I'll be back soon.

I'm caught
in a web
of poor
internet
service.

I'll take
a short break
and I'll be
back on Jan. 2

   Dear friends and blog readers,
   I apologise for being so undependable lately.  My move to Kauai is more complicated than I anticipated.  But, rest assured all is well.  It is just that where I assumed I'd have good internet service, I don't.  I thought the free wi-fi at the condo would be good, but I keep getting dropped and the service is slower than a slug.  All will be better soon when we move back to the house.
The cargo container with all our furniture is scheduled to be unloaded on Jan. 2.  So hopefully, you will check back then and we can get rolling with a great poetry year in 2016.
Keep writing your poems and enjoying your holiday.

JOY

I'M HERE

Always,
I raise my hand
to say I'm here
ready to participate.

Does your teacher take roll in class?  Where else might someone take roll?  What does it mean when you raise your hand?  What activities do you participate in?  These are questions that have been rolling around in my mind. Things I have been thinking about.  It may be because a friend told me I had things so well organized for my move that I should be on autopilot. I didn't like that thought at all.  I don't want to coast through my life. I want to participate.  I want to be active in making decisions. I want to be the one out there playing because I'm the only one who can live my life.
I hope you are living your life to its fullest.  What will you do today?  Try writing your own poem about your day.  Have fun.

   I will live my life.

haiku

quiet creature visits
perhaps it's a wasp
need Hawaiian insect guide


    Isn't this wasp beautiful?  The yellow color is wonderful. The wings are actually lacy clear.  But, I have no idea what kind of bug it is and I'm going to have to do some research.  Isn't that part of the fun of moving to a new place?  You get to see all sorts of new flora and fauna.
   Can you spend some time observing nature today to write your own haiku? Have fun writing.
   

haiku

Night's refreshing rain
crickets chirp and frogs bellow
then a morning rainbow

   I'm sitting on my lanai in my shorts and a t-shirt watching and listening to the Kauai chickens.  It is a beautiful, sunny morning.  A mother hen and three little chicks are strutting across the grass, searching for grubs.  All is well in my world.
   How are things in your world?  Can you write your own poem today bout the state of things in your world?  Have fun writing.
   Mele Kalikimaka.

GIRL WITH LEGOS

A girl with Legos®

is an amazing thing.

She can build

almost anything.

A rocket,

a sailing ship,

a backyard swing.

A hospital,

a fire engine 

or a castle

for a king.

   Happy Sunday.  Life is getting crazy here. How would you define a crazy life?

How about trying to write a poem today on what a crazy life means to you?  Have a calm day writing today.

THREE LITTLE RABBITS

Three Western cottontails

hopping in the desert

on a sunny day.

Hop, hop, hop.

Along comes a rattlesnake

calling with his shaking tail,

Come let us play.

Stop, stop, stop.

Off jump the rabbits

quick as can be.

Hop, Hop, hop.

Hiding under

a mesquite tree.

Stop, stop, stop.

On my walk this morning I had not one, not two, but three separate Western Cottontails hop across my path. They weren't in a hurry. One even paused in front of me to stare. I felt if I had a carrot and held it out I could have fed the rabbit, they seemed that tame. Have you ever been in the presence of a wild animal that acted tame? For today's poetry challenge can you write a poem about taming? It could be your hair, your dog, your teacher or any imaginary beast you can think of. Have fun playing with this idea.

There is a beast to tame within each of us.

13 WAYS OF LOOKING AT A SNOWFLAKE

Since I'm going to be moving over the holidays and who knows what will happen with my internet connection, I thought I'd start early with sending good holiday wishes.

  Since I wasn't sure how things would go with the move, I didn't participate in Tabatha Yeatts' Holiday Poetry Exchange this year.  With all the stress of moving, I didn't know how creative I'd be feeling.  And being able to "artistically" present my poem would be impossible since all my art supplies are sitting in packed boxes. But there was a moment when I was packing and I came across a poem that  Irene Latham wrote for me during our summer poetry exchange titled 13 WAYS OF LOOKING AT THE MOON.  Yes, I wanted to try this.  Of course her poem and mine are both based on Wallace Stevens' poem 13 WAYS OF LOOKING AT A BLACKBIRD.

And, I'm discovering that when my world is crazy the best way I know to calm myself and feel settled is to write a poem.

