#verselove - nonet of farewell

For the month of April, I am participating in 30 days of #verselove poetry writing with Dr. Sarah J. Donovan's Ethical ELA. 

Today's inspiration was by three teachers, Christine, Jairus, and Josie, who conclude this fabulous month of poetry writing with a prompt to think about what scares us - to try to put it into words. A wonderful last prompt to this month!

Here's my poetry submission - and a final thank you to Dr. Sarah Donovan and the whole #verselove community:

Dear #verselove community - I have truly loved reading your poetry and writing alongside you this month. I have learned so much from you. I have enjoyed the daily prompts, which stretched me in all sorts of new ways. I am sad to see April end - though I have taken so many notes on poetry forms, terminology, writers, activists, and important voices I need to know more about, perhaps I can be self-propelled in my writing for awhile (at  least until the next OpenWrite! ha!).

Dr. Sarah J. Donovan - what a gift you have given to all of us, what a treasure you have created! It is beautiful to imagine how many more poems there are in the world. Thank you so very much.

Missing all of you, already. Here's a nonet of farewell - 

it is terrifying to share poems 
fearing my lack of skill and voice
how to brace myself for scorn?
dry dull blah meh so-so
yes, forgettable
that’s my writing
on the whole
believe
me

then
#verselove
welcomed me
to share aloud
to think with others
to reflect on questions 
to write in community
a challenge wrapped in warm embrace
thank you for this restorative month!

#verselove - 29: earth-keepers

For the month of April, I am participating in 30 days of #verselove poetry writing with Dr. Sarah J. Donovan's Ethical ELA. 

Today's poetry inspiration was by Susie Morice, who shared many beautiful quotes and resources on the environment, and encouraged us to write a poem about one or more 'earth-keepers.' I kept thinking about my granddaughter, how much she loves to be outdoors - and how much instinctive respect and care she shows. Throughout my years of teaching, I witnessed preschoolers nurturing this same natural, uninhibited affection for our great world. Here's my poem.

children are earth-keepers

at what age
do we let go
the commonsense
a child holds?

a child’s instinct is 
to dig and discover
worm in the rich dark deep
pill bug hiding under stone
how there is much more below
to wonder

a child knows 
earth is their home
watching birds circle above the tree
hearing hills beckon for a roll 
how the lick of a goat is
to enjoy 

a child studies
the new and the different
rainwater flowing across the yard
a fallen tree ripe with life 
how blooming flowers are
to see

a child appreciates
they are earth-keepers
jumping from rock to rock
the wild surprise of cicadas
how fragrant fresh air is
to breathe 

a child watches
cause and effect
blowing tender seeds of dandelions 
turning on and off water
how a woodpecker’s tap tap tap is
to pause 

listen 
return
to a child 
marvel at majestic
cultivate questions
face the future 
bravely
with great care
treasuring
the miracle of earth

#verselove - 28: relish

For the month of April, I am participating in 30 days of #verselove poetry writing with Dr. Sarah J. Donovan's Ethical ELA. 

Today's poetry inspiration was by Katie, who prompted us to think about how poetry is a form of empathy, how the act of writing can result in understanding. For practice with this, she suggested a simple exercise - select 'an object that holds some significance' and write into this, describing it and imagining conversation or feelings it might have.

Here's where I ended up:

relish

every grandchild received
a small token of you

dainty depression dish for me
gold edge 
curled sides

holding it in the light
reveals
center sunburst 
tiny repeating 
lines, dashes, slants, leaf cuts

miniature spoon 
made of pewter
with intricate floral pattern

you were given this as a gift?
a special extra, 
just perfect,
you bought for yourself?

just for holidays?

when? 

how I would love to hear the story

even 
not knowing
it is enough

relish

#verselove - 26: may I

For the month of April, I am participating in 30 days of #verselove poetry writing with Dr. Sarah J. Donovan's Ethical ELA. 

Today's poetry inspiration was by Hanna Al-Jibouri, who encouraged us to think about "who do I want to become?" and write a poem. 

I played around with lots of different metaphors, and then dispensed with all of them and decided to try my hand at a new poem structure - a triolet. I was introduced to 'triolet' for the first time during this writing month, from a poem written by Dr. Sarah J. Donovan on a previous day. 

