POETRY FRIDAY ROUNDUP

 

Cherries- First Fruits of Summer by Nova, wikimedia commons.org

First, a hearty welcome to first time Poetry Friday participant, Becoming Cathy, who gifts us with a list poem, "Things I Hate." We hope you'll come back next week, and for many after that!

Today is the first day of summer, and many folks shared the first fruits of summer, with posts that were either nature or summer related…

 SUMMER PLEASURES

•  If I had remembered today was the first day of summer, I could have used that for a theme. I didn't, but Diane Mayr did and at Random Noodling, she has an original tanka to celebrate.  At Kurious Kitty, Diane has a really nice first day of summer poem by Charles Wright. And at KK's  Kwotes, there's a quote from Wright about the aging process. 
• Jama's posts always make me hungry, but today's, holy cow! All I can say is "Oink! Grunt! Moo! Me want barbeque!" The accompanying poem made me laugh out loud! 
• After you feast on  barbeque, you will definitely need a little chocolate. Be sure to read Carlie's m and m poem!
• Irene Latham brings  some Valerie Worth's poems- Barefoot, Marbles, Jacks, Books, and Doll to the poetry picnic table.
• Michelle invites us to try writing our own five word fiestas!  Hop on over and give it a shot!
• Violet Nesdoly's poem, "Summer Plans," will be a great mentor text to use with kids. We've been out of school for a couple of weeks, but I'll be saving this one for next year!  
• At Opposite of Indifference, Tabatha has a poem about coffee, or maybe about life. It's not exactly a pleasurable poem, I think haunting might be a better word to describe it…

 THE GREAT OUTDOORS

• At Merely Day by Day, Cathy celebrates the lilies growing in her yard this summer.  I especially loved her last two lines, "Lily radiating from the earth/Sun singing from the sky." 
• At Check it Out, one of Jone's students also celebrates flowers.
• Over at Mainely Write,  Susan witnessed another rite of summer- a robin snacking on a caterpillar. She's written two poems about the incident. 
• At the Poem Farm, Amy LV's also featuring birds and insects-- she has elf owls eating moths.  I love using poetry as part of multi-genre research reports, and Amy's poem will be perfect to share with kids. Amy also showcases the work of a second grade class. 
• Amy's much-loved FOREST HAS A SONG shows up again this week, this time at Keri Recommends.
• And I'm glad that we have a poet visiting Colorado. Mary Lee's original poem captures our hot, dry, windy conditions perfectly.  
• More fire in Billy Collins' "The Country" on Karen Edmisten's blog this week.  I will never look at a box of matches in the same way again, Karen!
• At Used Books in Class, Colleen Bennett gives us a whole new take on the CCSS's "Close Reading" with Wordsworth's "The Tables Turned."

JOURNEYS

• Several Poetry Friday regulars, Amy LV included, have journeyed to the All Write Conference in Indiana, this week. Ruth Ayres, writer and mom extraordinaire invited participants to write about a journey, so Betsy takes us on one journey.  Robin also wrote from that prompt, but her "Journey" is entirely different.  And over at Teacher Dance, Linda shares another kind of journey, in Anne Sexton's "Courage."
• As far as I know, Julie Larios is not at All Write, but she's definitely journeying. You cannot miss her NASA video, (so I'm posting the link here). Julie introduces us (or me anyway!) to the World Atlas of Language Strucures. Her poem is a found poem, featuring  permutations of the Salishan language group spoken by many Native Americans in the Pacific Northwest. 
• Idra Novey's "The Visitor," found at Ruth's There is No Such Thing as a God-Forsaken Town, features an entirely different kind of "traveler."
• Last week Mary Lee wrote about verse novels. This week Margaret picks up where Mary Lee left out, first with a review of INSIDE OUT AND BACK AGAIN, the story of an immigrant family's journey, and then gives us a quick taste of a poem from her own WIP.  

AND A FEW WONDERFUL AND MISCELLANEOUS OFFERINGS…

• Charles Ghigna was first in last night with an original riddle poem.  You can scroll down to the bottom to  find the answer.
•  Matt Forrest Esenwine also has a riddle poem,  inspired by Charles' poem from last week, but you have to check back on Monday to get the answer. Maybe I will figure it out before then… 
• At Author Amok, Laura gifts us with "Finicky Feline" and a description of her poetry-writing process. So fun to read!
• Steve also has an original poem of the feline variety. His cat sounds slightly (maybe?) more domestic than Laura's.  
• I had never heard of a "Poetry Aesthetic," but I surely enjoyed reading Dori's. I'm inferring that it's kind of a combination biography/philosophy (right, Dori?). And I kinda want to try writing one. 
• Myra was Budapest-bound late Thursday night, but somehow found time to share two Janet Wong poetry/yoga books that she is reading. I'm not a yoga person, but I absolutely loved Janet's poem, "Breath."
• At On Point, Lori Ann Grover brings a little light to dark places with "Lit Passage," an original haiku. 
•  And with more light, Little Willow posts Emily Dickinson's "It's Like the Light."
• Pentimento sent in today's last poem, which is guaranteed to make any adopted mom weep. I'm sending it to my sons tonight.  

That's all for now! 

I'll be back later if there are more posts! 

Happy Poetry Friday!