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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.

Saturday, April 15, 2017

2017 Progressive Poem


Untitled 2017 Progressive Poem In Progress

Welcome to line 16 of our Progressive Poem for 2017.  Our poem is organized by Irene Latham and 30 poets each add a line for the days of the month.  The only instruction we had was this is supposed to be a poem for children.  Below you'll see the line I added today and a listing of each of the poets and their line contribution day.  Tomorrow Tricia at The Miss Rumphius Effect gets to add the next line.  Good Luck.  Let's see if you can move this puppy along.

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,
and warm to the coals of conversation.
Enticed to the stage by strands of story,
I skip up the stairs in anticipation.

Flip around, face the crowd, and freeze!
Shiver me. Look who’s here. Must I disappear?
By hook or by crook, I deserve a second look!
I cheer. Please, have no fear. Find the book.


Line-leaders day by day:
April 2017
1 Heidi at my juicy little universe
2 Tabatha at The Opposite of Indifference
3 Doraine at Dori Reads
4 Michelle at Today’s Little Ditty
5 Diane at Random Noodling
6 Kat at Kat’s Whiskers
7 Irene at Live Your Poem
8 Mary Lee at A Year of Reading
9 Linda at TeacherDance
10 Penny at a penny and her jots
11 Ramona at Pleasures from the Page
12 Janet F. at Live Your Poem
13 Margaret at Reflections on the Teche
14 Jan at Bookseedstudio
15 Brenda at Friendly Fairy Tales
16 Joy at Poetry for Kids Joy
17 Tricia at The Miss Rumphius Effect
18 Buffy at Buffy’s Blog
19 Pat at Writer on a Horse
20 BJ at Blue Window
21 Donna at Mainely Write
22 Jone at Jone Ruch MacCulloch
23 Ruth at There is no such thing as a godforsaken town
24 Amy at The Poem Farm
25 Robyn at Life on the Deckle Edge
26 Renee at No Water River
27 Matt at Radio, Rhythm and Rhyme
28 Michelle at Michelle Kogan
29 Charles at Poetry Time
30 Laura Purdie Salas at Writing the World for Kids

     And now, I'm going to ask for your patience with me.  On Sunday, April 2, my husband and I went to a bicycle ride on the bike path at the beach.  A friend had posted pictures of a monk seal on the beach and I had my attention on the beach looking for the spot the lifeguards had roped off.  I wasn't paying attention to where I was going and I hit one of the stanchions posted in the middle of the bridge to keep motorized vehicles off the bike path.  I fell off my bike and fractured my pelvic ring.  I spent the rest of that day in urgent care getting xrays.  That was 2 weeks ago and so I've had to learn how to get around without putting too much weight on my right leg.  For the first week, I had an extremely short attention span.  So, I'm almost at the point where I'll pick up the reins and get going again, but the doctor said it would be 6 to 8 weeks before I'm back to normal.
Thanks for continuing to read my blog.  Happy Easter and Happy Spring.

19 comments:

  1. Dear Joy, I am so sorry to hear about your injury! It is AWFUL when our bodies betray us... and I suspect you generally keep quite active, so this slowing-down thing is probably not at all welcome. :( Wishing you health and healing and poetry and BOOKS, as you've given our young hero! Thank you, Joy. xo

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    1. Thanks Irene. I was working for rhyming words from the rest of the stanza, and when I fell into book, I couldn't believe it hadn't already been offered up.

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  2. Oh no, I'm sorry for this accident, Joy, and glad it wasn't any worse. I'm glad you are getting better! The line you share opens more mysteries, a book? This 'child' intrigues us line by line. Happy Easter!

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    1. I'm so glad it wasn't worse too. I'm two weeks in, only four more to go.

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  3. Intriguing turn to the poetic story, Joy. I am so sad you've injured yourself! Breaking the pelvis is tricky, but that's about all I know about it. I hope you have a full recovery soon. My sympathies! Happy Easter and Happy Spring to you, too!

