HAPPY BIRTHDAY

 

There are so many things to celebrate today.
Happy Spring.
Happy Poetry  Friday.
Happy National Poetry Month.

And Happy Birthday to Lee Bennett Hopkins.


Today is Lee's birthday
Let him take a bow
As Hawaiians wish him
hau'oli la hanau

Trade winds blowing
across the islands
Orchids growing
for lei in garlands

We watch the hula
with hips that sway
they're here to wish you
HAPPY BIRTHDAY

What do you have planned for the weekend?  I am going to an orchid show.  I'm also meeting with a group of women on Sunday to draw flowers.  
Can you try drawing a picture and writing a poem about what you are doing this weekend?  Have fun writing.

Art is not what you see but what you make others see.--Edward Degas 

The Poetry Friday Roundup is hosted by Robyn Hood Black on her blog, Life on the Deckle Edge, this week.  Check out her post for more children's poetry. Thanks Robyn for hosting a GREAT party.

Good Morning

Kauai sunrise from the Homesteads 2018

SUNRISE

sunrise
all yellow
and pink

bird cries
my eyes
flutter
and blink

cows
meander
down to
the stream

Not sure
I want
to wake
from this
dream.

Happy Good Friday.  I hope it is a poetry day for you.  I wrote this poem  when I looked out my window and saw the cows meandering over the hill.  The egrets had left their perch in the top of the mango tree to travel with them.  I know it is going to be a good day, even though there are predictions of rain this whole Easter weekend.  It did strike me how many of my poems start with a small observation--usually about the weather.  What is the weather like at your place?  Can you write a poem today about a small observation you make?  Have fun writing.

Right now an opportunity appears, make the best of it.

Happy Poetry Friday

Our weather this last week has been fantastic.  On Wednesday I went to McBride Gardens on the south side of the island for the opening of their new canoe garden featuring all the plants that were brought to the island by canoe.

I did learn two interesting facts:

The Hawaiian islands are the most remote islands in the world.  They are the farthest away from another land mass.  I'd never thought about that before.  But, just finding our islands by boat must have been a great accomplishment for early travelers who only had the stars to guide them.

Hawaii has had more plants and animals go extinct here than any other place in the US.  This is why gardens and nature preserves are so important.

There was a blessing of the garden.

Here is a poem I wrote about my experiences this week.

PRESENCE

Fog blooms on my window pane.
Silver dew laces upon the hill.
Rainbows where there once was rain,
Finding myself by being still.

A rooster crows down the lane.
Wrens perch on a mango bough,
Living fully, but not in vain,
Living my life in the here and now.

What have you done this week?  What have you learned?  Can you try writing your own poem about something you've experienced this week.  Have fun.

It is Poetry Friday.  You can find more poetry at the Poetry Friday Round Up hosted by Kay McGriff  at A Journey Through the Pages  this week?  Thanks you Kay, for hosting us all.

Happy Poetry Friday

Life on the island is getting chilly.  People have gotten their socks out to keep their feet warm.
It was 49 degrees one night this week.  Our day time temperatures are in the high 60's.

The chicks are still cuddling close to their mothers to keep warm as the island gets ready to the holiday season.

We did have a slight sprinkle last Friday evening but folks didn't let that get in the way of their enjoyment of the Christmas parade on Rice Street.

I did get my final art project done for my class at the junior college.  I'm a little sad that the course is over, but I'm extremely happy with everything I learned.

    Last week I shared with you the sketch for my final project.  Here is what I ended up with for the art.

Dog eating peanut butter driving his trolley through to Platform 9 3/4

Snoop, my dog
starts to sputter
when he eats
his peanut butter.

He's off to Hogwarts.
It's his turn.
There's lots of things
he wants to learn.

For Christmas he knows
what he wants to get,
more peanut butter,
you can bet!

And here's what
he'll give to you,
it's his ability
to drive on through
Platform 9 3/4.
Come to Hogwarts too. 

   Have you ever thought about what it would be like if your favorite picturebook character went to Hogwarts?  Paddington, Winnie, Charlotte, Wilbur, George, Lucy?  What would Amelia Bedilia do there? 


Never pass up the opportunity to make someone else's day a good one.

Our host for Poetry Friday this week is  Lisa.  You can find more poetry at Steps and Staircases.  Thanks for rounding up the poetry this week, Lisa .

