Midnight Ramble

Tiger toes
tip-toe through
my dreams
leaving no 
dust prints
only the wish
to grab
a star
and write
it home.


Make a list of 20 nouns each day for the next week.  Then at the end of the week pick one word from each of your lists to write a poem.  Or who knows maybe as you are making your lists a word or two will jump off the page and beg to write a poem for you.  Try this and see what happens.  I've been having fun working with this all week.  My lists have been fairly productive. Have fun writing your poem.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happy Poetry Friday

The poetry round up today is on Buffy Silverman's

 blog at Buffy's Blog. For more poetry fun,

 jump over and visit.  

Thanks for hosting us,Buffy. 

  

1. Malama Kekahi I Kekahi
    
   
   Take Care of One Another - 
   
   
   a Hawaiian Proverb

Today is Poetry Friday.

HAPPY POETRY FRIDAY

Come to me.
Bring a poem.
I will be fed
on your hearts words. 

  Your poetry challenge for today is to add the next two lines to this poem.  Can you see I have set up a pattern?  The first two lines each have three words in them.  The next two lines each have four words.  Your two lines should each have five words.  Can you do it?  Challenge yourself.

I couldn't think about what to write today.  When that happens I often go to my book, DAY TO DAY: a calendar of notable birthdays and events, written by David E. Johnson.   I found out today was the birthday of Rod McKuen.  At one time he was called the unofficial poet laureate of the United States.  He helped to make poetry popular for the American public.  His life story is fascinating and hard for me to imagine.  McKuen was born in a Salvation Army Hostel in Oakland, CA.  He never knew his father.  He ran away from home when he was 11.  He never completed high school.  He worked as a ranch hand, surveyor, lumberjack, railroad worker, rodeo cowboy, stuntman for the movies and a radio disc jockey.  You can find out more about his life here and here.


                   



Today's Poetry Friday Round Up is being hosted by  Buffy Silverman on her blog.  You can find more poetry posts here.  Thanks for hosting us, Buffy.


It doesn't matter who you love, or how you love, but that you love. Rod McKuen 

OF THIS DAY

Walk

into the morning

skies gray,

clouds cover,

rain--

a bluesy day.

Put feet

on the floor,

brush teeth,

plaster a smile.

Walk into this morning

make something beautiful.

   This is another poem that reads well, line by line, in either direction.  This is always a good sign for me that I've got only the essential words I need to convey the meaning of the poem.  I pulled a lot of words out of my draft.  I had considered using the title for the last line of the poem, but in revision I decided I didn't need that line.  I also had a simile--rain falls like tears-- but I thought that was a cliche, I'd heard that before.  So I got rid of the simile, and it left me with the question of What can rain do but fall? So it becomes redundant to say rain falls. I got rid of falls, too.  Now it is your turn.  Can you write a poem about the weather in your part of the country?  Then, after you have a draft, can you go back and get rid of every extra, redundant, cliche word you can find?  My critique group used to tease that they bring their poems and go home with haiku after we took out everything extra, all the words that didn't contribute to the meaning of the poem.  And, if you think that is bad, try critiquing haiku.  It is a fun challenge because absolutely every word has to count--exactly what writers of picture books are told when they write 100 word stories.

  The Poetry Friday Round Up is hosted by Buffy Silverman  this week.  You can find other poems by children's poets at her blog, Buffy's Blog 
  Thank you Buffy for hosting us this week.
   Just curious, are you like me?  Every time Friday rolls around, I feel like my poem for the day isn't good enough.  I look at poems I've posted earlier in the week and think I should have waited and posted that poem for Friday.

   Children's Poetry can make sunny days.

Giant Eland

copyright 2014, Joy Acey

The largest antelope
is quite grand,
an herbivore,
the Giant Eland.


    

copyright 2014, Joy Acey

"The biggest,"  "the greatest"  those are words often used to describe something that is the best, or at least really good.  For today, can you write a poem about something that is the biggest, the greatest or the absolute best ever?  Have fun writing your poem.

Today is Poetry Friday and Buffy Silverman is hosting the round up at her blog.  You can find links to many more children's poems here.  Children's poets are the very best.  Thanks for hosting us Buffy and Mele Kalikimaka to all.