This is the rhyming structure for a triolet, which is only eight lines long:

ABaAabAB

The capital letters indicate repeating lines; the first line is repeated in the fourth and seventh lines; the second line is also the last line.

1. The first line (A)

2. The second line (B)

3. The third line rhymes with the first (a)

4. Repeat the first line (A)

5. The fifth line rhymes with the first (a)

6. The sixth line rhymes with the second line (b)

7. Repeat the first line (A)

8. Repeat the second line (B)

Writing this was a lot of fun, playing with this new structure! Here is my poem, on the topic of what I hope for myself in the days to come. 

may I

play with words and then write more 
love each day, show courage, be kind
be in the midst of those I adore
play with words and then write more  
willingly readily always explore 
welcome viewpoints, have open mind
play with words and then write more  
love each day, show courage, be kind

#verselove - 23: Dupont Circle

For the month of April, I am participating in 30 days of #verselove poetry writing with Dr. Sarah J. Donovan's Ethical ELA. 

Today's poetry inspiration is offered by Oklahoma State University preservice teachers Gavin, Noah, and Sarah, who encouraged us to silence our own voices in protest of LGBTQ+ discrimination and to write a poem that gives someone else a voice.

Dupont Circle 1984

we walked in silence

down the tight curving metal steps

into this hidden cellar of a bar

anonymous discreet invisible

pushed past

the heavy door

into pulsating music, beer and booze, 

tight jeans, muscled bodies, 

voices low, laughing, lingering

so many men, coupled, close, comfortable,

dark, intimate freedom

unexpectedly

he clutched my hand

yes - reached and grabbed 

wove his fingers within every one of mine

locked together, needing reassurance

I squeezed back and held on

just moments before

we had sat coupled in the bright sun 

at the cafe across the street

sipping beer for fortification

hatching the plan

my dear strong friend

he wanted to live out

he wanted to venture out

he wanted to meet out 

he wanted whole

there was this gay bar downtown

please come with me, he said, just this once,

we’ll pretend we’re tourists

accidentally wandering in

would you please come with me?

he clutched my hand

we walked between the bar and tables

the length of the long narrow room, then turned

and walked back through guys, guys, guys

back through the heavy door

into the bright sunshine

where he gasped

he hadn’t anticipated the fear, 

the rush, the sheer giddy madness of being

welcomed as is

He went back by himself that Friday.

#verselove - 15: Snaking it

 For the month of April, I am participating in 30 days of #verselove poetry writing with Dr. Sarah J. Donovan's Ethical ELA. 

Today's poetry inspiration was about writing a strong title for a poem, and was offered by Stefanie Boutelier.

The poem I wrote is on the 'lighter' side (after writing a couple intense ones in recent days). I have three ideas for titles: 

This I Have Not Missed

It Snakes Up On You

I’ve Been Down This Road Before

Here's the poem I wrote, as we made our way through traffic - 

snaking our way down the interstate 
weaving stop start slink slither 

traffic stretches out languidly then

abruptly coils in tight blind curves  

heavy-bodied highway slowing to a crawl
periods of only subtle movement

serpentine locomotion, my spine bends 

averse to being so entwined

were the roads first to protest 
the pandemic, it’s insistence on lying low? 

I’ve lost my traffic muscle, limbless, soft

what lurks in the many miles ahead? 

may these be the only snakes encountered 
this weekend in the woods 

#verselove - 14: hope

For the month of April, I am participating in 30 days of #verselove poetry writing with Dr. Sarah J. Donovan's Ethical ELA. 

Today's poetry inspiration was by Dr. Padma Venkatraman, who encouraged us to write about hope. I spent the morning at some beautiful gardens with my granddaughter, and throughout our adventure, I kept note of things that gave me hope. As I tried to piece my thoughts into a poem, I decided to try to write it in a "Duplex format" (a poetry form created by Jericho Brown) which I had learned about through a May OpenWrite with Ethical ELA. Here's where I landed:

hope

renewal and innocence in the garden
water reflects trees, shimmering rainbow koi 

rainbow koi shimmer a tree’s soft reflection
young children alongside loving caregivers

loving caregivers alongside young children
courage is her hand curled around my thumb

she holds courage in the curl of her hand 
question, wonder, imagine, all are hope

hope questions, wonders, imagines more
roots work invisibly before blooming

blooms need the invisible work of roots
the joy within a single fallen petal 

joy at holding a single fallen petal
this renewal and innocence is hope

Let me also include a photo of those shimmering koi with the gorgeous reflection of trees -

#verselove - 12: Trees of silence

For the month of April, I am participating in 30 days of #verselove poetry writing with Dr. Sarah J. Donovan's Ethical ELA. 