Don't forget, we're gathering next week, Dec. 15, at Matt Forrest's place  Radio, Rhythm and Rhyme for a virtual holiday party.  He's already started baking.

SOMEDAYS

Rooster in Conte by Joy Acey, 2017

Somedays I feel
like I want
to throw back my head,
fill my lungs,
and C R O W.

For you, I wish
to have that
same feeling,
expecting surprises
to rise up
like the morning sun. 

copyright 2017, Joy Acey

 I've been working on drawing roosters with smooth, clean lines.  Using the fewest possible strokes to still have a recognizable chicken.  Here is what I came up with after some practice:

simple rooster, 2017

 How are you feeling today?  Do you feel like your world offers endless possibilities?  Like with work, you can do anything?  I hope so.  That's how I felt when I started to draw my rooster.  I wasn't sure I could do what I wanted.  I wasn't sure I could draw a simple rooster. So I broke the task into small steps.  To achieve what I wanted, I removed lines or pen strokes.
Can you try writing a poem about how you feel today?  If it seems too hard, break the poem down into small steps.  Have fun writing.

Big leaps are just small steps taken one after another.  Keep trying and don't give up.

BUTTERFLIES

Butterflies flit.
     Butterflies fly

Light as a whisper
     in the blue sky.

Perched on a daffodil
     drinking the dew.

I wish I was a butterfly.
     How about you?



     On a recent walk through the woods with a friend, we came to a fork in our path.
     "Which way shall we go?" he asked.
      Suddenly there appeared before us a blue swallowtail butterfly.
      "Let's follow the butterfly."  And that is what we did.  All along the path the butterfly would dart ahead and then come back to check on us, just like it was encouraging us to hurry up.  The butterfly made our walk magical.  It was a very good walk.  As soon as we got back to our start point, the butterfly flew up into the sky and disappeared.  Do you ever take walks that become magical?  Can you write a poem today about a walk?  What did you see?
Have fun writing your poem.

LITTLE CAT

The birds sing.
     Little cat creeps.
The birds perch.
     Little cat leaps.

All the birds have flown away.
Little cat wants to play.

He sits on his haunches,
     flicks the tail at the tip.
He washes his face
     and licks his lip.


     Do you have a cat?  More people in the United States have cats than dogs.  It did used to be that way.  Dogs used to be the more popular pet.  Can you try writing a poem today about your pet?  It doesn't have to be a real pet.  It can be one from your imagination.  It might be a llama, a hippo, or a bear.  Anything is OK for your poem.  Just have fun writing.

Celebrate! Happy 4th

Let's celebrate
the 4th of July
by shooting off stars
into the sky.

Let's celebrate
and all eat pie,
make mine peach
on the 4th of July.

Let's all lick ice cream cones.
I'll even buy
when we celebrate
the 4th of July.

The sun is so hot
I think I'll fry.
It's very sunny
on this 4th of July.

Let's swim across the lake.
Just give it a try
as we cool off
on this 4th of July.

We're spitting watermelon seeds.
Watching them fly
as we have a contest
on this 4th of July.

See the fireworks explode!
My-oh-my!
I sure like
the 4th of July.



    What will you do to celebrate the 4th of July?  I think I'm going to be sitting on my lanai watching the explosions in three directions.  Can you try writing your own celebration poem?  Have fun writing.

Happy Poetry Friday

 

 Today is POETRY FRIDAY.  Yahoo!  If you'd like to read more poetry fun, jump over to  Random Noodling for the Poetry Friday Round UP.  Thank you, Diane Mayr  for hosting us this week.

Flicker Flash

At just dusk
Fireflies flicker and flash
Waiting for star light

Sundown
And a deer
Walks across the road.

Tall pines
Reach toward the sun
And back.

I'm traveling and seeing things through fresh eyes.  These three haiku capture some of my sights.  Can you take some time today to look at your world and see it through fresh eyes.  What do your ears notice that they have not taken the time to listen to before?  Watch the trees.  What are they doing?  Can you find things to write a poem today?

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.

A Poet's Prayer

Let my heart grow
with the wonders
of this world.
 
Let me hear 
waves crash
turning rocks and shells
into the soft sand
beneath my feet.
 
