Poemtober's Blackdraped Evening

During October, when the leaves are tinted with golddust and autumn air is crispclean, the creation of a Poemtober experience becomes a therapeutic, poetic diversion from heaviness hovering over the world. Thanks to my Florida poet-friend, Rebecca Herzog, who originated the Poemtober word list, I offer a seasonal collection of poetry. Inspired by outside decorations found in my Long Island neighborhood, I have gathered a plethora of visual prompts.

Below you will find an eerie-looking gathering of spectral sights that sway under an October blackdraped evening. To enhance the scene and create an illuminated sight, I digitized the original photo. Then, I crafted a septercet poem, a form created by poet Jane Yolen with a pattern of seven syllables in three-line stanzas. 

 "I would like, if I may, to take you on a strange journey."

  The Rocky Horror Picture Show

Welcome to a Blackdraped Evening Celebration

Specters' Chant

"Trick or treat," we sing tonight

as night sounds cause howling fright

and specters rise from their rest.

Illuminated in white,

hands join in a spooky fest,

calling spirits from the tomb.

Under a blackdraped, night sky

hums of ancient doom and gloom

cause neighbors' woeful outcry.

"Shed your flowing white costume

Return to your earthen bed,

the cemetery of dread."

©CV, 2020

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Because life is full of fears these days, I saw this amazing outdoor decoration and knew exactly what I wanted to create. My etheree is a call to action, do not enter the fear zone! Face fears that haunt your waking hours.

Fears

hover.

Do not let

them enter your

home but face your fears.

They play tricks, ghoulishly

cause weeping, and entomb the

living in a virtual crypt

of trembling trepidation causing

bonechilling frustration and disruption.

©CV, 2020

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From one year to the next Poemtober offer opportunities to revisit thoughts and happenings, and create stories, stitches of memories sewn together. For now, join me for Slice of Life Tuesday at Two Writing Teachers and keep writing. It's National Day on Writing.

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Introducing Poemtober

 Stories are stitches of memories sewn together.

List created by Rebecca Herzog

"I would like, if I may, to take you on a strange journey.”

The Rocky Horror Picture Show

Please take a walk with me to view the enchanting, macabre, and bizarre front-yard decorations in my neighborhood. Displays entice me to create a #Poemtober collection of artistic expressions alongside my poet friend Rebecca Herzog with her prompt words. What I share in images each week may bring you to a state of delight or have you gawking in disbelief or shock.

I'll start by sharing my thinking on how to begin a Poemtober collection this year. Not only will I choose a word to prompt my thinking but I will pair it with a front yard decoration dressed in a seasonal look and perhaps digitize it to create a story of stitched memories.

Below you will find my first Poemtober sequence prompted by the word enchanting. While there are many Halloweenish displays going up around the neighborhood, I thought the word enchanting would be a great place to start. The word enchanting allows me to weave the boldness and vibrancy of the autumn season into poem.

One evening during a walk, I noticed the darkening colors of night surrounding the neighborhood houses. Trees were lurking in shadows as the sky opened to a speckling of stars. The title, October's Blackdraped Evening, came into being by pressing the words black and draped together to create a mood. Irene Latham does suggest this tip in her latest publication, This Poem Is A Nest. I took Irene's advice a step further and wrote my own next poem as the source text for nestlings, small poems originating from the nest poem.

Autumn whispers in the wind as evening

cozily closes under a blackdraped sky. 

Cricket sounds sing in tune with 

each other and rich-colored leaves

slip and slide across concrete walks

and roadways. Some, wet with afternoon

rain, wait for passersby to pick up

one or two for decorations.

Grey squirrels scamper 

in delight wondering where acorns

are stashed without noticing them

along the roadway. A few dogs proudly

lead their humans, bedazzled with 

masks, to greet fellow canines.

October's evening blush lingers as stars

speckle in an indigo sky and

enchanted eventide wishes

flow through crispclean air.