Today's poetry inspiration was by Penny Kittle, who also provided a one-hour poetry webinar. She suggests using a phrase or a line from another poet and writing into this, seeing what surprising story comes up. She shared the poem Elementary by G. Yamazawa. This is a powerful poem and many lines reverberated for me; I wrote into his phrase "how deep the trembles are felt."

Trees of Silence

there’s a space between 
lightning and a clap of thunder
that is eerily silent
I’ve gotten used to this
though I still want to hide

it is more rare and ominous 
when lightning strikes a tree 
one hears an immediate wrenching crack 
wood split in two
followed by what feels like 
piercing
heavy 
overwhelming quiet 
before the massive tree topples to the ground 

everything reverberates
everyone sees 
everyone understands 

mystery solved

this is how your silence felt,
me the ground
waiting for
a felled tree
achingly
on top

I need to believe
you had no idea
how deep trembles are felt

you wielded a weapon of
cutting
unending
eviscerating silence
by not speaking to me
did you aim for my heart?

you left me 
twisting
terrified
tormented
what did I do?
why is Mommy mad?
how can I fix this
silence

I have learned 
not to grow
trees of silence

seeds you planted
I try to dig them out of the ground 
before they take root

a raw hurting silence
I just know
I just know
I just know
something is painfully wrong

#verselove -9: haiku

For the month of April, I am participating in 30 days of #verselove poetry writing with Dr. Sarah J. Donovan's Ethical ELA. 

Today's poetry inspiration was by David Duer, who invites us to write a haiku. I really appreciated his insight on this three line poem of 5, 7, 5 syllables in length:

"The act of writing haiku requests a senses of meditation and quiet observation Go outdoors, or at least open a window. Use strong details and specific imagery. When you have a draft, read it aloud and listen to how it sounds to know if it's done. When you've written one haiku, take a deep breath, look around, listen, smell, and start another."

I kept a notepad in close proximity as I worked in the garden. It was great fun - and, yes, meditative - to write haikus today. Here the three I posted on Ethical ELA:

I dig in the dirt
lifting sacrificial worms
as robins linger 

light rain washes me
turning over heavy dirt
memories flowing

thinking about you 
planting herbs in a crock pot 
no such thing as junk

Here the three random others that I wrote . . . yes, this was fun! -

unexpected gift

unpretentious carnations

unfolding delight

digging with trowel

black eyed susans torment me

voracious spreaders

day in the garden

lets me wander in my mind 

dreaming of before

#verselove - 6 holding one another

For the month of April, I am participating in 30 days of #verselove poetry writing with Dr. Sarah J. Donovan's Ethical ELA. 

Today's inspiration comes from Margaret Simon, who provided links to a variety of photographs from around the world that give a unique perspective on this long year of pandemic. She invited us to choose one photo and create a poem about it.

I chose a photo from National Geographic, taken by photographer Anush Babajanyan in Armenia. Anush Babajanyan hugs her daughter Ella when she has trouble finishing her virtual math work. With Mama nestled in the hollow of her daughter's neck, it was hard to tell who was reassuring whom. Throughout this pandemic, we are holding one another up.

holding one another

with the child nestled at her side
Mama reassures
there, there,
we hold one another up,
yes, yes, this pandemic is hard,
yes, yes, we are not leaving the house, 
yes, yes, I will teach you everything,
yes, yes, I am here for you,
as we did yesterday, so, too, today, and perhaps many more to come,
I am here for you, yes, yes,
so much we have to learn, yes, yes,
we are home together again, yes, yes,
we’re going to make it through, yes, yes,
we hold one another up,
there, there,
reassures the child
with Mama nestled at her side