May I see
the whale breech,
the albatross
and shearwaters
winging over
the lighthouse.


May I smell 
the sweet spicy scent
of plumeria, orchids
and the pikea.

May I taste
salt air on my tongue,
feel the gentle rain
and the warming sun.


May I see
the bright colors
of a rainbow
arcing over my world
like this poem
I must write.


  Jane Yolen sent a poem today titled Another Writer's Prayer.  I used it as a mentor poem for mine.  Her poem was about all the woodland things she needed to write her stories.  The first time I read her poem, I thought these are all fall things, we need a summer poem for this time of year.  On further reading, I realized it wasn't fall, it was woodland with sycamore trees and gray squirrels.  We don't have squirrels on Kauai.  In fact, as someone pointed out to me recently, there isn't a wide variety of mammals on the Hawaiian islands.  Most of those we do have were imported. 
  So, your poetry challenge for today is to write your own ode, a poem of praise.  Use your five senses and tell what you can see, feel, smell, touch and taste.  Use your locale to share your world with your reader.  Have fun writing your own poem.

  Do you wish to touch the stars?

LOST THINGS

At the edge of the world
is a deep black hole
where all lost things reside--

Ribbons and keys
baby bottles and binkys
All the lost hair
from dogs with mange
the dimes and nickels
of lost pocket change.

Pens and pencils
teething rings
every sock without a mate
nuts, screws and bolts
that disappear
and lone earrings
the homework, wasn't even late
all sorts of things.

Even my teddy
that I forgot
on the bus
and never
found again.


What sorts of things do you lose?  Did you look for it?  Did you find it?  The older I get, the more things I lose track of--most often it's my cell phone.  Can you write a poem today about something lost?  Have fun writing your poem.

Happy Poetry Friday and Aloha Friday

.  

The round up is over on Margaret Simon's blog  Reflections on the Teche  For more poetry fun, jump over and visit Margaret.  Thanks for hosting us, Margaret.

RAIN, RAIN, RAIN

Clouds cover
over the moon.
Dawn is coming,
will be here soon.
Rain, rain, rain.

Chickens quiet,
they are still.
Sun is peeking
over the hill.
Rain, rain, rain.

Downspout water
in a rush
welcomes morning.
All is hush, with
Rain, rain, rain.

HAPPY BOYS DAY

     Happy Poetry Friday.

Three paper kites
hang from our house
they flutter, flap and sway.
These paper fish are flying
high to celebrate
Tango no sekku
a Happy Boys Day.

On May fifth in communities with a Japanese influence you'll see paper carp
dancing on bamboo poles to honor the men in the household.  There are lots of Japanese-Americans who live on my island so we celebrate boys day and there are lots of paper carp flying today.  This holiday is also known as the Feast of Banners.  You can find out more about this celebration here. 

   There is a legend about the swimming carp becoming a dragon.  Can you write a poem today about a dragon?  What color would your dragon be?  Have fun writing.

E kūlia i ka nu‘u.

 
Strive to reach the highest.

--a Hawaiian proverb

  To read more poetry posts, Jama Kim Rattigan is hosting the Poetry Friday Roundup today on 

her blog Jama's Alphabet Soup here.  Thanks Jama, for hosting us this week.

Happy Cinco de Mayo and have a great weekend.

EACH BREAK

Each break, a small miracle
see it
     in the geode
          glistening
in magic.

Each book
broken open
     reveals
          new worlds.

Each pomegranite
sends rubys
     dripping
          goodness into the world.

Each wave
breaking
     toward shore
          is a delight
on the beach.

And the birds
tell it all
     each break
          is a small miracle
in their eggs.

     It is probably because I had an appointment to see the Orthopedist for my 4 week check up of my broken pelvic ring yesterday that I got to thinking about all the ways breaking could be a great thing.  I was reading a book about surfing in Tahiti last week and it had beautiful pictures of surfers flying through a barrel wave.  The pictures were stunning of the tube of the wave with a surfer inside.  It got me to thinking how the very act of a wave cresting over on itself defies gravity.  But I've also seen lava tubes that have done the same thing.  What magic it is--a small miracle of nature.  Have you ever considered that our intestines do the same thing?  We have this long tube inside us that runs top to bottom.  That too is a small miracle.
     We are surrounded by wonders of nature.  It is like a magic show and if we take the time to slow and observe, we have a front row seat.
     What is something you have observed today?  Can you write a poem about it?  Have fun observing and writing today.   