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    1. Happy Easter and happy spring to you too. Yes, my line is a bit of a turn. This poem needed something to shake it loose and by the wealth of expert children's poet's yet to come, I feel this poem may be our best yet. Were half way there!

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  4. Good heavens, who knew we had a pelvic ring to fracture! I'm glad to know you're mending, and thank you for more fearlessness from our character. For some reason, I now feel like the book is not an actual thing but this kid's mental strands of stories, carried in the mind and spewed in dragonwords--a shaman child!

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    1. Oh, I like your take on this, Heidi. You got us off to such a great beginning. Thank you. I can hardly wait to see where we go and end up.

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  5. So sorry to hear about your accident, Joy! I didn't know we had a pelvic ring, nor that it could be broken. Feel better soon! And what an intriguing line...

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    1. Glad you like it, BJ. It will be fun to see how the rest of this poem develops.

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  6. Oh, Joy. I hope you will be feeling back to your normal self soon. And in the meantime, I hope that you yourself have some good books to keep you company. Thank you for this thoughtful line...Happy continued Poetry Month. xx

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    1. Thanks, Amy, I'm looking forward to your line. Thanks for posting the Easter pix of your kids.
      Happy Poetry Month

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  7. Joy! SO sorry to hear about your unwelcome encounter with that barrier. I'm sure you do not enjoy being sidelined, but I trust you will behave so you can get back to your energetic, exuberant ways after proper healing.
    Thanks for making such an interesting & inviting turn in your line for us... Now, enjoy the rest of the unfolding with no pressure! XOXO

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    1. Yes, I will enjoy the rest of the development of the poem. I love what Tricia did with the line that follows.
      I must say that I did miss my #2 position, which I've had for a few years. Maybe I should write to our originator Irene Latham and see if I can move back there next year.
      My recovery is going well. I see the orthopedist again in 2 weeks. Hugs back to you.

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  8. Hello, Joy.

    Yay! about monk seals living nearby.
    And how sweet you have a dear hubby to nurse you.
    And your line shows no effect of Fuzzy Brain. Brava! for it.

    I'm on sofa sabbatical for my bone break of April 8 - not the amazingly sounding pelvic ring. But the heavy fiberglass thing encasing my lower right leg/foot means fuzzy brain in the morning. It was sorely before my presentation to children outdoors in a park & I went on but just had them pull up on the ground in front, as I sat, rather than stood, on the stage. My writer friend Adrian wore a metal brace outside her pelvic ring after her car accident smashed it up two years ago. I brought her Italian wedding soup by the gallons & wish I could do the same for you. Pull your posse close & let them create all sorts of luxuries for your healing. Do all your therapy exercises when that time comes. So sorry this happened to you! Your hubby must have been frightened to see you like that on the ground. And now, thank you with a Witch Hazel rub, Arnica gel rub, your favorite aromatic sachet at your pillow on top - for this book line! It is some kind of wonderful.

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    1. Jan, thanks for the suggestions and well wished.
      Thank you for following our Progressive Poem for 2017.
      And, especially thank you for noting my line didn't show fuzzy brain.
      Sorry you have your leg in a cast. That must be super uncomfortable. Congratulations on your efforts to carry on.
      I really like what Tricia has done with the next line.

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  9. Dear Joy, I'm so sorry that you broke your pelvic bone. What a bummer! Praying for you to heal. I hope the time passes quickly for you!

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    1. Thanks Joan. Hope you had a great Easter. I did. My friend Jean Rhude brought me Easter dinner, which turned out to be enough food for 3 days of meals. Today three of my neighbors dropped by to check on me. Tomorrow another neighbor is taking my trash can out to the road. I am really blessed to live in this beautiful place with so many beautiful people. Yup, I've gotten through 2 weeks, now only 4 to 6 more to go. I'm doing really well with my came.

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  10. Just saw this! So sorry you had this injury, Joy! Sounds awful. I guess you are almost better now? I fractured my tailbone years ago and that took four months -- I'm happy this should be a quicker heal for you.

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