©CV, 2020

The nest poem is based on Using Irene Latham's book, This Poem Is A Nest, as the mentor text, I created my own nest and nestling poems. 

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Nestlings

I.

Wind whispers under stars.

October's leaves greet evening.

Enchanted delight

crispclean autumn!

II.

Autumn rain, scamper!

Wondering! Noticing!

Along roadway, evening lingers.

Stars speckle sky.

Enchanted wishes flow!

III.

autumn leaves scamper

noticing October's stars-

enchanted flow

IV.

wind cozily slides

in delight

where acorns greet

evening sky

©CV, 2020

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Stay tuned for the next installment of Poemtober.

It will not be for the faint of heart.

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Now, it is time for me to join the Poetry Friday Roundup. Janice Scully is the host today sharing some photos from Syracuse in Central New York, my home town. Ah, autumn there is lovely. Janice fills my heart with thoughts, original poems, and images of the season, ending with an inspirational quote. 

City Sunset_SOLSC 6/Poetry Friday

Fiery hues lit the sky as sunset settled in for its nightly painting ritual. Quickly, nature brush stroked the sky in front of my eyes. Taillights added extra glimmer to the scene, introducing the blackness of approaching evening tide. A parade of lights continued during evening rush hour as winter snuggled in. 

A City Sunset

by Thomas Ernest Hulme

Alluring, Earth seducing, with high conceits

is the sunset that reigns 

at the end of westward streets...

A sudden flaring sky

Troubling strangely the passer-by

with visions, alien to long streets, of Cytharea

or the smooth flesh of Lady Castlemaine.

A frolic of crimson

is the spreading glory of the sky. 

heaven's jocund maid

flaunting a trailed red robe

along the fretted city roofs

about the time of homeward going crowds

-a vain maid lingering loth to go.

Today is Poetry Friday hosted by the Floridian poet, Rebecca Herzog at her blog post, Sloth Reads.  Rebecca is sharing not only her poetry goodness but the work of many in the writing community. It is also Day 6 of the Two Writing Teacher's March 2020 Slice of Life Story Challenge. I presented at a statewide literacy conference this week and just returned home after a 7-hour drive so please excuse my lateness with adding my post.

Each year since March 2015, I engage in Two Writing Teacher's Annual Slice of Life Story Challenge. 

Slicing allows me to ponder life, literacy, and learning, capturing small moments poetically

through writing, photography, and digital art. 

National Gingerbread Cookie Day

Did you know that today, November 21st, is National Gingerbread Cookie Day?  I did not but lucky for me that holiday baking is not only one of my favorite pastimes but provided the inspiration for me to create two poems for Rebecca Herzog's challenge. As the host of Poetry Friday this week, Rebecca asked the writing community to compose a poem about a food we feel deserves a special day of commemoration. I chose to honor the gingerbread cookie.

Gingerbread cookies are a delicious confection for the holidays but this year I switched it up and created miniature gingerbread people cookies for my granddaughter's June birthday party. 

Today, I am honoring National Gingerbread Cookie Day that celebrates a day of building memories with loved ones with two Buncee poems. I will share these doses of sweet poetry goodness with Sierra because she not only loves to read but enjoys Grandma's cookies. 

After reading the first Buncee, click to read the second Buncee poem.
You can click here to see larger versions on my Buncee dashboard.

Enjoy a bite of Poetry Friday now with our host, Rebecca Herzog at Sloth Reads.

Creative Expression via Digital Storytelling

Halloween is such a fun occasion to share a spooky story with little ones. Imagine a darkened room with background music filtering through. Creaky sounds and crackling noises set the stage as children sit in anticipation. The reader dressed in costume invites children to listen and imagine as the read aloud opens. Stories come alive as little eyes pop with excitement. 

Now, switch this scene from my 1990's schoolwide, Harvest House elementary reading room to a 21st-century, technology-infused classroom. Children sit watching the words of an engrossing story projected on a Smartboard, laptops, or iPads. Some are enjoying independent reading time. Others are listening to an audio version or rereading a story to their partner. Those who have already engaged in reading are now trying to write their own version of the story using background scenes from the Buncee platform demonstrated below or other digital platforms. The teacher is the guide on this reading and writing journey where digital storytelling and creativity come alive in many classrooms around the globe. 

