A Day to Remember Veterans

On this beautiful spring day, sunshine announces a day to honor all fallen heroes, men and women who died while serving the United States. 

I started my day thinking of my 90-year-old uncle who enlisted as a Marine during World War II and I found a poem written by Commander Kelly Strong, USCG (Ret.) in 1981 when he was a high school senior, a JROTC cadet. 

I watched the flag pass by one day.
It fluttered in the breeze.
A young Marine saluted it,
 and then he stood at ease.
I looked at him in uniform.
So young, so tall, so proud.
He'd stand out in any crowd.
I thought how many men like him.
How many died on foreign soil.
How many mother's tears?
How many pilots' planes shot down?
How many dies at sea?
How many foxholes were soldiers' graves?
No freedom isn't free?

(You can read the rest of the poem here,)

Thank you to my friend, Jo Ann, for sending me this image in gif form this morning. 
DRAFTING A GOLDEN SHOVEL POEM:
Using the strike line, "No freedonm isn't free?, I wrote a golden shovel poem in draft form.

Why do we say no
so often when freedom 
rings strong? Isn't 
it important to be free?

I came back to this draft tonight after my Memorial Day Barbecue and decided to try another Golden Shovel with a different strike line. This one reminds me of all the men and women that enlisted in WWII at a young age but stood so tall and proud as they went off to war.

So young, so tall, so proud.  (strike line)

Today we celebrate in red, white, and blue so
we can honor young,
fallen heroes so
brave as they stood tall
in defense of our freedom-men and women so
eager, full of hope for America, and proud.

Listen to the song Fallen Soldier by Nathan Fair.

May this day lead all of us to consider what war means and how we can become more humane to one another.

Previous poems and digiital inspirations that I have written during Memorial Day Weekend over the past years.

If you would like to know why Memorial Day is a holiday turn read the Wonderopolis Wonder of the Day #1237.

I am sending this off to Two Writing Teachers because it is now the start of Slice of Life Tuesday. 

Squirreling Away

For weeks I have watched the squirrels scampering in haste. Their energetic pace and fervent pursuit of the fruits of autumn have not been in vain. However, I am curious about where they hide their food. I have never seen where they "squirrel away" their food. 

To answer my inquiry, I checked out Wonderopolis and was delighted to find, Wonder of the Day #469, "What Do Animals Squirrel Away for Winter." The informational text notes that grey squirrels, the kind we have in my neighborhood, "hide their food by burying it in many different places underground. Scientists call their scatter hoarding."

Using the poem, For the Chipmunk in My Yard  by Robert Gibb as a mentor text, I drafted a poem about the scampering squirrels in my neighborhood.

For the Scurrying Squirrels

I think they know they are living amongst humans,

As they scamper across neighborhood lawns,

Making cars stop short not to harm their little feet.

I watch their antics, running here, there, and back again.

They gather fallen acorns, sometimes take a bite or two,

And secretly engage in scatter hoarding edible treasures,

While all about them, autumn prepares for its transition. 

They're lucky to have magnificent, old trees shed their

Autumn acorns, to be fast enough to forage, and when

Nighttime approaches snuggle in carpets of russet leaves,

Dreaming of hunkering down in months to come. 

I think they know they are living amongst humans.

Co-habitation is a non-issue to the scampering squirrels.

©CVarsalona, 2018 

You may enjoy watching a short video seen at WOD #469.  

Please share your digital offerings of autumn in your locale with me as I design the Abundant Autumn Gallery.

🍁🍃🍂

Now,I will join Michelle H. Barnes who is the host of this week's Poetry Friday Roundup. Michelle invites us to her blog, Today's Little Ditty, after a bear of a week.   

Halloween Eve Ditty Fun

Have you ever been faced by a writing challenge and did not really know how to proceed? This month at Today's Little Ditty, the challenge created by Calef Brown for Michelle Barnes' October Ditty Challenge had me perplexed. He challenged writers to “Write a poem or a story about two anthropomorphized objects.” I sighed when I read this. I even had to look up the exact definition of anthropomorphized.  

Since it is Halloween week and I already created a fictional octopus for Irene Latham's #OctopusMonth, I thought I would extend the adventures of Ona Octopus to include a Halloween outing where she meets up with a large furry, stuffed cat. Halloween is a fun time of the year to let your imagination soar. 

While knowing that my idea would stretch the concept of anthropomorphized objects, I read some of the poems on Michelle Barnes' October Padlet and thought "Eek!, mine is so unlike the others." With a deep breath, I proceeded anyway with my idea to create a story poem. (I only had a few days left to complete a ditty). I then went to the Buncee digital platform and transformed the poem into an animated tale with the great graphic tools there. You can see my Happy Halloween Ditty Buncee here. 

I ask, "Is my poem worthy to sit on the October Padlet?" Then stop and reflect. Aren't I the one who says the fun of writing is being open enough to take risks and accept feedback? 

Thinking back on Halloween time when I was a reading specialist in an elementary school, I recall the fun I had transforming my classroom into a Harvest/Halloween House complete with decorations and a collection of seasonal books to be read aloud. Each classroom would pass through my decorated house for a festive treat. The teachers could choose from a menu of interactive activities to wow their students but the read aloud was the featured surprise. For teachers who are interested in a pairing of two texts, a poem and informational text, Wonder of the Day #743, What's Your Favorite Costume, would be an interesting reading to pair with my ditty. The goal is not only to have children celebrate Halloween in an appropriate environment but to whet their appetites for lifelong reading. 

Note: The link to my story poem has been placed on the Wonderopolis Wonder Ground under Resources and the Buncee is below.


Ghouls and goblins are milling about
for sweetened treats, there is no doubt. 
I watch them swing their candy pot
Hoping to catch the best what not.

They think me grand in my octosuit
with lots of moves that catch more loot.
But don't they know it's just me,
Ona O on a quick spree.

I wink, I sniff, I think you're grand
Your arms are lovely and expand
But take a look at my furry coat
It makes me look like quite a bloat.

Aren't we swell with fine demeanor?
We're genuine. Who could be keener?
Look! Children creep in "pretend" clothes
While we just strut under their nose.

Come, my pretties. Join the parade
for the best Halloween accolade!
©CVarsalona, 2018

*************************

It's Slice of Life Tuesday at Two Writing Teachers. I found another challenge there: end your slice with a written affirmation about yourself. Does your story show any perceived truths about yourself that can become more positive? 

My Affirmation

What I Do:                               I gingerly move beyond my comfort zone to try out a new move to 

                                                   see if it fits.

What Are My Next Steps:  If my move is not a good fit, I will rely on my one word hope to help 

                                                    me improve my craft.