2020 Kidlithosphere Progressive Poem-Day 9

This year's Kidlithosphere Progressive Poem project started in 2012 by Irene Latham to celebrate April's National Poetry Month with a community of writers. The poem project now led by Margaret Simon has evolved into a Choose-Your-Own-Poem-Adventure Progressive Poem. The fun began with Donna Smith who offered choice options with two different perspectives to continue the poem.  Each poet on the list below continued the practice. Today, I am excited to choose one of the options Tara Smith offered.

Sweet violets shimmy, daffodils sway

along the wiregrass path to the lake.     
I carry a rucksack of tasty cakes
and a banjo passed down from my gram. 

I follow the tracks of deer and raccoon
and echo the call of a wandering loon.  
A whispering breeze joins in our song.  
and night melts into a rose gold dawn.

Matt Forrest Essenwine are you ready?  Envelope please...

My options are:

Deep into nature's embrace, I fold. (Option A
In the solemn silence of springtime  (Option B)

I'm adding a digitized photo of a Virginia nature trail I walked with my granddaughter, Sierra. Perhaps, our little adventurer crossed a path like this one.

If you would like to follow the monthlong path the poem takes, see the contributors and the days they are adding to the Progressive Poem:

1 Donna Smith at Mainely Write

2 Irene Latham at Live Your Poem

3 Jone MacCulloch, at deo writer

4 Liz Steinglass at Elizabeth Steinglass

5 Buffy Silverman at Buffy Silverman Children's Author

6 Kay McGriff at A Journey Through The Pages

7 Catherine Flynn at Reading to the Core

8 Tara Smith at Going to Walden

9 Carol Varsalona at Beyond Literacy Link

10 Matt Forrest Esenwine at Radio, Rhythm, and Rhyme

11 Janet Fagel hosted at Reflections on the Teche

12 Linda Mitchell at A Word Edgewise

13 Kat Apel at Kat Whiskers

14 Margaret at Reflections on the Teche

15 Leigh Anne Eck at A Day in the Life

16 Linda Baie at Teacher Dance

17 Heidi Mordhorst at My Juicy Little Universe

18 Mary Lee Hahn at A Year of Reading

19 Tabatha at Opposite of Indifference

20 Rose Cappelli at Imagine the Possibilities

21 Janice Scully at Salt City Verse

22 Julieanne Harmatz at To Read, To Write, To Be

23 Ruth, There is no such thing as a God-forsaken town

24 Christie Wyman at Wondering and Wandering

25 Amy at The Poem Farm

26 Dani Burtsfield at Doing the Work That Matters

27 Robyn Hood Black at Life on the Deckle Edge

28 Jessica Big at TBD

29 Fran Haley at lit bits and pieces

30 Michelle Kogan at Michelle Kogan

Gray-Day Pondering

#InstaPoetry #MoPoetry2019

While friends and family indulge in cotton-ball countrysides filled with billowy snow, Long Island is wrapped in gray days ranging from frigid to not-so-cold temperatures. Nonetheless, there is a hushed, quiet beauty settling in.

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Incessant. swishing noises tap against window panes as morning tries to wake a sleepy neighborhood.  Flecks of rain bubble up in blotchy patterns and one bird calls out. Another gray-day appears with resounding noise announcing the continuance of stormy weather. 

Rainuary
pitter-pattering,

slick splattering

gutters filling
weather chilling

gray-day pondering
weathermen floundering-
morning mist
winter-kissed-
January
commentary
©CVarsalona, 2019
#InstaPoetry #MoPoetry2019

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While the weather may be unusual for January, my New Year has been brightened with an incoming shower of good wishes from fellow poetry friends, Michelle Kogan and Diane Mayr who sent me poetry postcards. It is always nice to receive mail from the mailman and these treats were special deliveries of poetic goodness.

Michelle posted the following image poem for MLK Day. I decided to showcase it at Monday night's #NYEDChat. The discussion centered on "Service Projects for Students and Teachers", a fitting title to celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

I also extend my thanks to other Poetry Friday friends for their incoming contributions to my winter gallery, Winter's Embrace.

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The Poetry Friday Roundup is hosted by a favorite education friend of mine, Tara Smith, who recently retired and moved to live in upstate New York on a beautiful farm. 

Turning of the Seasons

As one season turns into the next, subtle changes occur in nature. Winter turned to spring this year, and a flurry of poems were released. National Poetry Month saw the rise of poetry in classrooms and on social media. 