For interested teachers, each month, ditty writing challenges can be found at Michelle H. Barnes' website. This month's ditty challenge, Monster Fears, by poet friends Michelle Barnes and Rebecca Herzog, is right up my writing alley. The prompt is: "Most everyone is afraid of monsters, but what are most monsters afraid of?" I started my writing yesterday on NCTE's National Day on Writing, along with decorating the house for Halloween. 

Today, as I prepare for #NYEDChat's convo on improving student learning through creative expression, I am letting my creative juices flow. Are you ready for a ditty treat?  Click on background sounds here. Then, sit back to view my tale for children, Monster Fear, created on the Buncee platform. (I am still in editing mode, but you can take a look.)

Thanks Rebecca Herzog for the inspiration.

Thanks Michelle H. Barnes for the following fun advertisement

about my little ditty storytelling poem.

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Just for fun, I am adding in these songs. 

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I hope to greet many educators, parents, and students tonight at #NYEDChat for a collective conversation on creative expression.

 Have a happy day filled with creativity.

End-of-Summer Gifts

As days shorten and the air is filled with milder weather, nature holds on to its sweet summer memories.  Even when the leaves twirl with a lazy, cascading rhythm, "There shall be eternal summer in the grateful heart." - Celia Thaxton 

Nature sings its sweet song. 

No goodbyes are uttered as

September enters.

Sweet summer moments

remain forever in

toe-touching shifting sands,

sunlit backyard porches,

and lakeside cottages.

Grateful hearts understand

the passing of the seasons

and do not mourn.

They sing new songs.

©CV, 2019

At the end of summer, my mailman brought another colorful poetry swap gift from Rebecca Herzog. See the colorful poetry card with an original poem from my swap buddy. 

Final Days

Summer meanders lazily

Dipping her toe in the waves

Soaking in the last strong rays of sun

Before exiting the water

And wrapping Autumn's blanket

around her shoulders

©Rebecca Herzog, 2019 

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I am sending the following end-of-summer #digitalinspiration
to all my poetry friends who have been summer gift-givers.
 It will become part of my #EmbraceableSummer Gallery collection.

The above image started as a photo taken by Linda Baie while vacationing with family in Captiva Island. I digitized the original picture and added a poem.

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Yesterday, I received an amazing book from a random drawing at Amy Ludwig Vanderater's Sharing Our Notebook's site. My creative friend, Matt Grundler shared his visual journal there. 

With a grateful heart for my end-of-summer gifts, I am eager to enter the creative zone.

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Now it is time to join the Poetry Friday Party hosted by a wonderful pair of poet friends, Sylvia Vardell and Janet Wong, publishers of Great Morning! Poems for School Leaders to Read Aloud (a must read book for the #BacktoSchool2019 #StartStrong movement).

I am proud to be featured in this book with my poem "Art Class" based on inspiration from Matt Grundler's classroom.

March Musings '19: In the Middle of Night & Giveaway

Have you ever thought about what happens in the middle of the night after you go to sleep? Well, my poet friend, Laura Purdie Salas has. In her imaginative picture book, inanimate objects decide it's time to play when their humans go to sleep. Join me as I take you on a quick trip through Laura's fantastic flight of fantasy. Welcome to the last day of her latest book's Blog Tour. 

For several weeks, I have been waiting to present IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT to my reading audience. If you have not visited one of the spots on the tour (see below), then I invite you to take a seat and hold on for a fascinating flight of fantasy. If you have traveled to some of the Blog Tour spots, then you already know what an amazing book this is to read to toddlers before bedtime or to older children in school. Even adults will enjoy this madcap adventure of inanimate objects.  