Here is my poem:

13 WAYS OF LOOKING AT A SNOWFLAKE

six-sided symmetry
crystal chiller
mitten sparkler
tongue tingler
snowball starter
snow angel swish
eyelash wish
dream of no school
Inuit house
skiers delight
one frozen tear
individual as a fingerprint
start of an avalanche

   So here is your challenge for today.  Take a holiday icon (a wreath, a candle, a jingle bell, snowglobe, menorah, hot chocolate, etc.) and try writing your own 13 WAYS...poem.  Have fun writing.

   It is the happiest time of year for those who hold the joys of the season in their heart.


Happy Poetry Friday Roundup.  The party this week is over at  A Teaching Life blog.  You'll be able to find more poetry fun here.  Thank you,  Tara Smith for hosting us this week.

haiku

seeds from the broom sage
parachute across the air--
swimming pool litter.

   I have a couple of big bushes just outside my fenced yard.  The broom sage is shedding buckets of seeds.  They are pretty to watch as they float in the air, being carried to new homes.  I just wish they wouldn't land in the pool because they quickly clog the pool filter. Can you think of other things that are pretty but a nuisance?  This might make for a great topic for your poem today.  Have fun writing.

Instead of hurry, hurry, this is the time of year to slow down.  Have a cup of cocoa and count all the beautiful things in your life.

Goldfinch Good Bye

A flock of goldfinch
feasting
in the blown broom sage
gone to seed
like blooming sunflowers
on a gray day.

    This is a wonderful time of year as birds, plants and people get ready for the winter.  What things do you do to get ready for the cold?  Can you write a poem about that today?  (If you live in the Southern Hemisphere you're getting ready for warm summer weather and will have a very different poem.) No matter what you write today, have fun.

Writing is an adventure to take us in many directions.

December

Sunsets come earlier
and the sunrise
waits for a later time
making more of the night
leaving me in darkness
except for the bright
of a too white 
December moon.

   I don't know why, but over the last couple of years I've been learning more about the moon, Indian legends and other folklore about luna. Maybe it is my midnight writing.  I used to write in my closet at night, now I'm in my studio with windows.  So, of course I look out into the desert at night. I find it interesting that half of our lives is spent in darkness.  Most people sleep through it.  Your poetry challenge for today is to write a night time poem.  Have fun writing.

  The moons of our lives are a blessing.

haiku

yapping coyotes
punctuate the still of night
December's bowl moon

   I was awake in the middle of the night last night.  I love when that happens because I can get up to write.  The house is still; the world is quiet.  But last night, as I was walking around in the dark to get to my studio, it was very bright outside.  I looked for the moon and I saw a big white bowl.  It might have been a very big smile.  What do you do when you can't sleep at night? Can you write a poem about that today?  Or try writing about what you see when you wake at night.  Have fun writing.

Meeting with friends is a fun way to write.  Find a friend to write with today.

senryu

sunshine on my back
and on the butterfly wings
at rest on lantana

flitter and flutter
his wings and my heart 
enjoy a warm glow


   As our weather starts to get colder, we have more butterflies stopping by our flowers.  They are mostly Monarchs on their southerly migration.  Time yourself for a minute.  In that time how many different kinds of butterflies can you name?  Now pick one to write your own poem.  Have fun writing.

"Why should I not sit, every morning of my life, on the hillside, looking into the shining world."  Mary Oliver

   Today is Friday, just in time for the Poetry Friday Roundup.  You can find more links to children's poetry and children's poets on Buffy Silverman's blog here.  

   Thanks, Buffy for hosting us today. 

Hammer Symphony

My neighbor hammers
tap, TAP, tap.
He's hanging hooks
for Christmas lights
to his house eaves.

A Gila Woodpecker
pauses 
on the Mesquite tree,
filled with curiosity.

Together they make
a hammered symphony
tap, TAP, tap,
tap, TAP, tap.

   A Gila Woodpecker is a pretty bird with a checkered tuxedo coat and a small red beret for a hat.  They make holes in the Saguaros so other birds can make homes inside the cacti.   To make this music took two voices--my neighbor's hammer and the Gila Woodpecker. 
   Your poetry challenge for today is to write a poem about something that takes two (or more) to get it done.  In your poem let us know who they are and what each needs to do.  Have fun writing.

A little nonsense now and then is relished by the wisest men.  Roald Dahl

BIRD TRILLS

Winter is coming.
The birds all trill.
Snowflakes will fall
to give us a thrill.

The geese all gather,
fly south through the sky.
Why do I feel sad to say,
"Good Bye?"

     Happy December, the last month of the year.  What is your favorite month?  Why?  Each month has something special about it. Can you write a poem today about your favorite month?  Have fun writing.