Laura Shovan's #10FoundWords project that began in winter on a closed FaceBook community site continued into spring. For the April challenge, Heather Meloche offered the prompt, Early Spring by Rainer Maria Rilke. I found myself responding late to the call to write but nonetheless was drawn to this poem that centered on the turning of the seasons. 

In order to complete the task, I needed to use the 10 words that were chosen from the original poem to create an a found poem. The words Heather chose for the challenge were: vanished, softness, meadow, rivulets, tendernesses, earth, subtle, risings, expression, and trees. 

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Early Spring

Harshness vanished. A sudden softness

has replaced the meadows' wintry grey.

Little rivulets of water changed

their singing accents. Tendernesses,

hesitantly, reach toward the earth

from space, and country lanes are showing

these unexpected subtle risings

that find expression in the empty trees.

-Rainer Maria Rilke 

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Hues of stark white vanished

in the gentle turning of earth.

Verdant green meadows replaced 

winter's colorless landscape as

earth rejoiced at the gentle awakening.

Subtleties of nature's handiwork

were evident in the tenderness of 

shoots rising, the calling of the birds

above rivulets, and the trees exploding

with colorful blossoms. Earth opened

its arms to nature's euphoric expressions

of jubilation-a springsation of the senses

unfolded before mankind's watchful eyes.

©CVarsalona, 2017

Now please turn to the Poetry Friday Roundup at Tara Smith's site, A Teaching Life. There you will find springtime delights. 

If you have an offering for my spring gallery of artistic expressions, #Springsations, please send me your work. 
Thank You.

Summerscape Moments

Finding your summerscape moment is 

mind, body, and soul work! Dig deep!

Read more about summerscape moments here.

What is your summerscape moment?

You are invited to create it digitally for my global gallery, Summerscapes. If you have not seen the invitation, you can access it here. The deadline for submission is August 31st.

Please visit the Poetry Friday Round-up where my colleague, Tara Smith, is hosting at A Teaching Life. While you are at her farmhouse, you can read "Summer's Elegy".

Invitation to Create

There is a calmness about the day. 

A chill exists. It welcomes winter.

There is a dusting on the ground,

glistening sprinklings that sparkle.

There is a howling from the trees

shivering in frenetic movement. 

There is a storm that is coming. 

I am at peace with its calling. 

©Carol Varsalona, 2016

AND THEN CREATE

Digital compositions of photographs with poetry or poetic expressions

for the newest Reflect With Me Gallery of Artistic Expressions,

Winter Wanderings

The winter gallery will also feature and accept the following:

Nature photography
Quotes
Songs

Winter has different hues and scenery depending on your locale.

Send your offerings to cvarsalona's email, Google+, Facebook, or Twitter accounts.

ALL digital compositions must have proper credit for work displayed, name of author, and location.

Preferred size of digital compositions to be no larger than 5x7.

Last year's digital gallery, Winter Whisperings, can be accessed here.

DEADLINE: March 4, 2016

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Sneak Preview of the Winter Wanderings' collection:

Lester Laminack's Digital Inspiration

Winter Photo Corner

A SPECIAL THANK YOU to LESTER LAMINACK, author and national literacy consultant, for creating the title of the winter gallery. 

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Now please visit Tara Smith's site, A Teaching Life, for the Poetry Friday Round-Up. Tara has a peaceful winter scene and poem waiting for us there.

Stay Warm During the Northeast USA Winter Storm

Take Up the Pen

On Christmas Day in 1865, Longfellow heard church bells ringing Christmas tidings. While stricken with grief for the loss of his wife and his seriously wounded son, Longfellow struggled with the message of the season. As the Christmas bells chimed, he took up his pen and wrote. 

How often do writers feel misgivings about life but use their voice deep inside to pen a message? It is the urging of the heart that meets the mind to weave words. Perhaps, the process of moving thoughts from the heart to the mind to the pen is how Longfellow created his poem, Christmas Bells.

While you are reading Longfellow's poem Christmas Bells, please listen to Casting Crown's version. 