Through twenty-six imaginative poems, Laura captures the after-dark adventures of household objects who want to enjoy life as much as their humans. Illustrator Angela Matteson brings inanimate objects to life in vivid illustrations with creative flair. There is movement as their stories are revealed. Some objects even spin and show emotions. 

After Hours (excerpt)

We wait

we wait

we wait  

                             all

                                                               day

for  you to sleep , so we can play!

Did you see the animal in the illustration above sneaking from behind the bed to play or the octopus hiding by the dresser? Angela's illustrations playfully depict toys that are simply waiting for their little boy to go to sleep so they can unwind under the light of the crescent moon.  Unwind they do as Laura spins her tale of animals on the go and Angela has the characters moving, spinning, and rocking to the beat as they prepare a late night talent show.

As the animals unwind, other objects start their own merriment. Laura uses rhyming, repetition, strong verbs, and sound words to lead us into the adventure that sends a paper airplane on a moonlight midnight flight at the same time the lidless markers sound off with their woeful tale. A comb tries to help, a kleenex in the shape of a jellyfish parachute makes a soft landing, and a  whirling baseball cap searches for a new head to fit.

Have I intrigued you with the beginning of Laura's amazing after-dark tale? Well, there is more to this poetry-packed children's book. There's an acrostic poem being told by a perfume atomizer all dressed in pink. Pencils take a plunge and land with a loud thump. A mixing bowl gets mixed up. There's even spaghetti that tries to fit in as sneaker laces. Can you imagine that? Laura even slipped in one of her newest creations, an equation poem told by a rock, "End of day=time to play."

This book may be filled with 26 individual poems but each transitions beautifully to another with a rhythmic beat to build the storyline. Inanimate objects going wild is the end result until morning when their "fun is done."  A two-voice poem concludes the book that shares merriment that goes on after dark.

To extend the reading experience into a writing one, ask children to create their own fantastic journeys after dark using Laura's poems as models. If you travel to Reflections on the Tech and Reading to the Core, you will see poems from Margaret Gibson's class in Louisiana and Catherine Flynn's class in Connecticut. These poems illustrate the creativity and imagination of elementary children. 

IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT will not only spark interest in poetry but encourage children to become lifelong readers and writers.  Thank you, Laura for an imaginative tale from a wide-awake house. As I ready for bed, I am wondering what type of after-dark activities will my house engage in. The heating system enjoys making whoosh sounds when it mysteriously turns on in the wee hours of the morning. Sometimes, the alarm goes off with its blaring beep. Let's not forget to continue to nurture our children's creativity and imagination. 

Check out the tweets about IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT at #WideAwakePoems and enjoy reading other posts on the Blog Tour. 

Links to the Blog Tour sites:

3/11               Mile High Reading

3/12               Reflections on the Teche

3/13               A Year of Reading

3/14               Check It Out

3/15               Radio, Rhythm & Rhyme

3/17               Great Kid Books

3/18               Simply 7 Interview

3/19               My Juicy Little Universe

3/20               Live Your Poem

3/21               Reading to the Core

3/22               KidLit Frenzy

                      Beyond LiteracyLink

Thank you, Laura and Angela, for such a wonderful, imaginative book geared to readers of all ages. I fell in love with it and am eager to see how my grandbaby will respond. Her library is growing since before birth when Laura sent a signed copy of one of her poetry books for the baby shower.  

 Giveaway: 

To win a copy of In The Middle of the Night from Boyds Mills Press, comment on Laura's book below. Include why you would like to read it. A winner from the U.S. only will be chosen on Sunday, March 24, 2019. I will announce the winner on my blog site and on Twitter.

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Today I am celebrating Laura Purdie Salas' book with two writing communities: Poetry Friday and Two Writing Teachers. Rebecca Herzog is hosting Poetry Friday at her blog, Sloth Reads, with a nod to Happy Goof-off Day and an original poem. Two Writing Teachers is past the halfway mark for their 12th Annual Slice of Life Story Challenge. 

Poetry Friday

Day 22 of 31 days of writing

March Slice of Life Story Challenge