Have a fun day writing poetry.  Stay warm.

THE BOOK

Reach for a book
each time you are bored
and you will find a
delightful pastime.

     I hope you are indoors sitting next to a warm fire.  It has been cold all day here and so I've been lazy and have been reading a good book.  What are you currently reading?  Can you write a poem today about books, reading, or what you like to do on cold days?

LOOK UP

Walking along
I'm watching the road.
I feel like I carry
a heavy load.

I tilt my face up
to feel the sun.
I think I'm ready
to have some fun.

I lift my head up 
to see the sky
I feel like a bird,
ready to fly.

Look up, my child 
and you shall see
the world is full
of opportunity.


     If you needed to write a poem to encourage a friend, what would you write?  This is your poetry challenge for today.  Write a poem that will get your friends to take the next step in this exciting journey we call life.  Have a fun day, and have fun writing.

KWANZAA

Keep dreaming
We can
Achieve anything by
Not giving up, by sharing a
Zillion little things of our
Abiding 
Abundance


   The week of Kwanzaa doesn't start until December 26, but I was stuck for a poem today and I thought an acrostic would be an easier one to write.  (Actually I'm working on a cento and it isn't ready yet.  It really needs some more time to cook.)  I was joking with a friend and told her that after three years of writing Christmas holiday poems for three years during the month of December, I'd pretty much said it all and I needed to find a new slant or get a new idea.  I said I'd have to start writing Kwanzaa poems because I didn't think I'd done that yet.  So that's how I got to today's poem.  If you'd like to know know more about this holiday, you can find out more at the Official Kwanzaa web site.

    Your challenge for today is to try writing a poem about how your family celebrates the holiday.   Can you write your own acrostic?

small bowl of a moon
spilling crystal diadems
chilly winter's night

    It has been very cold today and it may freeze tonight, so we've covered our plants and the citrus trees have the holiday lights on them to keep them warm.  Can you write your own poem about the moon you see?  Stay warm. 

December is a busy month.
It's hurry, hurry, hurry
bustle, bustle.
It's time to write cards
and hustle, hustle.

It's a time of secrets
and hiding places.
It's cookie baking 
and happy faces.

It's decorating the tree
all weekend long
and practising singing
the Christmas songs.

It's a time
when there is lots 
to do.
And, I'm taking
this season
to think
of you.

     Thank you for reading my blog and sharing poetry with me.  Your poetry challenge for today is to write your own poem about one of the things you traditionally do during December.  Have fun writing.

EGRETS

Egrets on the roof
watching the world below them
gathering of friends

    There were 6 white egrets on my neighbor's roof this morning.  It was quite a sight to see so many of these big birds together.  In some cultures, having storks on your roof is considered good luck, so I thought today would be my lucky day.  Can you write a poem today about good luck?  Have fun writing.

Navel Oranges

The oranges 
on my citrus tree
are big and round, 
bright and shiny.

I cut one open,
it tastes delicious.
I wish you were here
to try it with us.

    It does seem strange to me that as much of the US braces for a winter of snow, my little orange tree is just coming into its own.  We planted this tree two and a half years ago and it is finally bearing fruit.  Today's poetry challenge is to write a poem about your favorite fruit (or vegetable).

haiku

chilling morning wind
blows white seeds from the broom sage
lacy snow flakes drift

    This morning's walk was lovely.  It seemed like everyone was smiling at me, but maybe that was because I was smiling.  I don't know why I was feeling so good, except it is the start of a new month and December really is a lovely month.  I see my name everywhere.  Maybe that is why I like December so much.  It is a season of giving and surprises.  I've started planning some of mine.  Your challenge for today is to write a December poem.  How about a list of all the things you want to do this month?  Have fun.