Christmas Bells
By Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

    I heard the bells on Christmas Day 
    Their old, familiar carols play, 
        And wild and sweet 
        The words repeat 
    Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

    And thought how, as the day had come,
    The belfries of all Christendom
        Had rolled along
        The unbroken song
    Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

    Till ringing, singing on its way,
    The world revolved from night to day,
        A voice, a chime,
        A chant sublime
    Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

    Then from each black, accursed mouth
    The cannon thundered in the South,
        And with the sound
        The carols drowned
    Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

    It was as if an earthquake rent
    The hearth-stones of a continent,
        And made forlorn
        The households born
    Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

    And in despair I bowed my head;
    "There is no peace on earth," I said;
        "For hate is strong,
        And mocks the song
    Of peace on earth, good-will to men!"

    Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
    "God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
        The Wrong shall fail,
        The Right prevail,
    With peace on earth, good-will to men."

For those who enjoy reading back stories and seeing primary documents of Civil War history please view the video here.

You can listen to a dramatic reading by Edward K. Hermann telling the story of Longfellow's Christmas Bells with the Morman Taberncacle Choir here.

I took up the pen and these were created.

church bells chime the call

faithful followers gather

passage-peace on earth

©Carol Varsalona, 2015

Today, it's Poetry Friday hosted by Tara Smith so please visit A Teaching Life. 

Help Wanted Ad: Positivity

When I saw a tweet about Poetry At Work Day I was intrigued. I decided to check out the site, #poetryatworkday, and the fun. The quote that I found there set my thoughts in motion (see below). 

I would venture that many people do not bring poetry to work. But why not? Poetry is the soul's thoughts that can take flight to make a public appearance. Why shouldn't poems be shared in places other than classrooms? 

During the course of a work day, many people do not think about poetry even though poems can be short, inspiring, motivational starters to the morning. Quotes are often pinned to bulletin boards of lounges and cubicle spaces, so why not poems? 

Poetry can be the chat around the water cooler or make the email trail so to honor the work force, I tinkered with the haiku form. In its brevity, it makes me think. It also surprises.  After several drafts, I settled on the one below for #poetryatworkday. The intent of my poem was to bring a light touch to the help wanted ads as an attractive lure for job seekers interested in positive thinking. I hope you find it light-hearted and fun. 

After submitting my haiku via Tweeter, I was surprised to find that it was among those featured for #poetryatworkday. I credit my entry due to Violet Nesdoly's post that inspired me to take a look at what the site offered. (Thanks, Violet.) Unfortunately, I cannot find the tweet from #poetryatworkday about my haiku but the pleasure of being recognized still brings a smile to my face. 

Now, please stroll over to A Teaching Life where my friend, Tara Smith, hosted Poetry Friday yesterday. Although I am a day late, I joyfully offer my haiku for comments. There are many delightful posts to read this week, so relax and enjoy. 

Face-to-Face Meet-ups at NCTE 14 Lead to Forever Professional Friends

Slicers enjoying a morning Book Swap
with Margaret Simon, Julieanne Harmatz,
Fran McVeigh, and Tara Smith

There is nothing better than meeting up with a connected educator in person. First time moments are sheer joy. Eyes meet eyes and bear hugs spontaneously happen as a genuine greeting of friendship. When you connect via social media there is a bond that forms. Lives are shared. Learning is exchanged, and friendship is developed, but when there is a meet-up, the friendship is solidified.

It is quite an interesting feeling to have an online acquaintance meet-up. I have experienced many such "aha moments" this past week at NCTE 14. To the right are my Twitter buddies, now face-to-face friends, with whom I met up with and spent many stellar moments at NCTE 14. 

These lovely ladies are slicers, poets, and friends who make me smile as we learn together on line or write as a community for Slice of Life, Poetry Friday, DigitLit Sunday, Celebrate This Week, or Spiritual Journey Thursday. Margaret Simon, Julieanne Harmatz, and Fran McVeigh have even joined me as REFLECT WITH ME writers for my global galleries of artistic expressions. You can view their poems in the latest gallery that I unveiled: Summer Serenity Gallery.  Tara Smith will join us in future galleries. 

Two Writing Teachers'
Presentation at NCTE

As the weeks unfold, I will tell more stories of NCTE 14 and how it affected my learning and the growth of my PLN. For the time being, let it be known that slicing is now part of my language and life. I am grateful for The Two Writing Teachers' community of learners who have broadened my scope. Thank you, Stacey Shubitz, Dana Murphy, Betsy Hubbard, and Tara Smith for opening doors to an enriched writing collaborative and for a first time warm greeting at NCTE. (I am sorry that I did not take a photo of our first meet-up.)

Please visit Two Writing Teachers for the Slice of Life Story Challenge.

 

Happy Thanksgiving!