Ho'omoe Wai Kahi Ke Kao'o

 
Let Us Travel Together Like Water

Flowing In One Direction--a Hawaiian

proverb.

THE EARTH CRACKED OPEN: A Lament

I opened my mouth
and tasted the sky.
I opened my heart
and heard birds cry.

Their conversations
were noisy and deep.
In many tongues,
I heard them weep.

The earth is changing.
It's no longer the best.
We birds can't find
a good place to nest.

Temperature is rising.
Can't take the heat.
Like canaries in coal mines
birds die in the street.

Bees leave the hive.
They're in another zone.
Ask how we can do this
to the place we call home.

     A lament is a poem expressing grief or sorrow.  It is a poem of mourning.  I wrote this poem on Earth Day last week.  I'm very concerned about what we are doing to care for our planet, even though I live on a small island in the Pacific Ocean.  I garden and recycle.  What are some things you do to care for our land and oceans?  Can you write a love poem today to the earth?  Have fun brainstorming and then writing your poem.

Me ka mahalo nui.   
With deep gratitude. 

 What can you do to show your 
gratitude to the earth?

HAPPY LEI DAY

Today we went out
to the plumeria tree
to pick some flowers
for mommy and me.

We threaded them all
in a fragrant chain.
We did it once
then again and again.

White and pink,
and rainbow too.
Again and again
until we were through.

We strung the flowers
into a round lei,
to celebrate for
this Lei Day.

 What do you do to celebrate May Day?  Do you give flowers to your friends?  Do you make paper flowers?  Today's challenge is to write a poem about your favorite flower.  I hope you have a happy Lei Day (our 90th) and that you have fun writing poetry.

He lei poina ‘ole ke keiki.
A lei never forgotten is the beloved child. (a Hawaiian proverb)

  Have you ever thought about how dull life would be without flowers?  What would the bees do?  We'd have no honey.  I'm so glad we have flowers and showers to help them grow. 

LITTLE CAT

The birds sing.
Little cat creeps.
The birds sing.
Little cat leaps.

Birds have all
flown away.
Little cat
is here to stay.

He sinks on haunches,
flicks his tail at the tip.
He washes his face
and licks his lip.

   I like that verb creep I used in the second line.  When was the last time you crept?  Why were you going slow?  Why were you trying to be quiet?  Did you want NOT to be noticed?  Were you trying to surprise someone?  Since I think creep is such a great verb, how about using it in a poem today?  Have fun writing creepy poems today.

   Today is Poem in Your Pocket Day.  Are you carrying a poem with you to share with friends today?  What poem have you chosen?  What poems did your friends share with you?  I hope you have a happy poetry day.

KUMQUATS

This art I did in my botanical illustration class.

Kumquats, kumquats,
tart and sweet.
Kumquats, kumquats,
I like to eat.

I eat them up
in two bites.
Kumquats are
my delight.

Eat the skin,
that's what we do.
Won't you try them,
they're good for you.

   Have you ever eaten a kumquat?  The peel tastes sweet and the pulp is tart.  Pop the fruit in your mouth and you get both flavors at once when you bite into them. YUM!
   Plus, kumquat is a great word to know if you play Scrabble.  If you'd like to know more about kumquats, check out this Wikipedia page here. St. Joseph, Florida is known as the kumquat capital of the world.

   What is your favorite fruit?  Can you try writing a poem about fruit today? 
Have fun writing.

Like a Turtle

Today I'm moving very slow
like a turtle as I go,
with each step I move my cane,
trying to ignore the pain.

   Have you ever broken a bone and had to use crutches, a cane or a sling?  It can slow you down.  What tasks did you find that took more time?  This is our topic for poetry today.  Can you write a poem about being injured?  Last Tuesday evening I heard a woman talk about rescuing animals.  Have you ever tried to nurse a sick animal back to health? Have fun writing your poem.

    Although my turtle is far from perfect, I did have fun playing with my art supplies yesterday.  Have you thought about all the different ways animals move?  Almost every animal moves differently.

   Honu is the Hawaiian word for turtle.

A turtle only makes progress by sticking its neck out.