POETRY FRIDAY ROUND UP

This is me, looking out the front window, wondering if I am ever going to get my walk!

Now wait just a stinking minute! No one ever told me that if we agreed to host Poetry Friday my mom would be too busy to take me for a walk, or throw my boney bone! She's been sitting at that dang computer most of the day!

My mom says there are some lovely poetic offerings. That's great, but has anyone noticed I did not get my walk??? She needs to finish up and take me out RIGHT NOW!


Beaches, Berries, and all Things June…

At Random Noodling, Diane takes us to the world of Jones Beach in 1965. Anyone who is my age has been there, walking on the hot sand, trying to avoid stepping on people's towels, eating tuna fish sandwiches (why didn't we get food poisoning back then), and late afternoon ice cream treats. Such lovely memories!

Tara shares some of Ralph Fletcher's beach poems, perfect for this time of year!

Jama's photos of a visit to a strawberry festival, paired with Diane Anhalt's gorgeous poem, "Death by Strawberries" make me feel like I need to put aside my computer and run to the grocery store right now! This feeling is further confirmed by Diane Mayr's posting of Helen Dunston's "Wild Strawberries." Diane also posted a quote by Dunston at her third blog Kks'kwotes.

Irene Latham has a take your breath and words away beautiful poem about peaches!

For another poem celebrating the now, read William James Dawson's  "Bird Song at Morning," posted by Little Willow

Enjoy a quiet morning cup of coffee on the porch with a haiku by Andi "A Wrung Sponge"

For more June poetry, stop by to visit Elaine at the Wild Rose Reader. She has a June acrostic and yummy pictures of her ten month old granddaughter, Julia, eating blackberries.

While we are on the subject of June, did you know that today, June 1st, is National Doughnut Day? I'm putting it on my calendar for next year. A terrifically toroidal holiday brought to us by Jone!

And, as April reminded us,  it's also National Flip a Coin Day. Think that means you need to flip a coin as to which kind of doughnut you will eat. Or if you don't have a coin maybe you will need to eat two doughnuts. April shares two lovely quotes about writing- one by Marla Frazee and another by Juan Felipe Herrera, the poet laureate of California. She also has a book giveaway going on, so hustle over there!

Me, waiting. Is she ever going to be finished?

(Please note that I have strategically positioned myself- I'm laying right in front of the door so no one can possibly get out without me, but I also have my boney bone right next to me,

 in case anyone becomes available for a game of fetch.)

Fabulous new resources
You can read two posts by Rene LaTulippe today. First she has a post on Sylvia Vardell's Poetry for Children. In this post she describes her own blog, No Water River, which is a fabulous resource for teachers, parents and kids (OK, everybody I guess!). No Water River has videos of people reading poems (how great would that be for those of us trying to teach kids how to perform poetry?), cross curricular links, discussions of craft, all kinds of good stuff. After you read about the blog on Sylvia's site, head over to No Water River  see poet Laura Sassi reading "Sir Ned" to learn a few facts about groundhogs/woodchucks.

Laura Shovan offers another fabulous resource for teachers of poetry. Laura, along with another Maryland poet, has just written Voices Fly. This book features eight different workshops taught by different poets, along with poems students created during those workshops. Can't wait to check them out!

Tabatha offers us a new award, the Nota Bene (Latin for "note well") that we can use on posts that we have found particularly powerful. In addition to this new award, Tabatha gifts us with a found poem, a cemetery cento, made from rubbings of words on gravestones.

Original poems
Robyn's in with an original poem about her daughter's bungee jumping experience.Those of us with kids leaving the nest this fall need to print out the last stanza and hang it in multiple places.

Another nature poem at Books for Children. This one is about life around a pond.

Those of us who live in dry places, (like Colorado!) will definitely be able to identify with Mary Lee's latest poem, "Rain."

At "A Wrung Sponge," Andi has a gorgeous haiku celebrating a morning moment with coffee and a feathered companion.

Novelist and poet Lorie Ann Grover also has an original haiku, "While Washing Dishes in Italy."

At the Poem Farm, Amy shares a brand new poem, and also the ideas and poems of  two invited guests, first grade teacher Susan Kellner and one of her students, Chloe.

At Father Goose, Charles Ghigna and his son, Chip, team up with Victory, a perfect pairing of words and art.

Betsy beautifully captures the end of a friendship in her original poem. This one made me a little sad…

Have you ever read a poem centered around the word androgynous? No? Me neither, but that can change today, when you check out Greg Pincus' latest creation, "My Friend Kim

And for another original poem that will make you laugh, check out Violet Nesdoly's "Toast."

At "Hey Jim Hill" you will find a new poem about all the hats kids love to wear! Fun to enter all of these imaginary worlds!

Liz Steinglass has been sick, but joined us long enough to leave a lovely "small moment" and extended metaphor poem about a special time with her mom and sister.

This is my sister, Star. I think she has given up on a walk for today.

Published poets
Myra and her friends at Gathering Books offer us two Adrienne Rich poems. The first, a poem in keeping with their Immigration theme, is a fantastic read, but would also be perfect to use in a unit on immigration (can you tell I'm a teacher?)

At Teacherdance, Linda has a gorgeous prairie poem. So perfect for anyone who reading My Antonia or Sarah Plain and Tall, or planning a road trip through the midwest this summer!

At "There is No Such Thing as a God-Forsaken Town," Ruth shares two poems about remembering and forgetting. She also has some beautiful words of her own about the last days of school, "There are many things I want my students to remember about this year, and there are many I want them to forget. I want them to remember what I taught them about books and poems and about how they can move and excite and teach us. I want them to remember how wonderful it is to work on a piece of writing until it shines and expresses exactly what you meant to say. But I want them to forget the days I was sarcastic and impatient. I want them to forget anything I said that was discouraging or made them feel less than the creatures of infinite value which they are. But I can't choose what they will remember and what they won't." I have been thinking a lot about what people will remember about me as my son heads off to college in about six weeks. I am hoping he will somehow forgot the way too many times I was sarcastic, or impatient, or less than loving with him…


A few picture books
At Booktalking, Anastasia shares Cindy Moo, a picture book about a cow that wants to jump over the moon. It looks like a fun one! Not to mention great for teaching allusion!

Janet Squires ushers in summer with a couple of haiku from Bob Raczka's Guyku.

Be sure to check out New York, Baby! and San Francisco, Baby!, shared by Lorie Ann Grover at Readertotz. They sound like fun travel guides for the jet-setting toddlers in your life!

I, on the other hand, refuse to give up (ever)! I know good things (like walks!) come to those who wait!